Console Connect expands in Africa’s biggest cloud hub

South Africa has cemented itself as Africa’s biggest cloud hub, with Johannesburg emerging as a key centre for cloud connectivity in the country. It has seen significant investment from the three major hyperscalers - AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud - all of which have a local presence in Johannesburg. This makes the city a strategic launchpad for cloud services, AI innovation, and digital transformation across the African region.

At Console Connect, we’re investing in this growth. In 2025, we’ve expanded our South African footprint in Johannesburg with two new on-ramps to Google Cloud and Azure. This means enterprises can benefit from direct, high-performance access to leading cloud platforms from key data centres or directly from their own locations in major metro areas.

Why South Africa matters for cloud in Africa

Historically, the Africa region has lagged behind in cloud and data centre infrastructure. However, in recent years the region has seen a surge in global and regional investment, accelerating the growth of data centre infrastructure and locally hosted cloud services, where South Africa is leading the charge.

In the most recent Africa Interconnection Report, South Africa is identified as a key regional hub, accounting for nearly half (43%) of all existing data centres in the region.

The country continues to attract investment from international and regional data centre providers, including Equinix and Africa Data Centre, and is poised for further substantial growth - with Research & Markets estimating that the market will grow from $2.16 billion in 2024 to $3.4 billion by 2030.

This large concentration of data centre capacity not only affirms South Africa’s position as the market leader in Africa, but also highlights its role as a cloud hub for the region - providing African businesses with more local access to cloud services and AI capabilities.

Hyperscalers leverage South Africa as a launchpad

Investment in data centre and network infrastructure has facilitated the arrival of hyperscale providers in South Africa.

The three largest players offer access to locally hosted cloud services, with further plans for expansion:

• AWS runs its Africa (Cape Town) Region with three availability zones and a local zone in Johannesburg, and plans to expand further with new sites in South Africa and Kenya. According to AWS’ Economic Impact Study, ZAR 15.6 billion has been invested since 2018 and AWS will invest an additional ZAR 30.4 billion by 2029. Through this, AWS sustains over 2,000 jobs through direct employment, construction projects, and operational expenditure.
• Microsoft operates two Azure regions in Johannesburg and Cape Town, and is also constructing a new data centre campus in Centurion. In March, it announced plans to spend ZAR 5.4bn by the end of 2027 to expand its cloud and AI infrastructure in South Africa to meet the growing demand for Azure services in the region. The new programme extends Microsoft’s AI skilling initiative in South Africa by paying for 50,000 young people’s certification exams in high-demand digital skills over the next 12 months.
• Google Cloud launched its Johannesburg region in 2024, stating that the launch of “the Google Cloud region in Johannesburg will accelerate the African tech ecosystem, providing organizations with the resources they need to scale, innovate, and compete in the global marketplace. We are excited to partner with organizations across the continent and help them discover the advantages of digital transformation.”

Connecting Africa through Console Connect

Console Connect’s connected ecosystem has grown alongside Africa's data centre, cloud and AI landscape. Today, the platform is accessible in data centre locations across key African cities and offers access to locally hosted cloud providers in South Africa, such as AWS, Huawei, Oracle Cloud and Microsoft Azure.

For many years, we’ve partnered with leading cloud, AI, data centre, and connectivity providers to help them extend their reach across Africa. In recent months, we’ve seen a significant shift where traffic that once flowed to cloud infrastructure in Europe is now staying local within South Africa.” - says Michael Glynn, SVP, Channel & Innovation at PCCW Global.

With our extensive reach to major cloud providers in South Africa and beyond, we’re helping businesses scale seamlessly, improve performance, and stay competitive in an increasingly AI-driven economy.

To mark the launch of our latest on-ramps to Google Cloud and Azure in Johannesburg, Console Connect is offering a special promotion for customers looking to connect to, or between, multiple clouds within South Africa. Contact your PCCW Global Account Manager for more details, or reach out to our dedicated cloud presales and partner team at cloudconnect@consoleconnect.com.

In the meantime, learn more about our connectivity into Africa here.