Africa’s digital transformation will take center stage when industry leaders, policymakers and technology investors gather in Nairobi from Sept. 7-10 for ITW Africa 2026, where discussions will focus on data sovereignty, digital infrastructure, energy security and investment as countries seek to accelerate the continent’s digital economy.
The sessions, scheduled for Sep. 8-9, will bring together industry leaders from global technology firms, African digital infrastructure providers and government regulators to address the opportunities and challenges shaping Africa’s rapidly growing digital economy.
A keynote session titled “Resilience, Routing and Data Sovereignty in African Networks” will examine how recent network outages have exposed vulnerabilities in internet routing, redundancy and cross-border data flows. Executives from WIOCC, Google, Digital Realty and Cassava Technologies will discuss strategies to strengthen network resilience and improve digital infrastructure across the continent.
Participants are expected to address regulatory bottlenecks, including fragmented licensing frameworks, inconsistent rights-of-way policies and lengthy permitting processes that continue to slow infrastructure deployment in many African markets.
Energy security, increasingly viewed as a critical pillar of digital transformation, will also feature prominently during a fireside discussion titled “Why Power is the Foundation of Digital Growth.” The session will examine how reliable electricity supplies are becoming a decisive factor for digital infrastructure investment, particularly as demand for hyperscale data centres continues to rise.
Industry experts are also expected to assess the rapid evolution of Africa’s data centre market through dedicated sessions exploring where new facilities are being built and how emerging digital hubs are reshaping regional connectivity. Representatives from Rack Centre, Teraco, Equinix and Raxio will discuss investment trends and the factors driving growth across different regions.
Nigeria’s digital economy will receive special attention during a workshop examining the country’s infrastructure opportunities ahead of its planned 2027 Data Localisation Directive.
The discussions will explore how the policy could influence investment in cloud services, data centres and broadband infrastructure while identifying reforms needed to support continued expansion.
The forum comes as African governments and private investors increase spending on digital infrastructure to meet growing demand for cloud computing, AI, digital financial services and e-government platforms.
