Africa’s transition to a more modern energy system is also accompanied by a push to build out the digital infrastructure needed to support artificial intelligence and advanced grid management, industry leaders say.
At the 2026 Africa Energy Investment Forum in Paris, a strategic panel entitled “Investing in Digital Infrastructure” will consider the financing needed to build resilient, high-capacity digital networks that can support the next stage of the continent’s energy evolution.
Digital infrastructure, such as fiber-optic networks, data centers, smart grid platforms, and edge computing facilities, is increasingly seen as essential to integrating renewable energy, managing distributed generation, and enabling predictive analytics to improve grid reliability and reduce costs.
Across the continent, efforts are already underway to demonstrate the link between digital technologies and energy outcomes. In countries such as Senegal and Kenya, the Digital Energy Challenge, supported by Agence France-Prepare de Développement and the European Union, is supporting startups developing AI-powered demand response tools, IoT-enabled remote monitoring of solar assets, and software to optimize grid operations.
The infrastructure that bridges energy and digital connectivity continues to grow. New data centers, such as the planned PAIX data center project in Dakar, are expected to come online in 2026 with significant capacity to support cloud services and advanced computing across West Africa. These facilities build on previous investments, such as IXAfrica’s Tier III certified NBOX1 center in Nairobi, which is already designed to handle AI-intensive workloads and scale on demand.
At the policy level, governments are incorporating digital growth into their national development plans. Ethiopia’s Digital Ethiopia 2030 blueprint, released in late 2025, links energy modernization to the broader digitization of the economy, setting ambitious goals for infrastructure expansion, comprehensive digital services and AI-enablement.
Experts say this shift reflects a broader shift in energy system thinking, from a hardware-centric model to digitally enabled, data-driven platforms that improve performance, reduce operating costs and support large-scale renewable energy integration. Real-time data and AI tools can help balance supply and demand from various sources, predict infrastructure failures before they occur, optimize maintenance, and dynamically adjust grid configuration. These capabilities are becoming increasingly important as electrification becomes more widespread and distributed energy resources increase.
Despite progress, funding remains a challenge. Africa’s share of global data center capacity remains small compared to demand, and connectivity gaps persist in rural and peri-urban areas. Mobilizing finance for digital energy projects will require blended financing models, mechanisms to reduce investment risks, and clear regulatory frameworks that encourage private participation alongside development finance.
The African Energy Investment Forum’s Digital Infrastructure panel discussion aims to move beyond debate to practical solutions, focusing on how investors can identify lucrative opportunities in digital energy platforms, data center developments, smart grid technologies and connectivity initiatives that will underpin the continent’s next-generation power ecosystem.
