Africa’s Digital Infrastructure Moment with Managing Diretor Silvia Peneva
Tech Talk AfricaPlay episode
Show notes
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 Sylvia 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.
Credits
Host:
Stella GichuhiProducer:
James NjorogeExecutive Producers:
Harry HareAgutu Dan
