When Africa’s leading voices in tech, government, and private enterprise gather in Lagos, the excitement is electric. Yet a quieter, less glamorous reality counters the buzz: the digital infrastructure needed to sustain a thriving AI-powered future remains alarmingly fragile.
That’s the dichotomy unveiled at the recent African Digital Economy and Inclusion Conference, where the bold theme—“AI and the African Digital Economy: Leaving No One Behind”—set the tone for two days of vigorous discussion, innovation, and sometimes, sober reflection.
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Scaling Africa’s Digital Economy, Responsibly
Africa’s digital economy is touted to expand from roughly €155 billion today to nearly €700 billion by 2050. Certainly, such growth promises profound transformation across banking, healthcare, education, and beyond. But the road to that future runs straight through significant—sometimes staggering—infrastructure obstacles.
As Adedayo Oketola, chairing the conference organising committee, put it with measured realism: “For many rural Africans, internet access is a distant dream. Electricity is unreliable. Financing is scarce—and expertise is too.” These shortfalls, he warned, risk turning AI from an inclusive opportunity into an exclusionary force.
From Chatbots in Wolof to Health Algorithms: A Wide Canvas
Yet the event was not all diagnosis—there was a bold vision, too. Participants explored a wide range of ideas: from local-language chatbots for Wolof speakers to AI tools tackling healthcare challenges, and even digital identity systems aimed at streamlining regional trade. At its heart, the summit sought to blend cutting-edge innovation with inclusivity.
Adding Infrastructure to the Conversation
Parallel to such policy-focused discussions, a crucial industry-focused meeting took place: Vertiv’s AI Solutions Innovation Roadshow, Lagos edition, held on June 26, 2025.
This gathering brought together over 80 top executives—including leaders from telecoms, banking, manufacturing, and oil & gas—to consider what it takes to truly power AI across Africa. Topics ranged from energy-efficient data centres and hybrid IT to cooling solutions for compute-heavy environments and scalable digital infrastructure—all vital underpinnings for enterprise-level AI deployment.
The Bigger Picture: Why the Infrastructure Gap Matters
Africa hosts just 1% of global data centre capacity, while only around 37% of its population is online, compared to the global average of 67%. AI startups in Africa secured just $220 million in 2023, a fraction of the nearly $92 billion invested globally—revealing a glaring disparity.
Officials at the global AI Action Summit reinforced this urgency. African delegates advocated for “AI-ready infrastructure” and emphasised that without considerable investment in data centres, computing power, regulatory clarity, and skills development, the continent risks falling behind in the AI race.
Lagos: A Tech Hub Hampered by Hard Realities
Lagos, Africa’s largest city, is already a magnet for fintech success stories—housing 23 of Nigeria’s 28 fastest-growing companies. Giants like Moniepoint, Paystack, Flutterwave, and PalmPay signal that the city has scale and dynamism.
Yet, the gains are undermined by infrastructure frustrations. Talent leaves, funding dips, and facilities remain inadequate—even for basic knowledge work. Angel investors, accelerator founders, and startups all point to clogged roads, underpowered spaces, and brittle systems—not exactly fertile ground for advanced AI innovation.
Tech entrepreneur Iyin Aboyeji has responded by investing in a 72,000 m² tech park on Lagos’s outskirts to fill gaps in office space, event capacity, and reliable infrastructure—but it’s just one piece in a much bigger puzzle.
Why It All Matters
Across the continent, debates from summit halls in Lagos to boardrooms at innovation roadshows point to a clear truth: Africa wants to leapfrog into an AI-enabled future, but won’t get there on fantasy alone. It needs hard infrastructure, smart policy, and deliberate investment.
That means big projects—purpose-built data centres, funding for local AI startups, regional digital identity systems, regulation that enables innovation—but doesn’t suffocate it. It also means investing in people: training, access, inclusion, and keeping talent at home.
There’s no lack of ambition. What remains is execution—and ensuring that no Nigerian, Ghanaian, Senegalese, or rural African is left behind in the race toward the continent’s digital future.
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