By Royal Ibeh
Copyright businessday
Africa’s widening broadband gap and the continent’s readiness for an AI-driven future will take center stage on October 7 in Lagos, when policymakers, investors, and industry leaders convene for Hyperscalers Convergence Africa 2025.
The one-day event, organized by Africa Hyperscalers, will debate how to scale connectivity, expand cloud infrastructure, unlock capital, and build trusted digital systems to secure the continent’s digital future.
The agenda of the conference will tackle Africa’s most urgent priorities – from the journey to 2,500MW of data center capacity, to weaving subsea and terrestrial fiber into a resilient backbone, to preparing enterprises for an AI-driven future. These themes are critical.
Fixed broadband still reaches fewer than six percent of households, most local cloud infrastructure remains clustered in four markets, and last-mile access for homes, SMEs, and rural areas is limited – deepening the digital divide. With Africa’s population projected to hit 2.4 billion by 2050, the demand for localized, secure digital services is pressing.
Open-access infrastructure, harmonized regulation, and workforce development will decide whether Africa captures its digital future or remains dependent on others.
Kazeem Oladepo, COO, IHS and 2025 Conference chairperson, said, “Africa’s digital trajectory is being shaped now,” said Connectivity, compute, and capital will decide whether the continent captures the value of its own digital future. We must take advantage of this window of opportunity.”
The conference will feature keynote addresses, panel sessions, and networking opportunities designed to foster collaboration across private sector operators, governments, and financiers.
Confirmed speakers include Bill Kleyman, chief executive officer, Apolo.US and executive chair for Data Center Programs, Informa; Guy Zibi, managing partner, Xalam Analytics; Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, director general, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA); Begna Gebreyes, head of heavy industries, telecoms & technology, Africa Finance Corporation; Chinyerugo Ugoji, partner, AELEX; Vivek Mittal, CEO, African Infrastructure Development Association and Ben Roberts, principal, Digital Economy Advisors.
Houda Chihi, Sup’COM Tunisia; Russell Southwood, CEO, Balancing Act; Johnson Agogbua, CEO, Kasi Cloud; Roger Shutte, general manager for Infrastructure & Cloud Engineering, MTN Nigeria; Snehar Shah, CEO of IX Africa; Gbenga Adegbiji, CEO, Geniserve; George Etomi, principal partner, George Etomi & Partners; Lars Johannisson, CEO, Rack Centre; Lanre Kolade, chairman, ConnectedCompute; Otuya Okecha, CEO, FibreSol; Abayomi Adebanjo, director, Legal, Equinix; Muhammed Rudman, CEO, IXPN; Josephine Sarouk, managing director, Bayobab Nigeria and Bukola Ajayi, general manager, MTN Nigeria.
Others are Ayotunde Coker, CEO, Open Access Data Centres; Dr. Yele Okeremi, CEO, Precise Financial Systems; Sayo Oshadami, director at Equinix; Eero Toivainen, trade counsellor West Africa, Business Finland; Oguche Agudah, CEO, Pension Fund Operations Association of Nigeria (PenOp); Mohammed Besheer, head, network & infrastructure, Central Bank of Egypt; Kazeem Oladepo, COO, IHS; Marco Rebecchi, country manager, Nokia, West Africa, Akeem Adeshina, chief commercial officer, IHS; Hakeem Adeniji-Adele, deputy managing director, eTranzact, and Temitope Osunrinde, executive director of Africa Hyperscalers.
Operators seeking strategic visibility and regional partnerships, investors scouting infrastructure-ready opportunities, policymakers shaping regulatory frameworks, tech platforms and hyperscalers building Africa’s cloud and AI ecosystems, and builders and innovators ready to showcase ideas and learn from peers are welcome to attend.
