Africa is on track to reach one billion users with “meaningful connectivity” by the end of the decade, a shift that could fundamentally reshape demand for cloud computing, data centres and AI across the continent.

Meaningful connectivity, defined as affordable, reliable access delivering speeds of at least 20 megabits per second, has emerged as a more precise indicator of digital readiness than basic coverage metrics. Across 4G, 5G and fiber networks, the number of Africans with such access has risen sharply since 2020 and now stands at an estimated 700mn users.

Analysts expect that figure to exceed one billion by 2030 as mobile broadband quality improves and fibre networks expand beyond major cities.

“Traffic growth follows connectivity,” said Guy Zibi. “Once connectivity reaches a certain quality and scale, it changes the economics of digital infrastructure and creates sustained demand for local compute.”

The shift is already visible in rising data consumption and enterprise digitisation across sectors such as finance, media and government services. However, without parallel investment in local data centers and interconnection, much of the resulting data processing will continue to take place outside the continent.