Natural Gas Could Power Africa's AI Data Center Growth

The African Energy Chamber has positioned natural gas as a critical enabler of Africa’s AI and data center growth at African Energy Week 2026.

• Main announcement/action: The African Energy Chamber (NJ Ayuk) argued that natural gas is the only immediately available resource able to deliver the constant, reliable power required for AI data centers; cited figures include over 600 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves in Africa, 0.6% of global data center capacity, ~1.2 GW installed capacity (with ~360 MW operational), projected data center demand growth of 3.5–5.5x by 2030, and an estimated $10–20 billion in investment needed for expansion and associated power infrastructure (power demand projected to reach 8,000 GWh).
• Background and event details: The release highlights major gas projects (e.g., Mozambique LNG production ~13 million tons/year, Nigeria‘s 200+ trillion cubic feet reserves, and emerging producers Senegal and Mauritania) and stresses current barriers including infrastructure gaps, pricing constraints, and regulatory uncertainty.
  • Event: African Energy Week 2026 — AI and Data Center Track
  • Press release date & location: May 8, 2026, Cape Town, South Africa
  • Agenda/subject: how power — particularly natural gas — can underpin the continent’s digital expansion, gas-to-power projects integrated with data center development