Africa’s next leap lies in partnerships, smart networks, local data centres — Taldar
Sunil Taldar, Airtel Africa chief executive officer, has called for stronger cross-sector collaboration, smarter networks, and a continent-wide investment in local data centres to drive Africa’s next digital leap.
Speaking during his keynote address at the Mobile World Congress (MWC25) Kigali, Taldar said the continent is entering a decisive decade of digital transformation, one that will redefine Africa’s telecom revolution from merely connecting people to enabling them to create and capture value through technology.
“Africa’s digital decade has begun. The continent that once leapfrogged into mobile telephony is now ready to leap again – into an era where every byte of data fuels productivity and every connection builds prosperity,” he stated.
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According to him, “Africa is ready for its next leap from access to productivity. This requires partnership — between operators who co-build, technology manufactures who equip, regulators who enable, investors who believe, tax regimes which support and young Africans who create. Together we can build a continent where data is processed locally, talent is nurtured nationally, and innovation is scaled globally,”
The CEO averred that, Africa’s digital future needs AI to make networks smarter and greener, customer experiences more intuitive and mobile money more secure and intuitive, adding that it will also require a connected network of data centres linked by high-capacity fibre to unlock inclusive digital participation even in remote regions.
“Airtel Africa is investing in major data-centre hubs in Nigeria and Kenya to support the continent’s digital future. We are also deploying AI in operations, including SMS spam detection, customer onboarding, mobile money fraud detection and sites’ energy optimisation,” he added.
This year’s edition of the annual gathering of industry leaders, innovators and policymakers held annually in Kigali Rwanda tagged MWC25 explores how connectivity and digital technologies are accelerating Africa’s transformation.
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Paul Kagame, Rwanda’s president, noted that Africa has gone from limited connectivity to a mobile-driven economy in a few years. “While the challenges that Africa faces are significant, they also offer great growth potential if we collaborate. Governments, the private sector and other partners should harmonise policies and create the right environment for innovation. This will enable our data and payment systems to flow securely across borders and connect our economies. The future we must build is an Africa that is bold, connected and competitive,” Kagame added.
