What are your thoughts?

International Telecoms Week x Datacloud Africa 2026 Conference Podcast Edition

Director of ICT, Magalie Anderson - African Union Commission

Africa’s digital infrastructure is moving fast and the hype is loud, but the real question is who builds it, who pays for it, and who sets the rules that protect people while still attracting investment. We’re joined by Magali Anderson, Director of ICT at the African Union Commission, for a grounded conversation on what continental digital transformation looks like when you’re responsible for cybersecurity governance, data governance, and the policy frameworks that member states can actually use.

We get into why public-private partnerships are necessary and also risky when they’re rushed. Magali explains why governments and non-government bodies often struggle to match the speed of the ICT sector, and why that’s exactly why deeper engagement with industry matters. From data sovereignty to trust, we talk about the practical guardrails that help partnerships deliver real value and not just headlines.

Financing is a major focus: yes, international capital is interested, but domestic financing and cross-border African investment could be the game changer. We also unpack the promise of AfCFTA and the vision of Africa as one connected digital market, along with the real-world blockers like implementation, regulation, payments, and logistics. Then we go straight into the data center rush, why energy distribution and power policy can’t be ignored, and why “context-specific” approaches including alternative compute models may matter more than copying traditional playbooks.

If you care about digital infrastructure investment in Africa, data centers, cloud policy, cybersecurity, skills, and what measurable success should look like by next year, this conversation will sharpen your thinking. 

Subscribe for more Tech Talk Africa, share this with someone building in the space, and leave a review telling us what you want regulated first.

Credits
Host: 

• Stella Gichuhi

Producer: 

• James Njoroge

Executive Producers:

• Harry Hare
• Agutu Dan

What are your thoughts?

International Telecoms Week x Datacloud Africa 2026 Conference Podcast Edition

Director of Partnerships, Growth & Commercial, Thomas Kaberi - Qhala

AI talk gets loud fast, but the truth is quieter and heavier: cables, power, fiber, cooling, racks, and data centers decide what’s possible long before a chatbot ever answers a question. From the floor of ITW Africa 2026, we sit with Thomas Kaberi, Director of Growth and Partnerships at Nkala, to unpack the idea of “unboxing Africa’s digital future” and why infrastructure is not a side quest, it is the foundation.

We get into what Nkala actually is, a research-driven team that also builds, ships, and partners as a “think and do tank.” Thomas shares his own path from early programming to commercial strategy and back into deep tech, plus what he’s learning at a hardware-heavy conference where people are obsessed with latency, fiber routes, policy, and the real timelines of building data centers. If you care about AI infrastructure in Africa, this conversation makes the stack concrete and actionable.

Then we zoom out: AI is not one thing, it’s infrastructure, data quality, talent, financing, and finally the products the public sees. We challenge the default “just build more” mindset with a simple principle: not all engineering problems need an engineering solution, sometimes software efficiency and smarter design change the economics. We also tackle a bigger question for Africa’s digital economy: how does a continent that is 19% of the global population move from 2.5% of global GDP toward truly “pulling its weight” by 2050 through higher productivity across sectors like agriculture, health, education, and finance.

If you want clear thinking on digital infrastructure, AI strategy, partnerships, and what it will take to build at scale, listen now. Subscribe, share this with a builder in your network, and leave a review so more people find the conversation.

Credits
Host: 

• Stella Gichuhi

Producer: 

• James Njoroge

Executive Producers:

• Harry Hare
• Agutu Dan

What are your thoughts?

International Telecoms Week x Datacloud Africa 2026 Conference Podcast Edition

Co-Founder & CCO Mea Thompson - unconnected .org

“Connected” can be a lie we tell ourselves with a coverage map. A school can sit inside a service area and still be offline where it counts, with no devices, limited digital literacy, or internet that’s too expensive or unreliable to support learning. We sit down with Mia Thompson, CCO and co-founder of unconnected.org, to get specific about what meaningful connectivity really means and why the language we use matters if we want to bridge the digital divide for good.

We go deeper than infrastructure talk and into the incentives that shape outcomes. Mia makes a sharp point: the digital divide is often not a technology issue at all, it’s a return on investment problem. Traditional telecom investment favors dense cities because the numbers work, while rural communities and schools get left behind. So we ask the uncomfortable question: whose responsibility is it to fix this, and what happens when no one owns the outcome?

Mia walks us through the “impact marketplace” approach unconnected.org uses to make rural connectivity viable. By negotiating better global pricing on satellite, hardware, and software, they pass savings to local implementation partners so those partners can build and own networks sustainably. We also unpack a less-discussed blocker: fragmented funding. When incentives and subsidies are hard to track, impact gets hard to prove, so scaling stalls.

If you care about meaningful internet access, rural connectivity, and practical ways to connect schools and clinics without turning it into charity, this conversation will give you a clearer model and sharper questions.

Subscribe, share this with someone working in telecom or policy, and leave a review with your take: who should own meaningful connectivity where you live?

Credits
Host: 

• Stella Gichuhi

Producer: 

• James Njoroge

Executive Producers:

• Harry Hare
• Agutu Dan

What are your thoughts?

International Telecoms Week x Datacloud Africa 2026 Conference Podcast Edition

Senior Vice President of Connectivity, Cloud & Cyber Security, Marco Gagiano - Cassava Technologies

A single cable break shouldn’t be able to knock whole regions offline, yet Africa’s digital infrastructure still has chokepoints that turn routine failures into major outages. From the show floor at ITW 2026, we sit down with Marco Cargiano of Cassava Technologies to get specific about what “resilient connectivity” actually means when AI infrastructure, cloud services, and enterprise demand are accelerating across the continent.

We talk through how Cassava approaches redundancy across submarine capacity and terrestrial fiber, why a high-capacity mesh network matters, and how traffic should reroute instantly when a link fails. Marco explains why AI changes the game for network planning because it’s not just more traffic, it’s different traffic: far more upload-heavy flows that can fill capacity faster than legacy assumptions. If you care about Africa connectivity, network engineering, and the practical realities of scaling data centers and AI factories, this conversation is packed with real-world constraints and design choices.

Then we tackle a topic that gets oversimplified: data sovereignty. We explore the difference between geographic sovereignty (processing and storing data inside a country) and “sovereignty without geography,” where encryption and modern network tech can let customers use cross-border compute without data being stored elsewhere. We also break down cross-border failover for landlocked countries, the danger of “paper redundancy,” and where LEO satellite fits as a complementary option for rural coverage and emergency gaps rather than a true fiber replacement.

If you found this useful, subscribe for more conversations on Africa’s digital infrastructure, share the episode with someone building networks or policy, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

Credits
Host: 

• Stella Gichuhi

Producer: 

• James Njoroge

Executive Producers:

• Harry Hare
• Agutu Dan

What are your thoughts?

International Telecoms Week x Datacloud Africa 2026 Conference Podcast Edition

Head of Data Centre, MEA region, Mourad Younes - Schneider Electric

AI is changing data center design faster than most teams can rewrite their playbooks, and the pressure shows up everywhere: power demand, heat rejection, talent, timelines, and the gap between big visions and real execution. From ITW 2026, we sit down with Mourad Younes, Head of Data Center for Middle East and Africa at Schneider Electric, to get clear on what actually sits behind the buzzwords and what “AI-ready” means when you are accountable for real infrastructure.

We talk about Schneider Electric’s role as a technology vendor and why data centers still come down to three fundamentals: power, building, and IT. Mourad explains the idea of delivering solutions “from the grid to the chips and from the chips to the chillers,” plus the software layer that gives operators visibility across critical assets. Then we shift to what market acceleration does to people. We share how strong team structure, empowered regional leaders, and a learning culture reduce burnout in a demanding engineering environment.

On the tech side, we get into high-density AI workloads, the move toward liquid cooling, and why the priority right now is getting the design and reference architecture right, not chasing cost debates in isolation. We also dig into power efficiency and resilience through better monitoring, digital twin visibility, and smarter decisions based on actual consumption. Finally, we zoom out to Africa’s huge potential, the strength of local engineering skill sets, and the pragmatic question that decides everything: what are the real needs, and how do we align the ecosystem to deliver?

If you care about data center infrastructure, AI data centers, liquid cooling, power consumption, or scaling digital infrastructure in Africa, hit play, then subscribe, share this with a colleague, and leave a review. What part of the ecosystem do you think needs to mature first?

Support the show

Credits
Host: 

• Stella Gichuhi

Producer: 

• James Njoroge

Executive Producers:

• Harry Hare
• Agutu Dan

What are your thoughts?

International Telecoms Week x Datacloud Africa 2026 Conference Podcast Edition

CEO Ayotunde Coker - Open Access Data Centres (WIOCC Group)

Africa’s internet future won’t be won by a single shiny megaproject. It gets built in the unglamorous details: where fiber actually runs, where networks can interconnect, how data centers scale from core hubs to edge sites, and most of all, where dependable power comes from. From the floor of ITW 2026, we sit down with the CEO of Open Access Data Centers to get a grounded look at what’s working, what’s missing, and what needs to happen faster.

We start with the story behind OADC and the WyOC group, from subsea cable roots to a broader open access digital infrastructure platform across Africa. Then we get specific: the core-to-edge data center strategy, why carrier-neutral facilities change the market, and how “metro” connectivity can bring fiber closer to homes and businesses while letting multiple ISPs ride the same infrastructure.

From there, we tackle the question everyone asks at telecom and cloud events: energy. The reality is that “plug-in power” is constrained worldwide, so the conversation shifts to primary power sources and delivery models. We dig into gas and hydro potential, the rise of captive power, and why planning power, connectivity, and data centers as one system is the only way to scale.

Finally, we unpack “meaningful connectivity” as affordable, reliable broadband people can adopt, not just speed for speed’s sake, plus the human capital needed to keep uptime high and extend connectivity into landlocked countries. If you care about Africa data centers, broadband adoption, fiber networks, subsea cables, and digital infrastructure investment, this one is for you. 

Subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a review with the one idea you think would accelerate meaningful connectivity fastest.

Credits
Host: 

• Stella Gichuhi

Producer: 

• James Njoroge

Executive Producers:

• Harry Hare
• Agutu Dan

What are your thoughts?

International Telecoms Week x Datacloud Africa 2026 Conference Podcast Edition

Managing Director, Silvia Peneva -   ITW, Global Leaders’ Forum (GLF) & Techoraco

Africa’s digital infrastructure is having a real moment and the most interesting part is how fast the lines are blurring. At ITW Africa and Data Cloud Africa, we talk with Silvia about why the connectivity world (fiber, subsea cables, peering, internet exchange) is increasingly inseparable from the data center world, and why that convergence is a make-or-break story for Africa’s digital economy.

We also get specific about why Kenya keeps drawing the industry back. Beyond being a great destination, Nairobi benefits from progressive government policy, a strong enabling environment for connectivity, and a strategic location that links regions while staying deeply tied to sub-Saharan Africa’s growth. From the show floor perspective, you can feel what the event is built to do: create the right rooms, formats, and meeting moments for partners to sign deals, move projects forward, and plan the next 12 months.

Then we go “truth talk” on scaling. Where does demand actually come from, and how do workloads move across borders when fiber is still limited? How do you expand when power availability is a global constraint and capital requires trust and certainty? The answer we keep coming back to is ecosystem thinking: scaling digital infrastructure is not only an ICT ministry problem, it’s finance, taxation, energy, water, utilities, and private operators working together. We close on talent and optimism, including why bringing students into the space matters for building the next generation of engineers and leaders.

If you care about digital infrastructure in Africa, data centers, connectivity investment, and practical policy that unlocks growth, hit play, subscribe, and share this with one person building in the ecosystem, then leave us a review with your biggest scaling question.

Support the show

Credits
Host: 

• Stella Gichuhi

Producer: 

• James Njoroge

Executive Producers:

• Harry Hare
• Agutu Dan

What are your thoughts?

International Telecoms Week x Datacloud Africa 2026 Conference Podcast Edition

Director of Digital Infrastructure, Skills and Empowerment, Thelma Quaye - Smart Africa.
 
Everyone wants to talk about AI, but the uncomfortable truth is that compute capacity isn’t evenly owned and access to GPUs can turn into a geopolitical lever. So we step back and ask a more useful question: where can Africa realistically win in the AI value chain over the long term? From Nairobi at International Telecommunications Week, we sit down with a Smart Africa leader to unpack what “building Africa’s single digital market” actually means in practice and why implementation on the ground is the difference between another report and real change.

We get candid about the gap between programs that bring women and girls into tech and the harder work of helping women stay. Career breaks, fast-moving tools, workplace pressure, and the time cost of networking can push talented engineers and technologists out of the field. We also explore what pan-African thinking looks like beyond slogans: clustering countries to create economies of scale, building cross-border friendly rules, and treating neighbors as part of your market, not competitors.

Then we zoom in on digital infrastructure investment, data centers, and energy. Investors ask blunt questions about workload and power, and smaller markets often struggle to compete alone. We talk through a practical toolkit approach that helps developers find aligned investors faster and helps governments become “investor-ready” through targeted capacity building. If you care about Africa digital transformation, data center investment, cloud infrastructure, AI readiness, and women in tech, this conversation connects the dots with clarity and urgency.

If this gave you a new lens, subscribe, share it with a friend in policy or tech, and leave a review with the one change you think would unlock faster progress.

Credits
Host: 

• Stella Gichuhi

Producer: 

• James Njoroge

Executive Producers:

• Harry Hare
• Agutu Dan

What are your thoughts?

International Telecoms Week x Datacloud Africa 2026 Conference Podcast Edition

CEO Snehar Shah - iXAfrica Data Centres

The loudest thing at ITW 2026 isn’t a press release, it’s the reality that Nairobi is becoming a real contender in the global digital infrastructure conversation. We sit down on the conference floor to talk about what changed, what’s still missing, and what it actually takes to build a serious data center ecosystem in Kenya.

We dig into iX Africa’s third year in the market and the unglamorous work that makes a carrier neutral data center valuable: execution, interconnection density, and trusted delivery for enterprises. You’ll hear how connectivity partners, banks, and large local businesses translate “growth” into real workloads, plus why competition is healthy when it expands the whole market instead of shrinking it into a fight over the same slice.

Then we get into the topics everyone is debating across Africa’s data center industry: GPU hosting for AI workloads, sovereign AI demand, and what it means to be “government-ready” as cloud adoption accelerates. We also challenge the policy gap around critical infrastructure, the risks of regulation done wrong, and the sustainability arguments around power, water, and cooling solutions, with a strong reminder that Africa’s context is not the same as Europe or the US.

If you care about Nairobi data centers, Kenya digital infrastructure, cloud regions, data sovereignty, or the future of cross-border data flows in East Africa, this conversation brings the detail and the nuance. 

Subscribe, share this with a builder in your network, and leave a review with the one policy change you think Kenya needs most.

Credits
Host: 

• Stella Gichuhi

Producer: 

• James Njoroge

Executive Producers:

• Harry Hare
• Agutu Dan

What are your thoughts?

International Telecoms Week x Datacloud Africa 2026 Conference Podcast Edition

CEO Dorcas Muthoni - OPENWORLD

Tech careers rarely move in a straight line, and Dorcas says we should stop pretending they do. We talk about what it really takes to build a sustainable career in a fast changing industry, especially for women who step away for family, school, or life and then come back to new tools, new terminology, and a whole new market. If you have ever felt behind, discouraged, or cut off from your old network, this conversation offers a grounded path forward.

Dorcas shares her journey as the founder of Open World, including why the company evolves from software consulting to data center consulting and how digital infrastructure shapes everything from reliable apps to national connectivity. She explains how spotting patterns early, investing in certifications, and following what is emerging can help you pivot with purpose. We also get into what entrepreneurs should watch for: technologies with long trajectories, clear demand, and the kind of scale that comes from real consumer behavior, not just technical hype.

We then zoom out to women in tech in Africa through the work of AFCHIX, which Dorcas starts in 2004 after noticing very few women applying for jobs and internships. She breaks down a practical framework for supporting women at different ladder stages, from school to senior leadership, and why micro skills training paired with mentorship can help returning professionals regain confidence and momentum. We end with a provocative idea for schools: fund tech labs like we fund science labs, and treat digital infrastructure as essential education. 

If you found value here, subscribe, share this with a friend building their career, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

Credits
Host: 

• Stella Gichuhi

Producer: 

• James Njoroge

Executive Producers:

• Harry Hare
• Agutu Dan