Africa’s digital economy growth will depend on managing rising cyber threats, scaling data infrastructure and addressing power and interconnectivity challenges. Experts across government and the private sector unanimously agreed while speaking at the IoT West Africa 2026 Conference and Data Centre Cloud Expo held in Lagos. In a keynote address , Dr Vincent Olatunji, national commissioner, Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), warned that rapid digital expansion was being matched by rising cyber threats. Olatunji said cyberattacks now occur every 39 seconds globally, with cybercrime losses estimated at 10.5 trillion dollars annually. He noted that Nigeria records over 4,000 cyberattacks weekly, accounting for about 45 per cent of incidents in Africa, while financial losses exceeded ₦12 billion in 2024. He added that global data generation had reached about 402.89 million terabytes daily and was projected to grow from 181 zettabytes to 221 zettabytes. “Data is now the new oil, driving everything from IoT to cloud services and digital platforms,” he said, adding that Nigeria’s digital economy is valued at 18.3 billion dollars and could double within five years. Also during a fireside chat at the IoT West Africa 2026 with the theme “Role of Colocation in Enabling Africa’s Data Centre Transformation: Opportunities and Challenges,” industry leaders identified interconnectivity, power and affordability as critical to scaling the sector. Mr Yashnath Issur, the chief executive officer of Nxtra by Airtel, said Africa’s data centre market must be built to global standards. “This market is no longer local; it is a global business requiring global quality, scale and expertise,” he said. On his part, Mr Lars Johannisson, the chief executive officer of Rack Centre, said energy remained the biggest constraint to growth. “Data centres are about power, cooling and people. Energy is the machine that will power our growth, and without fixing it, scaling