Sponsored

Adil El Youssefi CEO, Africa Data Centres.

In today’s fast-paced digital world, speed isn’t just a technical detail; it’s a business advantage. Whether it’s a mobile payment, a live sports stream, or an online purchase, delays of even a few seconds can mean lost revenue, broken trust, or missed opportunities.

When digital services lag, the impact ripples across millions of users. Streaming platforms lose viewers after just five seconds of buffering. Some e-commerce giants estimate that a 100-millisecond delay can result in a 1% decrease in sales. In Africa’s growing online shopping market, slow-loading websites can mean the difference between making and losing a sale. In the FSI industry, speed is not just a convenience, it’s a foundation of trust. Users expect instant transactions; minor delays can erode business confidence and lead customers to switch to more reliable competitors.

Despite mobile data being expensive, Africa is home to over 1.1 billion mobile money accounts, and users expect fast service. Delays not only result in a loss of revenue, but also lead to the loss of customers and reputation. A 2023 Google study found that 53% of mobile site visitors abandon a page if it takes longer than three seconds to load. That’s why streaming platforms rely on local servers to ensure smooth playback. 

By 2025, the continent will have over 300 MW of datacentre power, with plans to double this by 2030. Despite this growth, ICT infrastructure continues to be measured using outdated metrics, such as cost per kilowatt, square footage, or rack space, rather than business outcomes like conversion effect, uptime, and latency. In short, speed drives success. Whether it’s streaming, payments, or shopping, every second counts.

Companies in Africa are changing how they choose digital infrastructure. Instead of focusing on how much capacity they can buy, they now care more about how fast and reliable their services are, particularly in industries like finance, retail, and AI. While speed is critical, having options is equally important. When several undersea cables broke simultaneously in 2024, it highlighted the vulnerability of internet connections across Africa to sudden failures. That’s why having multiple network routes, including satellite solutions, helps avoid outages and keeps services running smoothly.

Being close to internet exchange points, such as JINX, CINX, or KIXP, means faster internet access and lower costs. Dense fibre networks also make it easier for users, datacentres, and cloud platforms to connect directly and securely.

At Africa Data Centres, our goal is straightforward: to keep African internet traffic within the continent. Neutral colocation services, featuring robust network connections and support for over 50 carriers and major internet exchange points (IXPs), enable businesses to select the fastest routes for their data, thereby reducing delays and lowering costs. Additionally, thanks to remote peering partnerships like INX-ZA, our South African facilities connect directly to JINX and CINX with minimal delay. This means faster data movement and less reliance on overseas networks. Because we’re carrier- and cloud-neutral, companies stay flexible and avoid being locked into a single provider, while still achieving top performance.

Why does this matter? Because speed has a direct impact on business results across industries. For fintechs, moving servers from Europe to Africa can cut hundreds of milliseconds, making digital payments faster and more reliable. The same need for speed applies to media companies, where reducing streaming delays from 40 seconds to under 10 seconds can improve live betting accuracy and keep ads in sync with the content.

The pattern continues in AI-driven sectors. With edge deployments in places like Dakar and Casablanca, AI systems now deliver sub-10-second response times, enabling real-time decisions while meeting compliance standards. Whether it’s financial transactions, live entertainment, or intelligent automation, the message is clear: speed isn’t optional—it’s a competitive advantage. 

This is why leading African enterprises are shifting their focus to latency-first strategies, choosing infrastructure based on speed, not just size or cost. Because in the latency economy, every millisecond counts. Those who move faster will win more.

Make certain with Africa Data Centres: www.africadatacentres.com