Heirs Technologies, a leading player in Africa’s digital transformation landscape, has released its maiden industry report titled, ‘Africa’s Digital Leap: Cloud, Connectivity & AI in the Next Decade,’ calling for decisive investments and policy reforms to unlock the continent’s projected $700 billion digital economy by 2030.

The report underscored Africa’s immense potential but warned that without sustained infrastructure investment, regulatory alignment, and talent development, the continent risks missing out on the next wave of global digital growth.

Although Africa is home to 19 per cent of the world’s population, it currently hosts less than one per cent of global data centre capacity, highlighting a critical gap in digital infrastructure.

According to the report, 55 per cent of African enterprises now run more than half their workloads in the cloud, while 17 per cent are fully cloud-native. Southern and West Africa are leading adoption, while North Africa lags due to infrastructure and regulatory challenges.

The study values Africa’s artificial intelligence (AI) market at $4.5 billion, with the potential to contribute up to $2.9 trillion to GDP by 2030, as AI adoption expands across agriculture, healthcare, financial services, and education.

Infrastructure projects such as the 2Africa subsea cable and over 211 active data centres are identified as critical enablers of faster connectivity and cloud-driven growth.

The report also notes that between 2019 and the first quarter of 2025, African AI startups raised $1.25 billion, with Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, and Egypt attracting 87 per cent of total funding.

Speaking at the report’s unveiling, Chief Executive Officer of Heirs Technologies, Obong Idiong, emphasised the urgency for coordinated action among governments, investors, and businesses.

“Africa is not at the edge of a digital leap; we are already mid-flight. The next decade will be defined not only by the technologies we embrace but by how boldly and inclusively we implement them. At Heirs Technologies, we are committed to enabling Africa’s digital transformation, but this journey belongs to all of us,” Idiong stated.

The 38-page report offers a comprehensive review of Africa’s digital economy, benchmarking regional adoption trends, policy readiness, and investment signals.

It provides a roadmap for stakeholders to position the continent as a competitive digital powerhouse in the global economy.