Africa is steadily stepping up its digital game in 2025, with several countries leading the way in building data centers, the backbone of the continent’s technology growth. 

These facilities, which store and process huge amounts of data, are crucial for businesses, governments, and research institutions as they adopt cloud computing, AI, and fintech solutions.

While Africa currently accounts for less than 1% of the world’s data center capacity, the investments being made today show the continent is preparing to play a bigger role in the global digital economy.

Here’s a closer look at the 10 African countries with the most data centers this year and what makes them stand out.

South Africa

South Africa leads the continent, hosting nearly half of Africa’s data centers. Cities like Johannesburg and Cape Town are home to major cloud providers including Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, AWS, and Huawei. The country also benefits from strong local companies like Dimension Data and DataProphet, the latter applying AI to improve industrial production.

Kenya

Kenya has emerged as a digital hub in East Africa. Nairobi hosts AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, while local players like Safaricom Cloud and Pawa IT support businesses with currency-specific billing and low-latency solutions. Kenya’s fast-growing internet and mobile connectivity make it an attractive spot for tech investment.

Nigeria

Nigeria’s digital infrastructure is expanding quickly. Companies like Nobus, Layer3, and Galaxy Backbone operate key data centers, while Terragon Group uses consumer data to power precise marketing campaigns across the continent. Nigeria is also part of Cassava Technologies’ ambitious plan to scale AI infrastructure across Africa.

Egypt

Egypt is building a strong data center presence in Cairo, with five major cloud providers and local companies like GPX and Link Datacenter. The country’s strategic location and growing tech ecosystem make it a hub for AI and cloud computing in North Africa.

Morocco

Morocco is slowly becoming a key player in North Africa’s digital landscape. Investments from Cassava Technologies and other global partners are expected to expand its AI and high-performance computing capacity in the coming years.

Namibia

Namibia’s Paratus data center and other facilities support regional cloud and hosting needs. Though smaller than some other markets, Namibia’s stable economy and growing digital adoption attract both local and international providers.

Ghana

Ghana is seeing growth in fintech, AI, and cloud adoption. The country benefits from regional players who extend services to West Africa, making it an emerging hub for data-driven solutions.

Uganda

Uganda is building capacity for digital services with investments in cloud and local hosting solutions. The country is gradually attracting attention for AI-driven projects and fintech expansion.

Rwanda

Rwanda is positioning itself as a tech-forward country in East Africa, focusing on smart city projects, AI, and secure data infrastructure. Its small but growing number of data centers supports these ambitions.

Senegal

Senegal rounds out the top 10, benefiting from growing internet penetration and mobile connectivity. Investments in local data hosting and cloud solutions are helping businesses and government institutions operate efficiently.

The driving forces behind Africa’s growth

The rapid growth of Africa’s data centers is fueled by rising internet access, mobile connectivity, and fintech adoption. AI and cloud computing are becoming core to business strategies, with companies like Cassava Technologies leading the way. 

By mid-2025, Cassava plans to deploy 3,000 NVIDIA GPUs in South Africa, with long-term goals across Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, and Morocco.

Other companies, like South Africa’s DataProphet and Nigeria’s Terragon Group, show how AI can be applied directly to industry and marketing, helping Africa shift from simply consuming technology to creating and managing it.