Africa’s ambition to build a robust digital economy is being slowed by unreliable electricity supply, particularly as demand grows for edge computing, artificial intelligence, and data-driven infrastructure, said Steven Santini, Vice President for Secure Power, Sub-Saharan Africa, at Schneider Electric.
The industry expert noted that power instability remains one of the most critical constraints on the continent’s digital transformation agenda.
In an opinion piece, Santini said technologies such as edge computing are increasingly important for Africa as industries adopt Internet of Things solutions and AI-driven applications that require real-time data processing closer to where information is generated.
He noted that edge computing offers benefits including reduced latency, improved reliability, enhanced security, and lower operational costs, making it suitable for sectors operating in remote or infrastructure-limited environments.
He, however, warned that the effectiveness of such systems is being undermined by persistent energy challenges across the continent.
“Africa’s adoption of edge computing is shaped by one critical constraint: power,” he said, adding that unstable electricity supply complicates deployment, maintenance and scalability of digital infrastructure.
Santini said frequent outages, voltage fluctuations and weak grid coverage continue to increase operational costs and reduce the lifespan of critical IT equipment, particularly in rural and industrial locations where edge systems are often deployed.
He added that while global interest in Africa’s digital infrastructure is growing, with data centre capacity expected to expand significantly in the coming years, energy reliability remains a key determinant of investment decisions.
The expert pointed to emerging solutions such as microgrids, renewable energy systems, and advanced energy storage technologies as potential pathways to address the challenge.
He said organisations are increasingly adopting “bring-your-own-power” models, where businesses invest in on-site generation and storage systems to reduce reliance on unstable national grids.
According to him, integrating energy management with digital infrastructure is now essential, particularly as industries seek to scale AI and IoT applications across the continent.
Santini also highlighted the growing role of edge computing in sectors such as manufacturing, natural resources and heavy industry, where real-time data processing is critical but connectivity to centralised, systems is often limited.
He said Africa’s digital future will depend not only on digital innovation but also on the ability to develop resilient, decentralised energy systems that can support continuous computing workloads.
“Africa’s power challenges also present an opportunity to rethink how energy and digital systems are designed and deployed together,” he said.
He added that partnerships between governments, private sector players and technology providers will be crucial to building a sustainable digital ecosystem capable of supporting the continent’s AI and edge computing ambitions.
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