Nigeria & Botswana Lead Africa's Data Center Boom With Massive Renewable Projects
Nigeria and Botswana are at the forefront of Africa's data center boom, both planning to build massive, renewable-powered facilities. These projects aim to provide low-cost, always-on energy to hyperscalers, shaping the continent's digital future.
Nigeria is set to construct a Tier IV data center in Calabar, harnessing water for hydro generation, solar fields, and nearby gas infrastructure. This hybrid energy model combines renewables with natural gas to ensure a constant power supply, a strategy also adopted by Botswana.
Botswana's approach involves building a high-density data campus near Palapye. It will be powered by a 250MW solar farm and 100MW of battery storage, with natural gas serving as backup. Both countries are positioning themselves as leaders in providing low-cost, clean energy to hyperscalers, a key factor in attracting digital infrastructure investment.
The competition for hosting Africa's digital infrastructure is now focused on power. Countries are racing to offer the most reliable and affordable energy solutions to hyperscalers. Other factors to watch include public commitments from hyperscalers, grid upgrades, job creation, and public acceptance of gas-backed renewable projects.
Botswana and Nigeria are the first to announce such projects, with others expected to follow. These data centers are not just buildings; they are strategic tools for sovereignty, with the potential to leverage global AI supply chains or host regional cloud services. The future of Africa's digital landscape is being shaped where solar panels meet server racks, dams feed transformers, and rural land becomes the new real estate of computation.
