GITEX Africa to showcase Vertiv’s HPC innovations. (Image source: Vertiv)

Vertiv, a global leader in critical digital infrastructure, will present its advanced AI-ready solutions at GITEX Africa Morocco 2026, scheduled from 7–9 April at the Marrakech Exhibition & Convention Centre

Aligned with the event’s theme, ‘Powering Africa’s Digital Future’, attendees will have the opportunity to explore Vertiv 360AI, a comprehensive portfolio of validated designs for high-performance computing (HPC), covering the complete power train and thermal chain. Vertiv experts will be on hand at stand 14B-30, Hall 14, to discuss a wide range of infrastructure solutions, including pre-engineered, prefabricated data centre solutions that integrate power, cooling, and monitoring for rapid deployment and modular scalability.

On Wednesday 8 April, Vertiv’s managing director for Africa, Wojtek Piorko, will join industry leaders on a panel discussion titled ‘Power is the Platform: Can Data Centres Scale Without the Grid?’ on the Connected Future track. The session will address Africa’s energy challenges and explore how organisations can build sovereign, secure, and energy-efficient infrastructure tailored to local markets.

“As Africa continues to see growing interest in AI innovation, Vertiv is strategically positioned to support this transformation with solutions designed to meet the power and cooling needs of HPC and support the digital infrastructure expected for AI deployments across the region,” Piorko states.

Satellite partnership expands African connectivity

ST Engineering iDirect, a global provider of satellite communications technology, has entered into a strategic partnership with Q-KON, an African satellite engineering and service provider, to introduce Intuition Unbound across Africa

The collaboration is designed to reduce barriers for service providers and enterprises seeking access to advanced satellite ground infrastructure while accelerating the deployment of connectivity services.

Under the agreement, Q-KON will supply satellite capacity and operate teleport facilities in South Africa, while ST Engineering iDirect will deliver the Intuition Unbound platform, which offers flexible, scalable and secure satellite ground connectivity. The initiative aims to create a more competitive environment for connectivity services by enabling new market entrants and enterprises to access advanced infrastructure and develop differentiated services.

“This partnership is a game-changer for our customers and maps a way forward to deliver sustainable, competitive GEO satellite services,” said Dr Dawie de Wet, Group CEO of Q-KON. “Intuition Unbound enables us to deliver secure, flexible, and scalable solutions aligned with the evolving satcom landscape and the ever-increasing demands of the African market. It strengthens our ability to leverage the inherent advantages of global GEO platforms, helping businesses grow and deliver value in an increasingly connected world."

The Intuition Unbound platform integrates scalable infrastructure with advanced Virtual Network Operator capabilities and global bandwidth management technologies. Designed as an as-a-service solution, the platform allows organisations to access satellite ground connectivity without the large upfront capital expenditure typically associated with satellite infrastructure deployments.

Through the partnership, ST Engineering iDirect will also offer predictable pricing structures along with service-level agreement backed performance and enterprise-grade security and compliance standards.

“Intuition Unbound is more than a service model - it is a catalyst for industry transformation,” said Brian Jakins, senior vice-president global sales at ST Engineering iDirect. “By making advanced satellite technology accessible to smaller providers and emerging-market customers, we are unlocking innovation and growth where connectivity is essential. Our partnership with Q-KON represents a major step toward making premium satellite ground networks accessible to all.”

Deployment of the Intuition Unbound platform across Africa is expected to begin by mid-2026. Beyond the continent, ST Engineering iDirect plans to expand the service into additional international markets as part of its broader strategy to deliver flexible and scalable satellite ground connectivity worldwide.

Oluwamuyiwa Akinmejiwa explains how data sovereignty laws are reshaping digital infrastructure choices for West African banks

According to Oluwamuyiwa Akinmejiwa, end user business leader at Schneider Electric, West African banks are entering a pivotal phase in their digital transformation as stricter data sovereignty laws reshape how financial institutions manage and store sensitive data

Banks across the region are now faced with a critical infrastructure decision: whether to rely on cloud services, colocation facilities, or maintain traditional on-premises systems. As digital services expand, regulatory compliance, security and operational resilience are becoming central to technology strategies.

In countries such as Nigeria and Ghana, legislation including the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 and the Ghana Data Protection Act 2012 requires banks to ensure that sensitive financial data remains within national borders. These regulations have elevated data protection and compliance from operational considerations to strategic priorities for financial institutions.

As banks modernise their digital infrastructure, hyperscale cloud providers and artificial intelligence (AI) data centres often face challenges in meeting these strict regulatory expectations. Many large cloud platforms operate data centres outside the region or within frameworks that do not fully align with local compliance requirements, making adoption difficult for highly regulated banking environments.

Although cloud platforms offer flexibility and scalability, many banks in the region still favour on-premises systems or locally based colocation facilities. These options help institutions maintain stronger control over data residency and regulatory compliance.

However, both approaches come with limitations. On-premises infrastructure offers maximum control over systems and security policies, while colocation improves physical protection and operational reliability. At the same time, neither option removes the responsibility banks have for securing and managing their own data.

As data volumes grow and AI workloads become more demanding, banks must carefully manage these environments to ensure both performance and security.

Need for balance

For many institutions, the most practical solution lies in a hybrid approach. West African banks increasingly need a balanced mix of on-premises infrastructure, colocation facilities and compliant local cloud services, with each option chosen according to the sensitivity of the data and the regulatory framework governing it.

Hyperscale cloud providers and AI data centres often struggle to meet the compliance requirements of West African banks. In many cases they lack local data residency capabilities, depend on limited regional infrastructure or operate within fragmented regulatory environments.

Even with their advanced technology and global reach, many international providers have yet to deliver solutions that fully align with the expectations of regulators such as the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Data sovereignty, however, is only one aspect of the broader infrastructure challenge. Banks must also consider operational efficiency, cybersecurity risks, integration with legacy systems and the potential dependence on external vendors.

In reality, data sovereignty represents only a portion of the wider regulatory and technological landscape banks must navigate as they modernise their digital infrastructure.

Deciding factors

Local infrastructure capacity often becomes the determining factor in whether banks adopt cloud platforms or continue operating on-premises systems. Reliable electricity supply, high-quality internet connectivity and the availability of secure data-centre facilities all influence these decisions.

Even though cloud platforms provide scalability and efficiency, several large institutions, including Guaranty Trust Bank, FirstBank and Ecobank, still maintain critical systems locally. Hosting these systems on-premises helps ensure compliance with data sovereignty rules while maintaining security oversight and minimising latency for essential services.

In regions where infrastructure remains inconsistent, cloud adoption can become even more challenging. Unstable electricity or unreliable connectivity may push banks to rely on on-premises systems for mission-critical operations such as payments processing and financial trading platforms, despite the higher operational costs.

Data sovereignty and innovation

At the same time, major banks operating across Nigeria, Ghana and the wider West African region continue to pursue innovation. Many institutions are adopting a trust-by-design approach, embedding strong data-protection principles into every digital initiative.

This approach allows banks to deliver modern, customer-focused digital services while maintaining strict data-privacy standards.

By combining trust-by-design strategies, customer-centric digital services, collaboration with fintech partners and close alignment with regulators, West African banks can continue to innovate while protecting sensitive data and maintaining customer confidence.

Governments across the region have also become increasingly protective of strategic data assets. Sensitive financial or identity data stored outside national borders could expose countries to geopolitical risks, cybersecurity threats or other forms of digital vulnerability.

For this reason, regulators are strengthening data-sovereignty and data-residency requirements to ensure that critical information remains within domestic jurisdictions.

The growing investment by global infrastructure companies such as Equinix and Digital Realty in regional data-centre facilities reflects this shift, highlighting rising demand for secure, locally hosted digital infrastructure across West Africa’s evolving financial sector.