Africa's data center market is projected to reach 8.76 billion dollars by 2031, growing at 15.76% annually, driven by ex

According to Arizton's latest research, Africa's data center market will see total investments of 8.76 billion dollars by 2031, representing a compound annual growth rate of 15.76% through the forecast period. South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, and Egypt continue to dominate regional data center investment due to their established connectivity ecosystems, growing digital economies, and rising cloud and colocation service demand. Emerging markets such as Morocco and Tunisia are gaining traction because of their geographic proximity to Europe and robust submarine cable connectivity.

Energy sustainability is becoming central to Africa's data center strategy. The region's abundant solar, wind, and hydro resources are enabling operators to support data center growth with cleaner energy while reducing operational costs. Several operators have already moved forward with renewable power deals, including Teraco's 2025 wind energy supply agreement in South Africa and Egypt's acceleration of large-scale solar and wind projects to expand renewable generation capacity.

Submarine cable infrastructure continues to strengthen the foundation for data center development across Africa. Egypt has emerged as the region's most connected market with 17 operational submarine cables and six additional systems under development, positioning it as a key gateway linking Africa with Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Kenya is also expanding its submarine cable investments. Recent submarine cable disruptions in West Africa during 2024 have underscored the importance of network resilience, prompting greater investment in cable diversity and redundancy to support future data center expansion and broader digital infrastructure growth across the continent.