The outlook for data centre growth on the African continent looks bullish.  With a population of almost 1.5 billion people, the African marketplace possesses a significant advantage in terms of market size and potential.

Importantly, whilst the continent might lag behind countries like China and India when it comes to sheer population size, what sets it apart is the average age of its population which is between 18-19 years.  It is a young generation that is well equipped to adapt to the digital’s environment continuous change.

This younger generation has a natural affinity for learning and working with technologies such as AI.  It’s this demographic advantage that will fast track Africa’s strengthening role in the global data centre marketplace.

Another important differentiator is the continent’s geographical location. Positioned almost centrally on earth, it offers major advantages in terms of connectivity and accessibility. Cities like Mombasa in Kenya are incredibly well located on sub-sea fibre links, offering a gateway to Asia that contributes to the processing of large amounts of data traffic.

Multinationals step into the limelight

Multinationals have a major role to play in harnessing full potential of the African data centre market.  Bridging the data centre skills gap is an important step.  Increasingly, multinational companies are hiring local engineers, providing valuable expertise and experience whilst exposing them to the global market.

At Schneider Electric for example, teams from regions such as Anglophone and Francophone Africa have continuous access to knowledge and developments from their peers across the world.  This is incredibly valuable as it allows these teams to stay on par with their global counterparts.

Importantly, it bridges the talent gap and brings the requisite skills that contribute to the ongoing growth of the African data centre marketplace.

Another important data centre growth enabler is infrastructure development.  Multinationals contribute to various aspects of infrastructure development, including grid stability, efficient water management, and the introduction of advanced technologies.

In turn, these investments deliver advancements in cooling systems, electrical equipment, and the promotion of renewable energy sources. Simply put, these developments and ongoing investment by multinationals offer significant benefits to the continent.

When discussing multinationals’ role in the African data centre market, it would be remiss not to mention sustainability.  Here, these organisations have a significant part to play in ensuring local data centre markets align with international environmental sustainability principles.

This includes implementing energy efficient infrastructure that utilises renewable energy sources, optimises cooling systems to minimise energy consumption, and effectively manages and tracks water consumption.

Together with environmental sustainability, social and governance also come into play. The data centre industry has the potential to bring significant growth in terms of education access, particularly through digital platforms. This can greatly improve access to education in Africa, providing opportunities for learning and skills development.

If one considers the ongoing investment in Africa and its favourable geographical position, it is highly likely that the continent will become a major player in both data centre expansion and the processing of data.  Over the next decade, a substantial portion of global data processing is expected to flow through Africa, cementing its position as a key player in the data centre industry.

Being the sole publicly listed U.S. company to achieve this milestone, the driving factors behind the surge remain unclear.

In a recent announcement, the tech giant introduced Apple VisionPro, a new product that enhances its capabilities in virtual reality and content exploration.

Apple’s shares have experienced a 48% increase in value this year, reaching $193 per share by 2 p.m. ET on Friday. Analysts at Jefferies predict the potential for shares to rise as high as $219 per share within this year.

For its fiscal second quarter ending on April 1, Apple disclosed a revenue of $94.8 billion, reflecting a 3% decline compared to the previous year. Net sales for the same period amounted to $94.8 billion, down from $97.2 billion in the corresponding period of the previous year.

The recent launch of Apple VisionPro, an immersive spatial computer seamlessly blending digital and physical realms, was announced earlier this month. The starting retail price for the headset is set at $3,499.

Prof. Isa Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, made the announcement on Thursday in Abuja during the presentation of award letters to representatives of the beneficiary schools and airports.

Pantami stated that in November 2022, the first phase of broadband providers awarded letters to 18 universities, one College of Education, and 20 markets for Small and Medium Enterprises.

Last week, the Federal Government approved N24.20 billion for the provision of broadband internet connectivity in at least 20 airports, 43 schools, and six marketplaces across the country.

After the Federal Executive Council meeting, Pantami told State House Correspondents that the selected local and international airports were drawn from the six geopolitical zones, with three airports from each on average.

He also said that the higher institutions of learning and markets that will benefit from the five-month project are also drawn from the geopolitical zones.

The Minister mentioned that the broadband infrastructure would ensure connectivity in airports, facilitate e-learning in schools, and facilitate mobile transactions in markets as the economy transitions to a cashless economy.

He also stated that the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) would be in charge of implementation.

“I have also approved N1 billion for immediate disbursement to the victims for the upkeep of their families,” Governor Babagana Zulum said in Maiduguri while launching a committee to investigate the fire.

Usman Jidda-Shuwa, the secretary to the state government, represented the Governor.

“As a responsible and responsive government, we cannot fold our hands and let the situation be as it is.” But we must rise to our responsibilities and do the needful to salvage the situation for the betterment of our people,” stated Mr. Zulum.

“I’d been making frantic efforts in providing palliative care to boost their resilience. In this connection, I made some commitments, which include the constitution of this high-powered committee.”

Mr. Zulum said the committee would appraise and determine the immediate and remote causes of the fire and the factors responsible for its wild, uncontrollable nature.

“They will also meticulously assess and ascertain whether or not there are specific individuals who may be directly or indirectly responsible for the incident and apportion blame appropriately,” the Borno Governor stressed.

“Thoroughly examine the magnitude of the fire and the extent of the damage caused to physical structures, assess and determine the type of and amount of relief assistance to the affected victims.”

He added that the committee would compile and determine the number of persons who suffered losses and the amount of property each trader lost to the fire disaster.

The Governor stated that the committee would look into the original design of the market to see what changes were made to accommodate more traders and how this contributed to the fire’s uncontrollable nature.

It would also assess the extent to which commercial activities have been disrupted and recommend a suitable location for the construction of a new market.

The Governor directed the committee to reconstruct and rehabilitate damaged structures in the market while the investigation continued.

Your market matters

Your primary duty in business is to sell your solution to your target market. If nobody is buying your offering (product or service), you will fail in business faster than any other reason. Your market is your business, and your business is your market.

It’s vital to carefully study your industry to understand your total addressable market before you step in.

The first thing you must consider before taking your product or service to the marketplace is knowing what the market wants.

There is no way you can create a solution that the market loves when you are blinded to its desires, feelings, emotions, fears, passion, wants, and needs.

It’s the market that determines the validity of your business. Who buys your product is as important as your product or service.

There is a market in desperate need of your solution, and you need to find it. So, what are the things to look out for before you choose you market?

1. Is there a demand that needs your supply?

Let me begin with this story about a marketing professor who asked his students, ‘If you were going to open a hotdog stand, and you could only have one advantage over your competitors . . . which would it be . . .?’

‘Location! …Quality! …Low prices! …Best taste!’ The students kept going until eventually they had run out of answers.

They looked at each other waiting for the professor to speak. The room finally fell quiet. The professor smiled and replied, ‘A starving crowd.’

You could have the worst hot dogs, terrible prices, and be in a terrible location, but if you’re the only hot dog stand in town and the local college football game breaks out, you’re going to sell out. That’s the value of a starving crowd (and demand).

At the end of the day, if there is a ton of demand for your product or service, you can be mediocre at business, have a terrible offer, and cannot persuade people, and you can stillmake money.

The law of demand and supply best summarises what happens in the marketplace anywhere in the world.

The market demand is a sign that market need exists, and the simplest way to create demand is to look at what needs fixing, changing, or solving. Put in another way, anywhere there is a demand, there’s a supply need, and an army of a starving crowd waiting.

To sell anything, you need demand. Mind you, you can’t just createdemand and then provide a supply. If you don’t have a ready demand for your offer, you have no market.

Period. After all, you don’t actually want to be selling ice to Eskimos. Where there is no demand, there is no market.

About the Author:

Tony Ajah is a Business Growth Strategist, and the author of BUSINESS SENSE, and ON BECOMING AN ENTREPRENEUR.

He maintains a personal blog, where he shares proven business ideas and principles for SMEs.