Market, Impact, or Competition? Motivations Behind Recent U.S. Private Investments in Africa's Digital Infrastructure

Digital infrastructures—spanning data centers and subsea cables—are technical arrangements of application, network, and physical systems that underpin the digital world we rely on daily. But how and why do these infrastructures attract sudden surges in investment, particularly in a region like Africa? This thesis investigates the recent influx of U.S. technology firm investments in Africa’s digital infrastructure by analyzing public messaging (e.g., official statements, blogs, and social media posts) and private narratives from semi-structured interviews with company employees, U.S. government officials, and subject-matter experts. I find a recurring tension between corporate social-impact narratives and underlying commercial motives, alongside a nuanced perception of competition with Chinese firms. Crucially, I situate the U.S. investment surge beginning around 2018–2019 in the context of China’s earlier Belt and Road and Digital Silk Road initiatives, which laid foundational infrastructure across the continent and raised strategic concerns in Washington. I argue that these early Chinese investments helped de-risk African markets, creating more favorable conditions for U.S. entry. Rather than resulting from deliberate coordination between firms and the U.S. government, American involvement reflects a coincidental alignment: a convergence of commercial opportunity, foreign policy incentives, and geopolitical awareness in places where risk had already been lowered. These findings offer new insight into how global rivalry, firm strategy, and market readiness intersect to shape the future of digital infrastructure in emerging markets.