The global data centre map tells a blunt and uncomfortable story. Compute power is concentrated in the Global North while Africa sits at the edge of a digital world it increasingly depends on. More than 70% of global data centre capacity is concentrated in North America Europe and East Asia. As a result, most African data is stored processed and governed outside the continent. Who owns African data who sets the rules for its use and who benefits from the intelligence derived from it?

Source: The North Africa Journal January 23, 2026 15:31 UTC