Kathy Gibson reports – Africa has a very youthful population – the median age is about 19 years – which is tech-savvy and keen to take part in the global digital revolution.
But without connectivity, decent broadband penetration, and fit-for-purpose data centres this is going to remain a pipe dream, according to John Rippingale, CEO of Sudlows Consulting.
Taking part in a panel discussion on data centres during Africacom this week, Rippingale believes that if a reliable infrastructure were available, the demand would follow automatically.
“But we need the infrastructure,” he says. “This is the missing piece of the puzzle – not just in Africa, but globally.”
Three key pillars are needed to underpin a thriving infrastructure, he says.
The first is power. “That’s the big one. Data centres need stable power or the ability to generate their own.”
The second foundation is people. “These data centre facilities don’t build or run themselves. We need a talent pool to do that.
“And skills shortages are a global problem that a lot of organisations are trying to tackle.”
A key starting point for solving the skills crisis is in schools rather than only addressing it post-education, Rippingale believes.
Data is key and data sovereignty is a huge issue, he adds, and the building block that will deliver the most value in terms of medical advances, service delivery, and more.
“To make artificial intelligence (AI) work you need as much information as possible going into it,” he says. “In Africa you have the data, but getting it into usable forms, in a secure facility, is key.”
The private sector is a major driver in deploying infrastructure in all African markets, but government involvement is vital, Rippingale adds.
Ryan Holmes, chief revenue officer of Raxio Data Centres, believes the continent has a healthy appetite for digital services powered by data centres.
And this isn’t confined to the three or four markets traditionally targeted by investors – South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria, and Kenya.
“Raxio has been bold enough to go into countries that other organisations won’t. We build carrier-neutral data centres that have the potential to revolutionise those countries.”
He cites the example of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where government departments are delivering services they couldn’t have done in the past.
Use cases include mobile money and healthcare among others.
“Africa is using digital services, and countries are keeping up with each other,” Holmes says. “The restless youth of Africa is demanding digital services.”
Jon Abbott, technologies director for global strategic clients at Vertiv, agrees that the provision of services starts with appetite. “The appetite in Africa has grown steadily, but I believe AI is going to be an accelerant.
“The new world of digital services leaves no options: you are either in or you are out.”
What’s going to make a big difference to outcomes is how early countries get on to the AI wagon. “With AI, being left behind is a big threat.”
At the same time, he urges Africa to find its own solutions to its unique problems. “I am big believer in the Africa for Africa philosophy, and that African organisations must develop toolkits of their own.”
There is no shortage of data to work with, he adds. “There is an enormous amount of people in Africa – 1,55-billion – and that population is growing.”
By 2030 there will be an additional 400-million souls globally; and the Internet population will grow at six-times the population growth rate – to 2,6-billion, Abbott says.
“A big chunk of that growth will be in Africa.”
All these factors compound to make the appetite for connectivity and digitalisation high.
“And the AI premise is the accelerant that will push the continent.”
Local language models, many of which are being developed now, will be a key AI service that will make services available to millions of Africans, Abbott adds.