By Juliet Umeh

Cloud service provider, Hyperscalers is set to host a pivotal gathering of digital infrastructure operators, investors, and regulators at the 2024 Hyperscalers Convergence Africa conference.

Scheduled for September 5, 2024, in Lagos, the event aims to address the digital infrastructure gaps across the continent by uniting key stakeholders, operators, regulators, investors, and service providers, to work toward a unified goal for Africa’s digital future.

The conference seeks to bring together Africa’s digital infrastructure community, fostering collaboration and innovation across sectors such as data centers, connectivity, cloud services, and more.

Confirmed attendees include senior and executive representatives from major organizations such as Meta Platforms, Cassava Technologies, Equinix, IHS Towers, Airtel, Apollo.io, Open Access Data Centres, MTN, Analysys Mason, Xalam Analytics, among others.

Chairman of ConnectedCompute and former Group Chief Executive Officer of CSquared, Lanre Kolade, stated that the event will feature keynote presentations, panel sessions, and fireside chats on critical themes. These include topics such as: “Satellite, Subsea, and Terrestrial: Africa’s Path to Seamless and Integrated Connectivity”; “Regulatory Frameworks for Fostering Digital Infrastructure Development in Africa”; “Data Center and Cloud in Africa: The Journey to 2500MW”; “Funding Africa’s Digital Infrastructure: What is the Right Mix?”; and “The Talent Gap: Developing Sustainable Digital Talent for Africa,” among others.

Chief Operating Officer at IHS Towers, Kazeem Oladepo, noted that the conference will feature speakers such as Dr. Ayotunde Coker, Chief Executive Officer of Open Access Data Centres; Wole Abu, CEO of Liquid Intelligent Technologies; Sade Dada, Public Policy Manager for Anglophone West Africa at Meta Platforms; and Josephine Sarouk, Managing Director of Bayobab, among others.

Oladepo said: “The Hyperscalers Convergence Africa conference promises to be a valuable platform to discuss opportunities and address pressing challenges in the deployment of digital infrastructure. I believe this gathering will set the stage for new initiatives, partnerships, and solutions that will advance Africa’s digital transformation.”

“We can build digital infrastructure expansion and resilience by collaborating and creating synergies to close infrastructure gaps and empower our digital economy with a pan-African collaboration.”

Dr. Ayotunde Coker added: “As we grow Africa’s digital economy, the role of data centers becomes increasingly critical. At the Hyperscalers Convergence Africa conference, we have a unique opportunity to align our efforts and build out the infrastructure needed to support this growth. By expanding carrier-neutral data center capacity with robust open-access connectivity, we can unlock the potential for greater innovation, economic development, and improved lives across the continent.”