Prime Highlights

• Africa’s data centre capacity must grow from 300–400 MW today to 1.5–2.2 GW by 2030 to meet AI-driven demand.
• NJ Ayuk warned that Africa risks falling behind a gigawatt-scale global economy if it continues planning energy in megawatts.

Key Facts

• The African Energy Chamber is the continent’s leading energy business group, advocating for investment and policy alignment across Africa’s energy sector.
• Global data centre electricity consumption could reach 945 TWh by 2030, with AI workloads requiring uninterrupted, high-quality power supply.

Background

Africa’s energy infrastructure faces growing pressure as electricity demand rises around the world, creating new challenges for power systems across the continent. Data centres that once needed tens of megawatts now require 100–200 MW, while hyperscale campuses are consolidating demand at the gigawatt level, a scale that Africa’s current planning frameworks are not built to handle.

The continent holds an estimated 300–400 MW of data centre capacity today. This figure is expected to increase to 1.5 to 2.2 GW by 2030, with the electricity consumption by data centers growing by 20 to 25% every year. However, the continent’s energy planning still focuses on incremental energy supply increases on a megawatt scale, which further diverges as AI facilities require increasingly large power supplies.

Unlike standard industrial users, AI workloads require continuous, high-quality power with built-in redundancy. This places growing pressure on grid stability and long-term energy scalability across the continent.

Global comparisons sharpen the challenge. Northern Virginia, the world’s largest data centre hub, already exceeds 4 GW of capacity and added over 1 GW in a single year. Globally, data centre consumption could approach 945 TWh by 2030.

African Energy Chamber’s Executive Chairman NJ Ayuk warned that planning in megawatts will leave Africa unable to compete in a gigawatt-scale global economy. He said building larger, more resilient power systems creates the conditions for investment, innovation, and long-term growth, not just demand fulfilment.

The issue is set to feature prominently at African Energy Week 2026, where energy and digital infrastructure alignment will be a central focus.