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The Africa Digital Index scores all 54 African markets on how prepared each one is to host data-centre and digital-infrastructure investment. It is built to be transparent about what it measures and where the evidence comes from.
Each market is assessed on established international datasets and our own primary research, every input sourced and dated, and each one placed on a common 0–100 scale so unlike measures can be compared fairly.
That evidence rolls up into the five pillars below. Each pillar summarises one dimension of readiness, so a market’s strengths and gaps are legible at a glance.
The pillars combine into a single composite score from 0 to 100 and an investment attractiveness grade. Which measures sit under each pillar, and the emphasis placed on them, is proprietary. Full pillar weighting is available to institutions under NDA. Request a briefing.
Every market is read through the same five lenses. Together they capture the physical, economic, and institutional conditions that decide whether large, always-on compute can land and scale.
Generation capacity and electrification underpinning always-on compute.
Submarine-cable access, fibre reach, and hyperscale footprint.
Monetary stability and the size of the economy.
Addressable market size and workforce readiness.
Governance, ease of doing business, capital inflows, and language reach.
Alongside the 0–100 composite, each country receives an Investment Attractiveness Grade from A to E. Grades are relative to the African market landscape and reflect a country’s attractiveness for long-term investment based on economic strength, infrastructure readiness, connectivity, regulatory environment, market demand, and innovation potential. Inspired by leading foreign direct investment (FDI) attractiveness frameworks, the grades give a simple, executive-friendly view of market opportunity and risk. The cut-points are fixed and published here in full, so any composite can be checked against its grade.
| Grade | Composite | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| A | 80 – 100 | Prime Investment Destination |
| B | 65 – 79 | Attractive Investment Market |
| C | 50 – 64 | Emerging Opportunity |
| D | 35 – 49 | Selective Investment Case |
| E | 0 – 34 | Constrained Investment Environment |
Each pillar is scored from 0–100 and shown as a colour-coded bar on every market page. The bar is rated against the thresholds below, and always sits alongside the number and a written label, so the colour is never the only thing carrying the meaning.
The quantitative backbone draws on established international datasets, the same institutions relied on by governments and investors worldwide. Each figure is dated to its release.
Public statistics only go so far. We layer in our own primary research and market intelligence, tracking facilities, cable landings, cloud and hyperscaler activity, power deals, and on-the-ground policy signals, to capture momentum that headline indicators miss.
How these public and private inputs are combined and weighted is the proprietary core of our work, so we don’t publish it. We do share it: institutional investors, development finance institutions and government bodies can review the full pillar weighting under NDA. The index is only worth something if you can trust it, and we would rather walk you through the model than ask you to take the number on faith. Request a methodology briefing.
Want the detail behind a specific market, or a bespoke read for an investment decision? Talk to our team.