Cloud computing is a system that enables data storage on remote servers accessible via the Internet. This storage solution represents a major evolution compared to traditional hard drives. Remote access to data stored in the cloud is a major asset for users, allowing them to access files anywhere and at any time. However, this technology is not without limitations, and its availability may be restricted by Internet access issues in certain countries.
This is the case in French-speaking African countries where infrastructure may be insufficient for cloud usage. Which brings us back to our original question: is French-speaking Africa ready for cloud services?
To address this, Alioune Séga Sène, founding partner of the firm Sène & Cie, interviewed four experts:
Serge Ntamack
Legal expert (specialist in legal and regulatory matters in ICT) and former Legal Director of Microsoft Francophone Africa.
Gabriel Betenye
Commercial Manager at ACRONIS (SaaS solutions publisher) and author of an academic paper on cloud services in Africa.
Guy Zibi
An analyst, he heads an analysis firm specialising in cloud and data centres in Africa.
Anthony Same
An entrepreneur, he is the founder of ST DIGITAL (a pioneer company in cloud services in Africa).
This article is a synthesis of the exchanges between the five speakers.
Cloud, a reality in Africa
Although Africa is at the genesis of the IT infrastructure migration process, its cloud potential is quite considerable, and a significant increase in the use of cloud tools can be observed across all types of organisations (multinationals, public agencies, start-ups…).
Nevertheless, this usage remains low. The market is in a growth phase and projections indicate that the size of the African market will double within 5 years: representing an opportunity of around 8 to 10 billion dollars.
Why do organizations migrate to cloud services?
- With African consumers increasingly connected (600 million broadband connections in 2021 and likely 1 billion by 2026, according to XALAM Analytics), the volume of traffic and transactions is exploding on digital platforms, and organizations wishing to offer their customers a quality service must establish the relationship on these platforms.
- Fierce competition, increasingly complex consumption patterns, and the risks of cyberattacks are also among the imperatives forcing companies to reposition themselves in terms of innovation and operational agility.
A difficult migration
To date, although some companies have taken the step, there is no sectoral or governmental pressure in favor of adopting cloud services (sovereign cloud). Adoption strategies remain individual.
Moreover, in Africa, the cloud faces numerous obstacles and misconceptions:
- Quality and cost of the Internet connection.
- Performance relative to the absence of local infrastructure.
- Cybersecurity and integration with existing systems.
- Visibility into cloud service costs.
- Lack of an adequate volume of local cloud skills.
- Concerns regarding the legal framework and data sovereignty.
- Material culture of populations.
- Negativity of messages conveyed about the cloud.
To address these challenges, according to Gabriel Betenye, it is necessary to "support organisational leaders in migrating to cloud services, adapt the training system since in Africa curricula are still largely oriented towards on-premise solutions and little towards the cloud, and demystify the cloud to make it simple for users to understand.".
Cloud players with limited presence
African businesses do not have access to market shares in cloud services, as the major tech giants hold the largest portions.
This issue, which constrains cloud players, stems from weaknesses in the regulatory framework (most cybersecurity-related laws date from the early 2000s and are obsolete) and the governance framework (no public direction towards a sovereign cloud strategy).
What framework should be adopted for cloud growth in French-speaking Africa?
According to Serge Ntamack, the issue of security is, among other things, preventing the growth of cloud services: « There is a legitimate fear, for many, of embracing technology and enabling in particular the development of cloud services: our data will end up abroad, it will not be controlled due to the lack of a framework. ».
The public sector as well as the financial sector, which make the greatest use of IT services, are therefore highly sensitive to issues of data and transaction security.
In reality, "personal data protection" and "cybersecurity and cybercrime regulation" are intimately linked. Therefore, if we wish to further promote the cloud computing economy and innovative services, Africa must consider a comprehensive regulatory framework for the governance of technology and innovation.
Who are the key stakeholders?
With a significant budget allocation, the State must be able to strengthen the effectiveness of the regulations put in place in the 2000s and facilitate the adoption and growth of cloud services.
However, it intervenes only to enable the private sector to carry out this transformation: "start-ups and large companies – particularly in the financial sector – are driving cloud adoption because they are led to use the latest technologies.", according to Guy Zibi.
Energy-intensive data centres and poor connectivity: unfavourable conditions
A quality cloud user experience requires 3 types of infrastructure:
1. Connectivity
- The connection speed per user must be equal to or greater than ten megabytes. However, infrastructure in West Africa is still in the development phase and penetration levels remain low.
- Prices for data centre infrastructure must be affordable. To achieve this, governments can establish service offerings from which businesses and start-ups can benefit. In this way, governments will not need to draw on their budget allocations.
2. Hosting
- Data centers hosting the servers where applications reside must be located as close as possible to end users.
3. Electricity
- Essential to the proper functioning of data centers, electricity is a real challenge for Africa.
- Data centers have also demonstrated their reliability by delivering 100% accessible services, despite the numerous power outages.