The Pan African DataCentres Conference and Exhibition (PADC) will return to the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg on 23–24 June 2026, bringing together operators, investors, policymakers, and technology providers at a pivotal moment for Africa’s digital infrastructure industry.
Supported by the Africa Hyperscalers, Africa Data Centres Association (ADCA) and other leading business organizations, PADC 2026 comes as Africa’s data center market enters a rapid expansion phase. According to Data Centres in Africa 2026: The Economic Report, active IT load across the continent is projected to grow by 66 percent, significantly outpacing the global average.
The 2026 conference program will address both strategic issues shaping the long-term direction of the sector and operational challenges affecting how data centers are designed, built, operated, and maintained. Sessions will examine investment and financing dynamics, energy availability and sustainability, regulatory and policy frameworks, resilience, and regional growth opportunities, alongside practical discussions on mission-critical infrastructure efficiency and security.
The conference will combine presentations, end-user case studies, and panel discussions, providing delegates with access to best practices, emerging technologies, legislative insight, and on-the-ground deployment experience from across Africa and global markets. Confirmed speakers include Mark Acton, Consultant, Acton Consulting; Rosemary Katz, Senior Associate, Metals and Mining, BloombergNEF; Henning Rasmus, Managing Director, Datascape; Nils Gerstle, Managing Director, Collaboretix; Mtho Xulu, President, South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Eben Owen, Senior Business Director, Anglophone Africa, Uptime Institute; Paul-François Cattier, Managing Director, Africa Data Centres Association; Menno Parsons, Managing Director, Master Power Technologies; Mike Meyer, CEO and Partner, Portman Partners; Mandy Hattingh, Director at NSDV; Muhammed Munshi, Investment Principal, STANLIB; Sandile Dube, Managing Director, Equinix South Africa; Julia Power, Partner, Commercial Property, Bowmans; Methembeni Moyo, Head of Africa Practice, NSDV; Justin Wimbush, Consultant, Kambuku Consulting; Robert Marston, Digital Infrastructure – Data Centres, NTT Nigeria; Nancy Maina, Founder and CEO, Women in Sustainable STEM Africa; Lars Johannisson, CEO, Rack Centre; Grant Ralph, Commercial Specialist, Envusa Energy; Ryan Smee, Owner, ONE80; and Jesse Machill, Commercial Director, ONE80.
Running alongside the conference is a free-to-attend exhibition that connects solution providers directly with a targeted audience of buyers and specifiers actively involved in delivering data center and critical environment projects across the continent. Organizers note that attendees represent an engaged market, with participants attending specifically to source solutions for real-world deployment requirements.
As demand for cloud services, digital platforms, and AI-ready infrastructure continues to accelerate across Africa, PADC 2026 is positioned as a key convening point for stakeholders shaping the continent’s next phase of data center investment, policy alignment, and execution.
