Speed is the new currency: What to look for in an African data centre

Adil El Youssefi CEO, Africa Data Centres.

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For enterprises looking to capitalise on Africa’s fast-growing digital economy, speed is more than convenience; it’s the currency of competition. Whether it’s e-commerce, mobile banking, online learning or e-healthcare, the customer experience must be fast and seamless. For these businesses, key considerations in deciding on a data centre have shifted from space and power to connectivity, interconnection and resilience. The question is no longer how many racks, but how fast, how diverse and how local their route options are.

Just how expensive are delays? While 53% of mobile users abandon sites that take more than three seconds to load, a mere 0.1-second improvement in speed increases page views by up to 8%. In Africa, where 70% of internet connections are mobile, the risks are amplified. Each dropped session translates into lost sales, failed payments or missed engagement.

The case for keeping data on the African continent is strong, and local exchanges are already seeing benefits such as increased traffic volumes and drastic cuts in domestic latency. Businesses are saving substantially on transit costs, and speed-sensitive applications can run at their full potential, improving customer retention and reducing churn. The frequent subsea cable outages we’ve experienced in the last few years have further highlighted the value of neutral, well-connected facilities, as businesses with diverse terrestrial routes were able to restore service within hours, while those relying on single paths faced disruptions lasting days.

This all demonstrates that a data centre’s ecosystem is as important as its physical facility. An interconnected, vendor- and cloud-neutral platform offers enterprises flexibility and the ability to adapt quickly. Neutrality is particularly important in Africa, where dependence on subsea cables remains high. A neutral facility provides enterprises with leverage, enabling them to select the most efficient routes, negotiate better terms and transition to alternatives when disruptions occur.

Data security and ownership are other considerations, and African governments are intensifying their focus on data protection and sovereignty. For instance, Nigeria’s Data Protection Act and regulatory directives increasingly favour hosting citizen data within national borders. Kenya has issued guidance under its Data Protection Act requiring sensitive data to be stored locally, reinforcing the importance of domestic interconnection hubs. In South Africa, strong policies and investment in infrastructure have already created a globally competitive hosting environment. On a broader scale, continental initiatives such as the African Union’s Data Policy Framework and Smart Africa Alliance are also pushing for harmonised digital regulations and stronger intra-African data flows.

This inspires confidence for buyers in these regions. It signals that regulatory compliance is top of mind, and choosing a facility with the right ecosystem is as much about compliance as it is about performance.

Selecting a data centre that meets all these requirements can be a daunting task, but there are a few key non-negotiables to look out for:

1. Route diversity: Does the provider offer east-west and other terrestrial or satellite alternatives to complement subsea capacity?
2. Fibre density: How many carriers and routes terminate at the facility, reducing chokepoints and improving competition?
3. IXP (internet exchange point) access: Are IXPs like JINX, CINX, IXPN or KIXP onsite, and is remote peering available?
4. Cloud and content delivery network (CDN) onramps: Which hyperscalers and CDNs can be reached directly, avoiding costly international transit?
5. Compliance assurance: Does the facility comply with local data protection and localisation rules?
6. GPU capabilities: With increasing focus on local AI development, can the data centre comfortably accommodate AI workloads and GPU-as-a-service solutions?

Enterprises that view data centre choice through the lens of interconnection, diversity and compliance are safeguarding business continuity and securing growth. Speed is the new currency, and in the African market, buyers who understand this will benefit. Carrier- and cloud-neutral facilities, like Africa Data Centres, exemplify how an interconnected ecosystem can unlock these results.