Heirs Technologies Calls for Bold Investments to Unlock Africa’s $700bn Digital Economy by 2030
Heirs Technologies has urged African governments and private investors to make bold, coordinated investments to unlock the continent’s projected $700 billion digital economy by 2030. The call came during the launch of its maiden industry report, “Africa’s Digital Leap: Cloud, Connectivity & AI in the Next Decade.” The company emphasized that Africa’s growth potential will depend on infrastructure expansion, stronger policy frameworks, and talent development.
The report revealed that despite housing 19% of the world’s population, Africa currently accounts for less than 1% of global data centre capacity — a gap that threatens to slow progress. However, cloud adoption is gaining traction, with 55% of African enterprises now running at least half their workloads in the cloud and 17% fully cloud-native. Southern and West Africa are leading this shift, while North Africa continues to lag due to infrastructure and regulatory challenges.
Heirs Technologies’ study also valued Africa’s artificial intelligence (AI) market at $4.5 billion, predicting it could contribute up to $2.9 trillion to the continent’s GDP by 2030. The report highlights key sectors—agriculture, healthcare, financial services, and education—where AI is driving transformation. Landmark projects like the 2Africa subsea cable and 211 active data centres across the continent are identified as vital enablers for faster connectivity and scalable cloud solutions.
Between 2019 and early 2025, African AI startups attracted $1.25 billion in funding, with Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, and Egypt accounting for 87% of the total. These figures underscore the growing investor confidence in Africa’s digital potential, yet Heirs Technologies warns that without sustained collaboration between governments, businesses, and investors, the region could miss out on the next wave of global innovation.
Speaking at the unveiling, Obong Idiong, Chief Executive Officer of Heirs Technologies, said Africa’s digital transformation is already underway. “Africa is not at the edge of a digital leap; we are already mid-flight,” Idiong noted. “The next decade will be defined not only by the technologies we adopt but by how boldly and inclusively we implement them.” The 38-page report serves as a roadmap for stakeholders, offering data-driven insights to position Africa as a global digital powerhouse.
Heirs Technologies, a subsidiary of Heirs Holdings Group, provides technology solutions across cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, managed services, and software innovation, reinforcing its mission to power Africa’s digital future.
source: punch