Africa’s data centre market expansion requires stronger commissioning and testing processes to ensure reliability, uptime and long-term performance, according to Aggreko Africa’s Project Sales Manager Gracious Monyeke.

 As digitalisation, cloud adoption and data localisation drive investments in hubs such as Johannesburg, Cape Town, Nairobi and Lagos, infrastructure readiness is becoming increasingly critical. 

Africa’s data centre capacity has more than doubled since 2020, but the continent still faces a supply gap, with installed IT power capacity at only a few hundred megawatts compared with projected demand of at least 1,000MW over the next decade. 

Monyeke said commissioning remains one of the most underestimated stages of data centre development. 

The process verifies critical systems, including electrical distribution, transformers, uninterruptible power supplies, backup generators and cooling systems before a facility goes live. 

The commissioning process includes five testing stages from factory acceptance testing and site inspections to integrated systems testing, which evaluates the entire facility as one operating system. 

Early testing identifies design or equipment issues before costly failures occur, protecting warranties, reducing delays and improving efficiency. 

In Africa, where grid reliability challenges, long equipment lead times and limited spare parts remain concerns, effective commissioning is essential to minimise downtime risks. 

A structured approach also helps operators manage multiple facilities through consistent performance standards and reduced human error, a major contributor to global data centre outages. 

Aggreko said reliable partners can improve uptime and reduce costs while strengthening confidence in Africa’s digital infrastructure.