by THEMBAKAZI SITHOLE
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – AFRICA’S expanding data centre industry should prioritise locally relevant solutions, home-grown expertise and sustainable operating models instead of replicating standards designed for Europe and North America, according to industry leader Menno Parsons.
Speaking during a fireside discussion on *Future-Proofing Data Centre Concepts for Africa at the Pan African Data Centres Conference, the Master Power Technologies founder and chief executive warned that imported technologies and specifications often fail to reflect African operating conditions.
Parsons said data centres must be designed with local support capabilities in mind, arguing that sophisticated systems lose their value if operators cannot maintain them efficiently because of limited technical expertise or lengthy supply chains.
“A data centre is only as good as its ability to be supported locally,” he said, adding that waiting weeks for specialist parts or overseas expertise undermines operational resilience.
He also questioned the wholesale adoption of international sustainability standards, noting that some emissions-reduction technologies rely on imported components and consumables.
The logistics involved in sourcing these materials, he argued, can increase the overall carbon footprint rather than reduce it.
Parsons said sustainability should be assessed across the entire lifecycle of a technology, with greater emphasis placed on solutions suited to African conditions.
Beyond infrastructure, he called for increased investment in local technical skills and supply chains, saying future-ready data centres should create lasting employment while strengthening the continent’s digital economy.
He further advocated greater collaboration among telecommunications companies, infrastructure providers, internet service providers and enterprise customers to accelerate investment in data centre infrastructure.
Under such a model, industry participants would jointly fund facilities and become anchor tenants from the outset, reducing financial risk while improving long-term commercial viability.
Parsons believes collaborative investment would also encourage more geographically distributed infrastructure, improving resilience as demand for artificial intelligence, cloud computing and digital services continues to grow.
He said Africa’s digital future depends not simply on building more data centres, but on developing infrastructure that is practical, sustainable and firmly rooted in local realities.
– CAJ News