South Africa has seen several recent announcements of investments in its Digital Infrastructure, as reported by IDCA. Now, London-based, Africa-focused Cassava Technologies has pledged 4.5 billion South African rand (about $250 million) to build Digital Infrastructure in South Africa, through its Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Africa Data Centres, and Distributed Power Africa business units.

Cassava's announcement came during the fifth South Africa Investment Conference (SAIC) in support of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s initiative to drive investment into the country,

“South Africa accounts for the largest proportion of Africa’s industrial GDP with a sophisticated and growing ICT sector,” according to Hardy Pemhiwa, President & Group CEO of Cassava Technologies. “The country’s unique combination of highly developed first-world economic infrastructure and a stable macro-economic environment affords businesses like ours a conducive investment environment.”

Cassava’s investment pledge encompasses the expansion of Liquid Intelligent Technologies' fiber network, the extension of Africa Data Centres capacity and footprint, enhanced cloud and cyber security capacity, and the rollout of renewable energy by Distributed Power Africa.

(Note: Nigeria has the continent's largest GDP, with South Africa second, although the latter is more highly industrialized. South Africa.)

How South Africa Fares in IDCA Research's Rankings
South Africa finishes 110th among 147 nations surveyed in the IDCA Smart Nations Digital Readiness of Nations Index, and 20th among 37 African nations in the index.

Its overall score of 36 is below the world average. The score is brought down by an abysmal score in the Environmental category, due to its almost non-existent renewables grid for electricity generation combined with extensive automobile use and its reliance on mining and heavy industry resulting in appalling economic inefficiency in generating greenhouse gases. The country is the world's 14th largest producer of CO2 emissions, situated between Brazil and Turkey. Its economy produces these emissions with an efficiency that's 8% of that of the EU, 14% of the US, and half that of China.

South Africa also has the world's highest income disparity, which also has a negative impact on its overall score. Its governmental functionality is described as a “flawed democracy” (which to be fair, is the same category in which the US finds itself today), which hurts its overall score as well. Cassava's new investments are no doubt a welcome sight as the country works to maintain its strong economy while improving its socioeconomic and environmental situations.

Photo of South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa and Cassava CEO Hardy Pemhiwa by Cassava Technologies.