Africa’s data centres power up
Featured on capacity, the AI-training opportunity for green-powered African sites, and how free-trade zones and open networks accelerate build-out.
Read the feature →Insights
Writing, analysis & speaking on Africa’s data centres.
Plain-English analysis of what’s really driving the market — beyond the press release.
Articles & analysis
Explainers & analysis
Each opens as a full article on this site, with a link to the original LinkedIn post.
TDD
What is a data centre technical due diligence?
Independent due diligence is the backbone of my practice. Here is what it actually involves — and when it is worth doing.
Read → ExplainerHow do colocation data centres charge for power?
Power is the product a colocation data centre really sells. There are two ways it is billed — and they behave very differently.
Read → ExplainerWhat does it cost to lease a rack in a colocation data centre?
Two models decide your monthly bill — and the fine print in each is where the money is.
Read → ExplainerWhy do data centres take so long to commission?
Everyone wants the programme shorter. In mission-critical buildings, that is exactly where you should not cut.
Read → ExplainerLong-lead equipment: three things to get right
Order the big kit before the contractor is on board and you buy programme and cost. Get the boundaries wrong and you buy a headache.
Read → AnalysisBuilding data centres, an African perspective: who owns what?
African data centre development has been owner-led by tradition. That is changing — and the ownership model shapes everything downstream.
Read → ExplainerThree factors that drive data centre market development
Three things quietly decide whether a data centre market takes off: carrier neutrality, network latency and data sovereignty.
Read → OperationsOperations and maintenance for operators on a growth path
Operations procedures that grew organically will carry a small site a long way. They start to strain the moment you scale.
Read → OperationsCritical spares: making sure you are not caught short
The right spare, on the right shelf, is the difference between an SLA met and an SLA breached. Here is how to decide what "critical" means.
Read → AnalysisAfrica’s data centre market is a lion cub
Young, not yet at full strength, but unmistakably built to grow into a powerful predator. Where the market is, where it is going, and how to get involved.
Read → ExplainerWhat is a data centre?
It is many things to many people — from a bank’s transaction engine to a bitcoin mine. At heart, four types, all doing the same basic job.
Read → ExplainerData centres are big, expensive buildings
Why? Power and cooling equipment — and lots of it. The plant, not the floor, is what makes a data centre big and costly.
Read → SeriesA roadmap for Africa’s data centre market
The African landscape is inconsistent, opaque and complex — but there is a pattern. It is a hub-and-spoke market, anchored by four hubs.
Read → ExplainerWhy data centre costs are measured in $/MW, not $/m²
In most buildings, floor area tells you the cost. In a data centre it does not — the plant does. That is why the industry prices by the megawatt.
Read →Speaking & events
Where I’ve presented
A running record of the conferences and panels I’ve spoken at — each links to the LinkedIn post.
- Jun 2026Pan African DataCentresSandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg — attended; spoke on two panelsEvent page →
- Jun 2026Africa Energy ForumCape Town — speakerOn LinkedIn →
- Jun 2025Africa Energy ForumCape Town — moderated the data-centres panelOn LinkedIn →
- Sep 2024DataCloud AfricaSpeakerOn LinkedIn →
- Jul 2024Pan African DataCentresJohannesburg — speakerOn LinkedIn →
Press & interviews
In the press
Beyond the Press Release
The series unpacking the deals and announcements shaping African data centres — what the headlines miss. Episodes cover the G42/Microsoft Kenya deal, how new operators get financed, hyperscale deployments, and more.
Watch on YouTube →ArcFlash Ep.4 — DCDesign.Africa
A conversation on data centre design, engineering and delivering mission-critical facilities across the continent.
Watch →