Africa launches first AI data centre

Africa has unveiled its first Artificial Intelligence (AI) data centre in Uganda, a project hailed as a turning point that will shift African data from foreign servers back to the continent.

This is expected to give institutions, researchers, and businesses greater control over their digital assets.

Synectics Technologies Executive Vice Chairman and CEO Oladele Oyekunle said the first phase of the project is expected to cost $1.2 billion (Sh157.2 billion).

The facility will run on 100 megawatts of renewable energy and adopt a modular design that allows for expansion as technology evolves. Oyekunle added that the three-year project will begin rollout by mid-next year.

The initiative, he said, has four main goals: to manage and process data, support research and development, and serve as an advisory hub.

It will also host an AI Center of Excellence, created under a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model, to ensure that local engineers, researchers, and universities not only access the infrastructure but also acquire the skills to manage and innovate within it.

The approach is expected to reduce Africa’s dependence on foreign expertise and transform the region into a net exporter of digital skills within five years.

With over 80 acres of land dedicated to this “digital city,” the project aims to foster an ecosystem where African researchers in medicine, agriculture, climate science, and other fields can optimize AI-driven innovations locally, rather than exporting raw data abroad for processing.

The facility is being developed in Uganda by Synectics Technologies in partnership with Schneider Electric, Nvidia, and Turner & Townsend, and is expected to transform Africa’s digital landscape by providing local infrastructure for data processing, research, and AI innovation.

Africa currently accounts for less than one per cent of global data center capacity despite having a population of 1.4 billion people, according to the Africa Data Centres Association.

Most African data is still hosted overseas, raising concerns about security, sovereignty, and compliance with data protection laws.

“At least 30 African countries, including Kenya and Nigeria, have enacted data privacy regulations in recent years, requiring more data to be processed locally,” Oyekunle noted.

Turner & Townsend Head of Real Estate in Africa, Wendy Cerutti, said the facility is designed to meet international standards while securing Africa’s long-term digital future.

“This project shows that we can deliver world-class facilities here, with predictability, clarity, and impact,” she said, stressing that the initiative is a long-term infrastructure program aligned with net-zero goals.

Analysts project that AI could contribute up to $1.5 trillion (Sh195 trillion) to Africa’s GDP by 2030, with the data center expected to position the continent as a hub for research, innovation, and skills export.

Schneider Electric East Africa Country President Ifeanyi Odoh said the lack of large-scale infrastructure has kept global hyperscale’s from investing heavily in Africa.

“It’s not that we don’t have the data. The basic infrastructure fiber, power, and redundancy has not been available at scale,” he said.

The new facility will be supported by multiple fiber routes, redundant transformers, and advanced automation to guarantee reliability.

The urgency of this development is underscored by Africa’s digital infrastructure gap. Despite its population size, the continent continues to rely heavily on Europe and North America for data hosting.

Experts warn that without local capacity, the risks of data misuse and weak compliance will grow as AI adoption accelerates in healthcare, fintech, and education.

By embedding privacy and compliance frameworks into the new facility, Synectics and its partners say they are not only building infrastructure but also trust.

Industry observers see the project as a watershed moment. The creation of an AI factory powered by renewable energy is expected to catalyze digital economies across East Africa and beyond, while also symbolizing Africa’s entry into the Fourth Industrial Revolution.