Joy Agwunobi
Heirs Technologies has released its maiden industry report, warning that Africa’s ability to capture a $2.9 trillion artificial intelligence (AI) opportunity by 2030 depends on urgent action around digital infrastructure, talent development, and enabling policies.
The report, titled “Africa’s Digital Leap: Cloud, Connectivity & AI in the Next Decade”, offers fresh insights into the critical technologies, policy priorities, and investments shaping the continent’s digital future.
It stresses that while Africa is home to nearly 19 percent of the world’s population, it accounts for less than 1 percent of global data centre capacity — a gap that poses a major threat to inclusive growth if not addressed.
Launching the report, Obong Idiong, chief executive officer of Heirs Technologies, said Africa is already in the middle of a digital leap, but the continent’s long-term success will depend on how decisively it acts.
“Africa is not at the edge of a digital leap; we are already mid-flight. The next decade will be defined not only by the technologies we embrace but by how boldly and inclusively we implement them. At Heirs Technologies, we are committed to enabling Africa’s digital transformation, but this journey belongs to all of us,” Idiong stated.
The report highlighted four major trends shaping Africa’s digital trajectory. It noted that cloud adoption is gathering pace, with 55 percent of enterprises across the continent now running more than half of their workloads in the cloud, and 17 percent having become fully cloud-native. Southern and West Africa are currently at the forefront of this transformation, while North Africa lags due to persisting infrastructure gaps and regulatory challenges.
At the same time, Africa’s AI potential is surging. Valued at $4.5 billion today, the report projected that the market could expand rapidly and contribute up to $2.9 trillion to GDP by 2030. Key applications are already emerging in agriculture, healthcare, financial services, and education — sectors that are central to Africa’s socio-economic development.
Infrastructure development is another defining trend. Landmark projects such as the 2Africa subsea cable and the roll-out of more than 211 active data centres are steadily creating the backbone required to deliver faster connectivity and cloud-enabled growth. These investments are laying the groundwork for Africa to leapfrog into a digitally integrated economy.
In addition, the momentum of Africa’s startup ecosystem reflects the growing confidence of investors in the continent’s digital future. Between 2019 and the first quarter of 2025, AI-focused startups raised a combined $1.25 billion, with South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, and Egypt alone attracting 87 percent of all capital inflows.
Heirs Technologies noted that the coming decade presents an unprecedented opportunity, but cautioned that seizing it will require collective action from governments, regulators, investors, and businesses to close existing gaps and ensure inclusive participation in Africa’s digital transformation.
