What is a data centre, and why does Zambia want one?

A data centre is a secure building full of computer servers that store and process digital information — and Zambia wants a national one to keep its data, and the value it carries, at home.

Almost everything digital — mobile money, government records, banking, websites, artificial intelligence — runs on servers somewhere. The question of where those servers sit, and who controls them, is what turns a technical building into a matter of national strategy.

How a data centre works

A data centre houses racks of servers — powerful computers — along with the networking, storage, cooling and backup power that keep them running every hour of the year. When you send mobile money, load a website or query an AI model, a server in a data centre does the work and sends the answer back. The bigger and closer the data centre, the faster and cheaper those services run.

Two things make or break a data centre: reliable electricity and fast connectivity. Servers run continuously and generate heat, so they need uninterrupted power and constant cooling — which is why Zambia's push, reported by Kwacha News as the Smart Zambia national data-centre and AI plan, is tied to the same grid reliability the country is borrowing to fix.

A national data centre lets a country store and process its own data domestically rather than relying on servers abroad — the principle governments call data sovereignty.

— Industry definition, as applied by Zambia's Smart Zambia digital-transformation programme

Why Zambia wants a national one

The case is part economics, part sovereignty. Hosting data at home keeps the money — paid today to foreign cloud providers — circulating in Zambia, and creates skilled jobs. It speeds up local services, because data does not have to travel to another continent and back. And it gives the state control over sensitive records, the heart of what is called data sovereignty. It also underpins any serious ambition in artificial intelligence, which is hungry for exactly this kind of infrastructure.

Who it is for

A national data centre serves government, banks, telecoms, startups and, ultimately, citizens whose services run faster and whose records stay in the country. The spread of mobile money and satellite connectivity that Kwacha News covers, from Starlink and mobile money to the wider Technology beat, all ultimately leans on this kind of computing backbone.

The challenges

Data centres are expensive and power-hungry, and that is the rub for a country that still rations electricity. They need stable, affordable power, skilled engineers, and strong cybersecurity and governance — the last of which sits uneasily beside episodes like the cancelled digital-rights summit Kwacha News reported, the RightsCon affair. Keeping data at home also means protecting it at home, in law and in practice.

Frequently Asked Questions

These are the questions readers ask about data centres. Short answers follow, drawn from the technology and Zambia's own digital plans.

What is a data centre?

In short, it is a secure building full of servers that store and process digital information. The answer, simply put, is the physical home of what we call the cloud.

How does a data centre work?

The technology shows servers handle requests — a payment, a search, an AI query — and return answers, around the clock. According to engineers, that demands constant power, cooling and connectivity.

Why is data sovereignty important?

The key is control and value. Evidence from digital economies shows hosting data at home keeps money and jobs in-country and gives the state authority over sensitive records.

Who is a national data centre for?

In other words, government, banks, telecoms, startups and citizens. Research shows faster local services and retained value benefit the whole digital economy.

What are the challenges for Zambia?

Analysis shows the hurdles are reliable power, cost, skills and cybersecurity. The answer is that a data centre is only as strong as the grid, the talent and the data-protection law behind it.

Globally, data centres have become strategic infrastructure, with countries competing to host them for the jobs, tax and control they bring. For Zambia, the prize is to stop paying foreign providers for something it could run at home, and to anchor a cloud and artificial-intelligence industry on the continent. The obstacle is the same one that shadows every ambition here — power. A data centre that goes dark during load-shedding is worse than none, which is why the grid and the data centre are really one project.

Sources

Smart Zambia and the national data-centre plan, as reported by Kwacha News: Smart Zambia's data-centre and AI push. Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority: ICT sector regulation.