US$240B

Mobile technologies and digital services contributed to Africa’s economy in 2025.

7.8%

Estimated contribution to continental GDP during 2025.

13M

Jobs supported by mobile technologies and digital services.

US$290B

Projected economic contribution by 2030.

Introduction
Digital infrastructure opportunity
Infrastructure sharing
Energy risk
Data as an asset
Artificial intelligence
Independent expertise
About the author

Introduction

Africa’s telecommunications sector is no longer simply enabling connectivity; it has become a major economic growth engine.

According to the GSMA Mobile Economy Africa 2026, mobile technologies and digital services contributed approximately US$240 billion to Africa’s economy during 2025, representing 7.8% of continental GDP, while supporting approximately 13 million jobs and generating US$45 billion in public revenue. By 2030, this contribution is projected to increase to US$290 billion, driven by continued expansion of 4G, 5G, AI-enabled services and enterprise digitalization.

The Digital Infrastructure Opportunity

Africa remains the fastest-growing mobile market globally, yet significant infrastructure gaps remain.

Despite representing approximately 18% of the world’s population, Africa currently accounts for less than 1% of global data center capacity. Industry analysts estimate that the continent will require approximately 700 additional data centers over the medium term to support growing cloud adoption, artificial intelligence workloads and enterprise digital transformation.

This creates a fundamental shift in infrastructure planning. Future telecommunications sites must increasingly support mobile networks, fibre networks, edge computing, AI processing, cloud connectivity, IoT platforms and private enterprise networks.

The telecommunications tower therefore becomes only one component within a much broader digital infrastructure ecosystem.

Infrastructure Sharing is Becoming an Economic Imperative

Infrastructure sharing has moved beyond operational efficiency; it is now a strategic economic enabler.

Recent academic research covering 107 tower-sharing transactions across 28 low-income countries found that large-scale infrastructure sharing reduced mobile service prices, lowered data costs, increased mobile connections, improved rural internet penetration, increased connectivity among female-headed households and enhanced market competition.

The study concludes that infrastructure sharing directly accelerates digital inclusion while improving commercial sustainability for network operators and infrastructure owners.

For TowerCos, this confirms that future value creation lies not merely in leasing tower space, but in enabling multi-tenant digital infrastructure platforms.

Energy: Africa’s Largest Operational Risk

Across Africa, energy remains one of the largest operational cost centers for telecommunications infrastructure.

Industry estimates indicate there are approximately 500,000 telecommunications towers operating across Africa, many located in regions where unreliable grid power requires extensive diesel generation. In off-grid environments, energy can account for up to 60% of tower operating expenditure, making power optimization one of the highest-impact opportunities for improving EBITDA.

This explains why leading infrastructure companies are rapidly investing in hybrid energy systems, solar generation, lithium battery storage, remote monitoring, predictive maintenance and AI-driven generator optimization.

The business case extends beyond sustainability; improved energy resilience directly enhances network availability while reducing fuel costs and operational risk.

Data is Becoming the New Infrastructure Asset

Historically, telecommunications infrastructure has been managed through physical assets.

Increasingly, however, competitive advantage is determined by the quality of operational data.

Modern tower portfolios generate millions of operational records annually across network alarms, generator performance, battery health, fuel consumption, site access, security events, maintenance history and asset lifecycle management.

Yet data alone creates little value. Independent governance, data quality assurance and integrated analytics enable organizations to transform operational information into strategic business intelligence capable of supporting faster executive decision-making.

Artificial Intelligence Will Redefine Infrastructure Operations

Artificial Intelligence represents the next major evolution in infrastructure management.

Rather than replacing engineering expertise, AI augments operational capability by enabling predictive equipment failure analysis, intelligent maintenance scheduling, fuel anomaly detection, automated alarm prioritisation, drone-assisted inspections, computer vision structural assessments, predictive inventory optimization and executive operational dashboards.

As infrastructure portfolios continue expanding, AI will become essential for managing increasingly complex multi-technology environments at scale.

Why Independent Expertise Matters

The telecommunications industry has entered an era where engineering excellence alone is no longer sufficient.

Future infrastructure leaders must integrate operational performance, financial governance, ESG reporting, energy optimization, digital transformation, AI readiness, cyber resilience and commercial strategy.

Independent consultants provide unique value because they bring cross-market experience gained from multiple operators, TowerCos, infrastructure funds and managed service providers.

Unlike internal teams, independent advisors are not constrained by organizational history or departmental silos. Their role is to objectively assess operational maturity, identify structural inefficiencies, benchmark against international best practice and accelerate transformation programs with measurable commercial outcomes.

In an industry where billions of dollars continue to be invested in digital infrastructure, objective external expertise often becomes the catalyst that enables organizations to unlock greater asset value, improve governance, reduce operational risk and position themselves for long-term sustainable growth.

About the Author

Jacobus Smith is an independent executive consultant specializing in telecommunications infrastructure, digital infrastructure, energy systems and operational transformation across Africa. With more than two decades of executive leadership experience spanning over fourteen African markets, he advises infrastructure owners, investors, TowerCos, Mobile Network Operators, EPC organizations and energy providers on market entry strategy, operational excellence, governance, business transformation and infrastructure investment.

1. GSMA Intelligence. The Mobile Economy Africa 2026.
2. GSMA. Mobile Technologies Contributed US$240 Billion to Africa’s Economy in 2025.
3. Brookings Institution. Accelerating Digital Inclusion in Africa.
4. Houngbonon, G. et al. 2025. The Impact of Shared Telecom Infrastructure on Digital Connectivity and Inclusion.
5. GSMA. State of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2025.