Information executive director Adrin Mathe says the African continent stands at a digital crossroads, with a population of 1.4 billion people, yet it holds less than 1% of global data centre capacity.
He was speaking at the African Data Summit, Nairobi, Kenya, recently.
Mathe said this stark statistic is not merely a number but a clarion call that should galvanise every leader who believes in Africa’s potential to shape the digital future.
“Africa’s digital transformation market is projected to expand from 2.6 billion in 2024 to 5.7 billion by 2029, a doubling that reflects our enormous potential. Yet affordability remains our greatest constraint,” he stressed.
He added that the average cost of one gigabyte of mobile data represents 10.5% of monthly gross national income, more than five times the United Nations target of 2%.
“These barriers particularly affect women, who are 37% less likely than men to use mobile internet – the widest digital gender gap globally,” he said.
Mathe continued: “From Namibia’s perspective, we have embraced this imperative with determination. Our National Digital Strategy Plan 2025 embodies our commitment to becoming a digitally enabled society.”
He said through the e-Government Strategic Roadmap, the Namibian government is transforming how it serves citizens.
“Namibia’s experience with digital identity systems and e-government platforms offers lessons for our neighbours, while we continue learning from innovations across Africa. Our data centre market, projected to grow at 4.8% annually through 2030, demonstrates the economic potential that strategic digital infrastructure investment can unlock,” he said.
Mathe added that the scale of the challenge requires unprecedented regional cooperation.
“No single country can address these challenges alone. We must leverage collective strength, share experiences and coordinate investments. The African Union’s digital transformation agenda provides our framework, but we must move beyond frameworks to concrete action,” he said.