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ARTICLE · 03 SEPTEMBER 2026

Africa's Data Centre Universe: Mitigating And Managing Potential Disputes For Data Centre Investment In Africa

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP
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Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP

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On the demand side, McKinsey expects a four-fold to six-fold increase in demand for African data centre capacity (to 1.5 to 2.2 GW) by 2030, which presents an investment opportunity of between...

South AfricaLitigation, Mediation & Arbitration
Charlie Morgan
Charlie Morgan
Jonathan Ripley-Evans
Jonathan Ripley-Evans
Dominic Rowe
Dominic Rowe
Jake Savile-Tucker
Jake Savile-Tucker
Emma Stones
Emma Stones
Sam Cundall
Sam Cundall
Ziyanda Ntshona
Ziyanda Ntshona
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The growth of data centres in Africa continues to accelerate.

On the demand side, McKinsey expects a four-fold to six-fold increase in demand for African data centre capacity (to 1.5 to 2.2 GW) by 2030, which presents an investment opportunity of between £7.5 to 15 billion to meet this demand.1

On the supply side, the number of African data centres grew by 9% to 243 in the six months between July 2025 and January 2026.2 The most notable increases are in South Africa (which added four new data centres to bring its total to 60) and Nigeria (which added five new data centres to bring its total to 22).

Private capital continues to play an important role to finance the heavy capital expenditures associated with this growth, whether by providing loans, equity, or both.3

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