Introduction
There has never been a more opportune time for Africa to embrace the digital economy and seek to harness the value of data to address its development challenges. While the world celebrates the transformative power of data-driven technologies, the energy footprint of maintaining vast datacentres and running complex AI algorithms is increasingly being echoed. As Africa embraces the digital economy and seeks to harness the power of data, the continent must concurrently address the energy sustainability of its digital infrastructure. The emergence of datacentres which range in size from relatively small-scale in several African countries to hyperscale in South Africa marks a significant milestone in the leveraging of data for Africa’s development. However, with this welcome development comes the important considerations about energy consumption. The growing presence and scale of data centres across the continent will inevitably increase energy requirements, underscoring the need for sustainable solutions. Cloud computing, reliant on these datacentres, is notorious for its substantial environmental cost. Every byte of data collected, analysed, and stored requires energy, contributing to the high electricity demands of data centres. In fact, operating servers and cooling facilities to prevent overheating necessitate considerable power consumption.
As Africa is poised for rapid digital growth, leveraging data-driven development can catapult the continent forward. However, this opportunity also challenges the continent to pioneer sustainable energy solutions. With nearly 600 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa still lacking access to electricity, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), Africa can leapfrog traditional energy systems and adopt innovative, renewable energy sources to power its digital infrastructure and harness the benefits of data-driven development while mitigating its environmental footprint. Africa’s need to balance data-driven development with energy sustainability does not mean the continent should shy away from embracing AI or the broader digital economy. Rather, it calls for strategic planning and innovative solutions to ensure that data storage and processing are both energy-efficient and environmentally friendly. Several examples already exist across the continent.
At the regional level, initiatives such as the AFDB energy strategy aims to help Africa to leverage its clean and renewable energy opportunities. Africa’s abundant renewable energy potential—especially solar, wind, and hydropower—offers a unique opportunity to power datacentres sustainably. Governments and private sector players must prioritise the development of renewable energy projects that can directly supply energy to datacentres. This approach not only addresses the energy cost of data but also helps to diversify Africa’s energy mix and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
The AfDB’s New Deal on Energy for Africa aims to achieve universal energy access across the continent by 2025. This strategy focuses on increasing investment in renewable energy, particularly solar, wind, and hydropower. The New Deal emphasises the importance of creating energy systems that support economic development, which includes powering the growing digital economy. Part of the initiative involves funding renewable energy projects and expanding energy access to rural and underserved areas, which will be critical for supporting future data infrastructure. Through the New Deal, the AfDB has supported projects like the Desert to Power Initiative, one of the continent’s most ambitious renewable energy projects, which aims to build the largest solar energy zone in the world, stretching across the Sahel region, with a goal to produce 10 GW of solar energy. This project could transform energy access for many African countries, providing affordable, clean energy to power not only homes and businesses but also future datacentres and digital infrastructure. By leveraging Africa’s abundant solar resources, this initiative could help bridge the energy gap in regions with limited electricity while supporting digital growth.
South Africa is a leader in data infrastructure on the continent, but its energy challenges are well-documented. Initiatives such as Teraco Data Environments, a large datacentre operator, are investing in renewable energy to reduce their reliance on the national grid. Teraco is part of a broader movement in South Africa to integrate more sustainable energy sources into digital infrastructure, helping to mitigate the environmental costs of energy-intensive datacentres. Additionally, the South African government has worked with tech companies like Amazon Web Services (AWS) to build hyperscale datacentres in the country, with plans to incorporate renewable energy into their long-term operational strategy.
Modern datacentres can be designed to optimise energy use, through techniques like server virtualisation, efficient cooling systems, and the use of AI to manage energy consumption. The Africa Data Centres in Nairobi, Kenya, is a leading example of integrating sustainable energy solutions with digital infrastructure. In 2021, the company began using solar energy to power its datacentre, a move that highlights how renewable energy can be leveraged to support Africa’s growing digital infrastructure.
These initiatives reflect the growing recognition across Africa that sustainable energy solutions are critical to the continent’s digital future. They not only highlight the innovative ways Africa is approaching the intersection of digital infrastructure and energy but also illustrate how the continent can leapfrog into a greener, more sustainable digital economy. By continuing to prioritise renewable energy and energy-efficient technologies, as well as incorporating other strategies such as leveraging edge computing to reduce energy-intensive cloud storage, establishing data governance frameworks that prioritise energy efficiency, and fostering regional data cooperation to share resources and costs, Africa can build a digital future that meets its developmental needs without compromising its environmental goals.