African Nations Advised To Mobilize Domestic Resources To Build Digital Infrastructure

Countries in Africa have been urged to mobilize domestic resources and coordinate investments to build the digital infrastructure required for the continent’s digital transformation.

Ghana’s deputy minister of education, Clement Abas Apaak, who made the remarks called on African governments to allocate between 1 per cent and 2 per cent of annual gross domestic product to a common fund dedicated to financing digital infrastructure across the continent. He made the proposal during the eLearning Africa conference held on June 9 in Accra, Ghana.

“We must mobilize our own resources to build our own infrastructure, train our own experts, with the aim of domesticating AI in a way that protects our history, our culture and our value systems,” Apaak said. He added: “If our emails still have to pass through Europe and America before reaching us, on what basis can we claim any form of digital independence?”

Africa currently operates about 307 megawatts of data center capacity, representing less than 2 per cent of global capacity, even though these facilities remain critical to artificial intelligence development.

Globally, Europe and Asia-Pacific account for 63% of active cloud regions. At the same time, demand for digital infrastructure continues to rise sharply.

U.S.-based research firm Arizton valued Africa’s data center construction market at $1.24 billion in 2025. The firm expects the market to reach $4.58 billion by 2031, reflecting a compound annual growth rate of 24 per cent,,according to a study published in May 2026.

In addition to data centers, Africa faces a shortage of Internet Exchange Points (IXPs). A study published by the Coalition for Digital Africa in May 2024 showed that the continent had 63 operational IXPs across 38 countries, up from 36 IXPs in 26 countries in 2016.

Meanwhile, the African Development Bank (AfDB) estimates that artificial intelligence could generate an additional $1 trillion in GDP for the continent by 2035. Consequently, governments, development institutions and private-sector stakeholders have increased efforts to support AI development across Africa.

In partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the AfDB launched the “AI 10 Billion” initiative in February 2026.

The initiative aims to mobilize $10 billion by 2035 and create 40 million jobs. Separately, stakeholders announced a $60 billion African AI Fund during the Kigali Summit in April 2025. The fund targets computing infrastructure, AI startups and talent development.

However, structural challenges continue to constrain progress. Africa accounts for only 3 per cent of the global AI talent pool, while brain drain continues to weaken local capabilities. Furthermore, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Egypt attracted more than 83 per cent of AI startup funding in 2025, highlighting persistent geographical concentration in the sector.

Africa also faces a critical energy challenge. Approximately 600 million Africans still lack reliable access to electricity, creating a fundamental obstacle to large-scale technology deployment.

Private-sector companies have partially addressed the infrastructure gap. Google, Microsoft, Oracle and Huawei have expanded investments in cloud computing, artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure across the continent. Google officially launched its Johannesburg cloud region in 2025 after investing $148 million. Microsoft also announced a $300 million investment to expand its cloud and AI infrastructure in South Africa by 2027.

However, these investments primarily serve commercial objectives and do not necessarily align with Africa’s digital sovereignty priorities. Apaak emphasized this concern. He warned that African countries could remain dependent on infrastructure whose governance, data management and operating rules remain outside their control unless governments mobilize substantial domestic resources.