That was the consensus at the Hyperscalers Convergence Africa conference in Lagos, where industry executives said the country’s power ecosystem is evolving to meet hyperscale and AI-era demand.

The high-level session brought together senior executives, regulators, and investors from 15 countries across and beyond Africa.

During the sessions on Data Center and Energy, speakers – including Guy Zibi, Managing Partner at Xalam Analytics; Johnson Agogbua, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Kasi Cloud Data Centers; Roger Shutte, General Manager, Infrastructure & Cloud Engineering at MTN Nigeria; Snehar Shah, Chief Executive Officer of IX Africa Data Centres; Karim Amer, Head of IP Business for North, West, and Central Africa at Nokia; Tola Talabi, Chief Executive Officer of Elektron Energy; Wole Adeoti, Head Operations at Digital Realty; Gbenga Adegbiji, CEO, Geniserve and Diana, Senior Associate and Energy Policy Expert at George Etomi & Partners – shared critical insights on power, regulation, and investment in Africa’s data economy.

“Power isn’t scarce,” said Johnson Agogbua, CEO of Kasi Cloud Data Centers. “The challenge is reliable delivery and quality. We’re investing in redundancy to make sure every megawatt reaches the rack.” Kasi Cloud is currently developing a 100-megawatt hyperscale campus in Lekki, powered by a private 132-kilovolt substation and a 60-megawatt transformer.

Roger Shutte of MTN Nigeria echoed that sentiment. “Power is not a problem; it’s just a challenge,” he said.

This was reiterated by Tola Talabi, CEO of Elektron Energy, who added that Africa’s power challenge should now be viewed as an opportunity rather than a constraint.

“Power is not just a challenge – it’s an opportunity,” he said. “When developers and investors deploy capital, data centers are our most compelling customers. They provide the stable, long-term demand we need to make projects bankable.”

Talabi revealed that Elektron Energy is currently developing a $50 million Independent Power Project (IPP) in Victoria Island, designed to take much of the district off the national grid and provide reliable embedded power to multiple data centers.

“Data centers make the commercial case for investment in power stronger – they are the base load that anchors wider energy availability,” he said.

From a policy perspective, Diana, a legal practitioner and energy policy expert, said reforms under the Electricity Act 2023 could accelerate investment if states act decisively.

“State electricity markets could become critical,” she said. “They can create localized, bankable frameworks that attract investors and ensure returns.”

Despite lingering challenges, the tone across the panel was optimistic. “We’ve solved scarcity,” speakers concluded. “Now it’s about reliability, sustainability, and scale.”

Hyperscalers Convergence Africa 2025 was convened by Africa Hyperscalers and sponsored by Nokia, Open Access Data Centres (OADC), IHS Towers, Vertiv, Equinix, and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).

At the centre of this conversation was Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, director general of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), whose voice carried both urgency and optimism.

Inuwa’s message was clear: Africa’s readiness for AI will depend on collaboration, practical innovation, and inclusive policymaking.

“We have a generation that is energetic, curious, and ready to embrace digital technology,” Inuwa said during the panel session titled “From Mobile First to AI-Ready: Will Africa Deliver on Innovation?” “This is our greatest asset, but only if we equip them with the right skills. Otherwise, this energy could become a demographic burden.”

It’s a message that echoes across Nigeria’s fast-evolving digital landscape, a continent brimming with youthful potential, yet at risk of missing out on the next industrial leap if structures aren’t intentionally built.

To change this narrative, Inuwa pointed to Nigeria’s 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme, the continent’s largest human capacity development initiative aimed at transforming Africa’s youth into a digitally skilled workforce. “The goal is simple,” he said. “Equip our young people with the technical skills they need to thrive in today’s digital economy and drive the transformation of Africa’s digital future.”

Building the Infrastructure for the Future

Inuwa didn’t stop at skills. He revealed that under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, Nigeria is introducing new funding mechanisms and public-private partnerships to fast-track digital infrastructure.

He highlighted initiatives such as the PPP Policy on Mediation and the Project Bridge framework, both designed to align investments from government, private sector players, and development partners to accelerate the rollout of critical digital systems.

According to him, Nigeria is also laying the foundation for a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) framework, one that connects identity, payments, and data systems.

This, he explained, is the bedrock upon which AI-powered innovations and digital services will flourish.

AI for Africa, by Africa

Inuwa issued a call for Africa to define its own AI trajectory. “If we build AI systems trained on foreign data, we risk creating technologies that do not understand our realities,” he cautioned.

He reminded the audience of a painful lesson from history: during the industrial revolutions, Africa supplied the raw materials that powered global industries but gained little in return. “It wasn’t because we lacked resources or talent, but because we lacked collaboration and structural integration,” he noted. “This time, we must lead, not follow.”

From Policy to Practice

During another panel session, “Shaping Africa’s Digital Future: Policy and Regulatory Frameworks for Accelerated Growth,” Inuwa shared his philosophy for sustainable transformation: dream big, but build small.

He explained that innovation in Africa must be practical and scalable, solutions that solve local problems while keeping an eye on continental and global impact.

“The solution you design for your village or city can scale to serve your state, your country, and even the world. That’s how every major tech company began,” he said, citing Facebook’s humble beginnings as an example.

But beyond technology, Inuwa emphasized a new form of governance, one rooted in collaboration, inclusiveness, and data-driven policymaking.

“We need to reinvent our social contract,” he asserted. “Policymaking can’t happen in isolation. When policies are crafted without the input of the actual builders, innovators, civil society, academia, they fail to produce real results.”

To change that, NITDA has introduced what Inuwa calls the Intelligent Regulatory Framework, an approach built on awareness, inclusiveness, and adaptability. “Effective policies must evolve with new data. They must be agile, open to innovation, and responsive to change,” he said.

A practical example, he noted, is the development of Nigeria’s National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, co-created with experts across sectors, from civil society to academia to private industry. “That’s how policymaking should be: ecosystem-driven, evidence-based, and inclusive.”

Africa’s Next Chapter

As the event drew to a close, Inuwa’s words lingered, a reminder that Africa’s readiness for AI is not a question of if, but how fast the continent can align its people, policies, and partnerships.

“Technology doesn’t respect borders or hierarchies,” Inuwa said. “It connects and transforms. If we build together, Africa won’t just catch up, it will lead.”