Africa is entering a new phase of cloud maturity
Across the continent, organisations are accelerating their cloud adoption and steadily shifting from migration to optimisation—despite persistent challenges including economic pressure, skills shortages, cyber risk, and compliance demands. Leaders in Africa are maturing their cloud foundations to improve performance, build trust, and prepare for AI‑enabled growth.
Cloud maturity is strengthening
More than four in five organisations now report medium or high cloud maturity. Cloud has firmly transitioned into a core business enabler, underpinning speed, resilience, customer experience, and modernisation efforts, yet gaps remain. Many organisations still need to modernise legacy systems, mature their FinOps capabilities, and scale AI beyond pilots—areas that will be critical to unlocking full business value.
Sovereignty and geopolitics are shaping cloud choices
Almost 90% of organisations are adjusting their cloud strategies due to regulatory expectations, data‑protection requirements and geopolitical shifts. We are seeing stronger demand for sovereign cloud, hybrid models, and trusted national partners—particularly in regulated industries where security, resilience, and data residency are essential.
AI is now a decisive strategic driver
AI has become a top cloud investment priority, with organisations looking to improve decision‑making, automate processes, and unlock new value. Agentic AI systems that can adapt and act with minimal human input are emerging as a meaningful opportunity.
Cloud economics require discipline
Cloud spend continues to rise, often outpacing inflation. However, only a small proportion of organisations have advanced FinOps practices in place.
To balance innovation with affordability, organisations need real‑time cost visibility, workload optimisation, and financial governance embedded into cloud operations.
Five priorities for Africa’s next stage of cloud evolution
- Align cloud to measurable business outcomes with clear accountability.
- Embed trust throughout delivery through strong security, compliance and identity controls.
- Strengthen cloud economics by maturing FinOps and improving cost transparency.
- Modernise applications and data to support performance and AI readiness.
- Design for sovereignty and choice, using multi‑cloud and local residency where required.
Africa’s opportunity
Cloud, AI, and sovereignty are converging to redefine how organisations operate and compete. Leaders who move decisively with trust, discipline, and a long‑term view will unlock sustainable value, accelerate innovation, and position their organisations to thrive in Africa’s rapidly changing digital landscape.
Download the report to explore the full guidance and practical implications
PwC offers tailored support to help organisations accelerate cloud maturity, including cloud‑governance assessments, architecture and operating‑model roadmaps, sovereignty and data‑residency design, FinOps and cloud‑economics optimisation, security, and responsible‑AI frameworks.
Contact us to discuss what the Africa Cloud Business Survey means for your organisation to identify next steps. Our specialists are ready to assist.
