By Juliet Umeh 

Lagos will host the 2025 edition of Hyperscalers Convergence Africa, a one-day gathering of digital infrastructure operators designed to chart the future of Africa’s digital economy. 

Organized by Africa Hyperscalers, the conference will bring together policymakers, investors, and industry leaders to debate how the continent can scale data centers, expand connectivity, unlock patient capital, and build trusted digital infrastructure.

The agenda will focus on Africa’s most pressing digital priorities. These include advancing the continent’s journey toward 2,500MW of data center capacity, weaving subsea and terrestrial fiber into a more resilient digital backbone, and preparing enterprises for an AI-driven future. These themes are particularly critical as fixed broadband still reaches fewer than six percent of households, most local cloud infrastructure remains concentrated in only four markets, and last-mile access for homes, SMEs, and rural areas remains limited, thereby deepening the digital divide.

With Africa’s population projected to reach 2.4 billion by 2050, the demand for localized and secure digital services is becoming more urgent. The continent’s ability to build open-access infrastructure, harmonize regulation, and develop a skilled digital workforce will determine whether Africa can capture its digital future or continue to rely heavily on external systems.

COO of IHS and Chairperson of the 2025 Conference, Kazeem Oladepo, stated: “Africa’s digital trajectory is being defined today. Connectivity, compute, and capital will determine whether the continent secures the full value of its digital future. This is a narrow window of opportunity we must seize.”

The conference will feature keynote addresses, panel sessions, and networking opportunities designed to foster collaboration across private sector operators, governments, and financiers. Confirmed speakers include Bill Kleyman, CEO of Apolo.US and Executive Chair for Data Center Programs, Informa; Guy Zibi, Managing Partner, Xalam Analytics; Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, Director General of NITDA; Begna Gebreyes, Head of Heavy Industries, Telecoms & Technology at Africa Finance Corporation; Chinyerugo Ugoji, Partner at AELEX; Vivek Mittal, CEO of African Infrastructure Development Association; Ben Roberts, Principal, Digital Economy Advisors; Dr. Houda Chihi of Sup’COM Tunisia; Russell Southwood, CEO of Balancing Act; Johnson Agogbua, CEO of Kasi Cloud; Roger Shutte, General Manager for Infrastructure & Cloud Engineering at MTN Nigeria; Snehar Shah, CEO of IX Africa; Gbenga Adegbiji, CEO of Geniserve; George Etomi, Principal Partner of George Etomi & Partners; Lars Johannisson, CEO of Rack Centre; Lanre Kolade, Chairman of ConnectedCompute; Otuya Okecha, CEO of FibreSol; Abayomi Adebanjo, Director of Legal, Equinix; Muhammed Rudman, CEO of IXPN; Josephine Sarouk, Managing Director of Bayobab Nigeria; Bukola Ajayi, General Manager of MTN Nigeria; Dr. Ayotunde Coker, CEO of Open Access Data Centres; Dr. Yele Okeremi, CEO of Precise Financial Systems; Sayo Oshadami, Director at Equinix; Eero Toivainen, Trade Counsellor West Africa, Business Finland; Oguche Agudah, CEO of Pension Fund Operators Association of Nigeria (PenOp); Mohammed Besheer, Head of Network & Infrastructure at the Central Bank of Egypt; Kazeem Oladepo, COO of IHS; Marco Rebecchi, Country Manager of Nokia West Africa; Akeem Adeshina, Chief Commercial Officer of IHS; Hakeem Adeniji-Adele, Deputy Managing Director of eTranzact; and Temitope Osunrinde, Executive Director of Africa Hyperscalers.

The event is targeted at operators seeking strategic visibility and regional partnerships, investors exploring infrastructure-ready opportunities, policymakers shaping enabling regulatory frameworks, technology platforms and hyperscalers working to build Africa’s cloud and AI ecosystems, as well as builders and innovators who want to showcase new ideas and learn from peers.