There remains an uncomfortable truth about technology investment – rigidity costs more than it saves. All-in-one systems, long-term vendor dependencies and software lock-ins are giving way to a new reality where success rests on how rapidly an organisation can move, connect and adapt to changes and disruptions in the market. Digital transformation is estimated at $30.24 billion in 2025 and expected to reach $63.31 billion by 2030, but for Mandla Mbonambi, CEO of Africonology, while the conversation around digital transformation is still highly relevant and ongoing, it is now also shifting to incorporate digital composition[1].

Africa currently holds around 1% of the global data centre capacity, but cloud adoption is growing at an exponential rate[2]. There is immense potential, but constraints around cost, connectivity and infrastructure are still inhibiting companies significantly. They want solutions that won’t burn the budget, thanks to variable exchange rates, and that will simplify workloads and capacity. In Africa, local data sovereignty and cost volatility are very real concerns, and technology has a way of playing into those pockets rather than preventing them.

“Technology must serve your company’s needs rather than forcing it to contort around the latest trends,” he adds. “When African enterprises invest in big systems that lock them in, they gamble on the wrong side of change. Regulation is always evolving, infrastructure varies dramatically, and the competition is one innovation from the lead.”

This message echoes what McKinsey, Mordor Intelligence and IDC have said over the course of the year – that AI regulation, data sovereignty, digital governance, and the ICT regulatory evolution are influencing the technology policy environment. AI investment is increasing, with governments introducing AI ethics frameworks and localised data regulations to align with global standards[3].

The model of one vendor and one monolithic architecture is more suited to a static environment, but Africa is far from static. The rapidly growing mobile-first population, alongside rising inter-regional trade through AfCFTA, and regulatory challenges are influencing data localisation and new digital economy policies, and they all demand that infrastructure become incredibly flexible and cost-effective.

“Rigid technology limits you,” says Mbonambi. “It locks you into decisions that may have made sense three years ago but make none today.”

Flexible starts with infrastructure. Hybrid and multi-cloud are rapidly becoming a smart choice for companies wanting to balance all these factors with ease. Progressive companies are using modular architectures built on APIs and microservices so their systems can expand or contract as required. It’s a composable approach that empowers companies to localise operations in one market while scaling in another without having to tear up their core systems.

This adaptability, however, is cultural and technical. As Mbonambi points out: “You can have the best modular architecture in the world, but if your teams are stuck in old habits or your partners aren’t aligned, then you’ll never move fast enough. Orchestration requires companies to connect everything so technology works as an ecosystem and not as a silo.

That orchestration is proving invaluable as enterprises contend with increasing complexity. Systems now straddle on-premises infrastructure, hyperscale cloud, regional data centres and AI-enabled tools. Managing all of that requires continuous visibility, disciplined governance and a strategy that views technology as a living organism, not a static deployment.

“Companies need to be able to optimise and reallocate resources dynamically, which is close to impossible in a rigid system,” says Mbonambi. “The cost of inflexibility is always higher than the cost of change, so making incremental steps towards a modular architecture is a smart way to change the dynamic without losing out on opportunities.”

This is the perfect time to replace monolithic systems with modular enterprise platforms and embed API-driven integration. Companies can twist the tech to fit the need and ensure they have the architecture they require to take advantage of AI. The latter is everywhere, and it is only going to become even more pervasive and capable, so adaptability is essential.

“This is Africa’s advantage,” says Mbonambi. “We’ve rarely had the luxury of stability, and that’s made us inventive. Our technology architecture and investment should reflect that – modular, agile, adaptable and smart.”