Data centers could catalyze Africa’s power sector modernization

The African Energy Chamber (AEC) argues that expanding local data centers could catalyze investment in Africa’s power infrastructure, accelerating grid upgrades and renewable integration as outlined in “The State of African Energy: 2026 Outlook Report”.

• Main announcement/action: The AEC recommends leveraging local data center development to attract socially responsible capital for power infrastructure; key figures cited include 223 data centers across 38 countries (mid-2025), the African data center market valued at USD3.49 billion (2024) and projected to reach USD6.81 billion by 2030 (CAGR 11.79%), with data center power demand forecast to hit 2 GW by 2030 (CAGR 9% between 2024–2030). The article highlights country-level examples such as Nigeria’s 17 data centers requiring ~137 MW in 2025 and a planned 100 MW green data center in Kenya backed by a USD1 billion investment by Microsoft and G42.
• Background/details: The piece provides sector context and concrete project details: South Africa leads with 56 data centers and a 12 MW solar farm project by Africa Data Centers and Distributed Power Africa; Kenya’s grid is over 60% renewable and offers a 10% corporate tax exemption for the first 10 years (and “over 15% after 10 years” thereafter) for special economic zone investments; Côte d’Ivoire’s 37.5 MWp Boundiali solar plant (June 2023) and Senegal’s Taiba N’Diaye Wind Farm are cited as regional renewable milestones. The report is available for download at the provided link.