Africa’s Digital Economy Pivots On Data Growth, Cybersecurity, Power, Experts At IoT West Africa Say

By Kingsley I. Ilechukwu, Bureau Chief, South West, Nigeria

Experts across government and the private sector say Africa’s digital economy growth will depend on managing rising cyber threats, scaling data infrastructure and addressing power and interconnectivity challenges.

They made this known at the IoT West Africa 2026 Conference and Data Centre Cloud Expo held in Lagos, yesterday.

In a keynote address, the National Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission, Dr. Vincent Olatunji, warned that rapid digital expansion was being matched by rising cyber threats.

Dr. Olatunji said cyberattacks now occurred every 39 seconds globally, with cybercrime losses estimated at 10.5 trillion dollars annually.

Olatunji pointed out that Nigeria recorded over 4,000 cyberattacks weekly, accounting for about 45 per cent of incidents in Africa, while financial losses exceeded ₦12 billion in 2024.

He added that global data generation had reached about 402.89 million terabytes daily and was projected to grow from 181 zettabytes to 221 zettabytes.

“Data is now the new oil, driving everything from IoT to cloud services and digital platforms,” he said, adding that Nigeria’s digital economy was valued at 18.3 billion dollars and could double within five years.

In a fireside chat with the theme “Role of Colocation in Enabling Africa’s Data Centre Transformation: Opportunities and Challenges,” industry leaders identified interconnectivity, power and affordability as critical to scaling the sector.

The Chief Executive Officer of Nxtra by Airtel, Yashnath Issur, said Africa’s data centre market must be built to global standards.

“This market is no longer local; it is a global business requiring global quality, scale and expertise,” he said.

The Chief Executive Officer of Rack Centre, Lars Johannisson, said energy remained the biggest constraint to growth.

“Data centres are about power, cooling and people. Energy is the machine that will power our growth, and without fixing it, scaling will remain constrained,” he said.

The Managing Director of Equinix West Africa, Wole Abu, stressed the need for interconnected ecosystems. “A data centre without interconnection is like a ship, but an interconnected one is a port that enables trade and economic growth,” he said.

Representative of African Infrastructure Investment Managers  Akinsehinwa Akin-Taylor said while capital was available, investors were becoming more cautious.

“The focus is now on bankability, strong operating history and quality assets that can support long-term growth,” he said.

MTN Nigeria’s Ifeanyi Otudoh said Africa must build local capacity and ensure inclusive access.

“We must put digital capability in the hands of African innovators and ensure secondary cities are not left behind,” he said.

Gary Chomse of Vertiv added that power instability continues to shape data centre design across the continent. “We must design for resilience to withstand outages and still guarantee uptime,” he said.

At a panel session on “Role of Digital Twins for Data Centre Optimisation in Nigeria,” experts said the adoption of digital twin technology could significantly improve efficiency and reduce failures in data centres.

Chief Executive Officer of Kasi Cloud, Johnson Agogbua said digital twins would enhance power optimisation and predictive maintenance. “The biggest headache in Nigeria is power. Digital twins help you understand how power behaves and allow you to visualise problems before they occur,” he said.

Uptime Institute’s Morris Nmor said the technology could drastically reduce operational risks. “If adopted, failure and risk will reduce significantly, and efficiency levels can improve rapidly,” he said.

Riaan De Leeuw of Zutari noted that digital twins could also address cooling inefficiencies and reduce operational costs.

Kayode Akomolafe of Amazon Web Services said the technology enabled deeper insights for planning and forecasting. “It provides granular data that allows operators to predict, plan and even monetise their operations,” he said.

Prof. Ibrahim Adeyanju of Galaxy Backbone said digital twins could improve energy efficiency and cybersecurity. “There is a lot of energy wastage, and this technology can help optimise usage while strengthening data protection,” he said.

Overall, the experts were in agreement integrating data infrastructure, strengthening cybersecurity and deploying emerging technologies such as digital twins would be critical to unlocking Africa’s multi-trillion-dollar digital economy potential.