The cloud should cut your costs and your risk. Too often it adds a surprise bill and a setup nobody understands.
Digital 4 Africa helps businesses, NGOs and developers in Kenya and across Africa choose between Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud, then set it up properly. We migrate your systems, monitor them, keep costs in check and build AI on top.
We are independent. We recommend the provider that fits your workload, your data rules and your budget.
Cloud computing means renting servers, storage, databases and software from a provider’s data centres, and paying for what you use. You start small and grow in minutes, without buying hardware.
AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud are the three largest providers in the world. Between them they hold about two thirds of the global market, with AWS in front. All three run data centres in South Africa and serve customers across the continent.
A VPS is one rented server. The cloud is the whole toolbox: servers, managed databases, backups, security, analytics and AI, under one account. If a single server is all you need, see our VPS hosting options instead.
There is no full hyperscale cloud region in East or West Africa yet. For clients in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Nigeria, South Africa is usually the nearest option, with Europe the common alternative.
| Provider | Cloud regions in Africa | Other local infrastructure |
|---|---|---|
| AWS | Africa (Cape Town), open since 2020 | A Local Zone in Lagos for low-latency workloads. An edge location and a Direct Connect location in Nairobi. |
| Microsoft Azure | South Africa North (Johannesburg) and South Africa West (Cape Town), open since 2019 | A planned Kenya data centre with G42 was put on hold in 2026 over power supply and commercial terms. |
| Google Cloud | Johannesburg, open since 2024 | Google’s own subsea cables, Equiano and Umoja, plus a new connectivity hub in the Eastern Cape. |
Kenya’s Data Protection Act, Nigeria’s Data Protection Act and South Africa’s POPIA all govern personal data. Kenya’s rules also require some public-interest data to be processed inside the country. Check what applies to you before you choose a region. Last checked: September 2026.
The largest cloud in the world, with a region in Cape Town and a Local Zone in Lagos.
AWS is the world’s largest cloud provider. It opened its Cape Town region in 2020, runs a Local Zone in Lagos for workloads that need low latency, and added a Direct Connect location in Nairobi in 2025 for private links into AWS.
AWS suits startups, fintechs, SaaS products and teams that want the broadest set of tools. The catch is complexity. Hundreds of services and usage-based pricing make it easy to overspend without budgets and alerts in place.
Two regions in South Africa, and the natural fit if your organisation already runs on Microsoft.
Azure has run two regions in South Africa since 2019, in Johannesburg and Cape Town. A planned Azure data centre in Kenya, announced with G42 in 2024, was put on hold in 2026.
Azure is strongest where Microsoft already runs the office. Banks, government bodies, NGOs and corporates on Windows Server, SQL Server and Active Directory usually move here with the least friction. Existing Windows Server and SQL Server licences can lower the bill through Azure Hybrid Benefit.
Using Microsoft 365 for email and Office? That sits alongside Azure. See our business email page.
A Johannesburg region since 2024, and the strongest tools for data, analytics and Gemini.
Google Cloud opened its Johannesburg region in 2024, its first in Africa. It connects to the rest of the world over Google’s own subsea cables, Equiano on the west coast and Umoja, which runs from Kenya.
Google Cloud is strongest in data and AI. BigQuery is a favourite for analytics, and Vertex AI gives direct access to Gemini. Pricing is simpler than most, with automatic discounts on servers that run all month.
Using Google Workspace for email? See our <a href=”https://digital4africa.com/email/”>business email page</a>.
All three are secure, reliable and priced by usage. The right one depends on what you already run, where your users are and what you want to build.
Already on Microsoft? Start with Azure. Heavy on data or Gemini? Look at Google Cloud. Want the widest choice of services? AWS. Most businesses do not need all three. Run one well, and add a second only when there is a clear reason.
| AWS | Microsoft Azure | Google Cloud | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Startups, fintech, SaaS and teams that want the broadest toolset | Organisations on Windows, SQL Server and Microsoft 365. Corporates and public sector. | Data, analytics, AI and app developers |
| Regions in Africa | Cape Town, plus a Local Zone in Lagos | Johannesburg and Cape Town | Johannesburg |
| AI platform | Amazon Bedrock | Azure OpenAI in Microsoft Foundry | Vertex AI with Gemini |
| Simple starting point | Lightsail | App Service | Cloud Run |
| Global market share, Q1 2026 | About 28% | About 21% | About 14% |
| Watch out for | Complex pricing that is easy to overspend on | Licensing that gets complicated as you grow | One African region so far |
Market share figures are Synergy Research Group estimates for Q1 2026. Services and regions change, so confirm details with the provider. Last checked: September 2026.
Use leading AI models on your own data, without buying or running AI hardware.
All three clouds now sell AI as a service. You call a model through an API, connect it to your documents and systems, and pay per use. No GPUs to buy and no models to host.
AWS offers Amazon Bedrock, with models from Anthropic, Meta, Mistral and Amazon. Azure offers OpenAI’s models through Microsoft Foundry. Google offers Gemini through Vertex AI. Anthropic’s Claude is available on all three.
Read the data terms before you connect client or staff records. Some features send requests to other regions for extra capacity, which can move data outside South Africa. GPU servers for running your own models are also scarce in the African regions, so plan where that compute will live.
We help you pick the platform, keep the data where it should be and build tools your team will actually use.
From the first account to a cloud that stays secure, running and affordable.
Your accounts, your billing, your data. We work inside cloud accounts registered to you, and you keep the admin logins.
Most cloud problems start on day one. The wrong provider, an account in someone else’s name, no budget alerts and nobody watching the servers.
We work the other way round. We start with what you run, where your users are and what your data rules require. Then we set it up with you and keep it running.
Book a free cloud consultation with Digital 4 Africa. No jargon and no obligation. Just a clear recommendation you can act on.
It depends on what you already use. Organisations on Windows Server, SQL Server or Microsoft 365 usually do best on Azure. Startups and fintechs often choose AWS for its range of services. Teams focused on data, analytics or Gemini lean towards Google Cloud. All three serve Kenya from data centres in South Africa.
Not a full cloud region, as of September 2026. AWS has an edge location and a Direct Connect location in Nairobi, but its nearest region is Cape Town. A planned Microsoft Azure data centre in Kenya with G42 was put on hold in 2026. Google Cloud’s nearest region is Johannesburg.
Not always. For one website or app with steady traffic, a VPS is often cheaper and simpler. The cloud pays off when you need to scale, want managed databases and backups, need recovery in a second location or plan to build AI. We compare both options on your real workload before you move.
Most African accounts are billed in US dollars, usually by card, with invoicing available for larger accounts. Make sure your card allows international online payments and recurring charges. A failed payment can suspend your services, so we set up billing alerts from day one.
The providers secure the data centres. You are responsible for how your accounts, access and data are set up. Kenya’s Data Protection Act, Nigeria’s Data Protection Act and South Africa’s POPIA all apply to personal data, and some Kenyan public-interest data must be processed in Kenya. We choose the region and settings with those rules in mind.
Yes. We move websites, apps, databases, file servers and backups to AWS, Azure or Google Cloud, test everything and time the switch to avoid downtime. We also move workloads between clouds, or back to a VPS when the cloud no longer makes sense.
Set budgets and alerts, shut down servers nobody uses, right-size the ones you keep and commit to savings plans or reserved capacity for steady workloads. Most overspend comes from forgotten resources. Our cost review finds them and puts guardrails in place.
Yes. Azure offers OpenAI models through Microsoft Foundry, AWS offers Claude and other models through Amazon Bedrock, and Google offers Gemini through Vertex AI. Claude is available on all three. Using AI through your cloud account keeps billing, security and data controls in one place.
No. They are separate products. You can use Azure with Google Workspace, or Google Cloud with Microsoft 365. For email on your own domain, see our <a href=”https://digital4africa.com/email/”>business email page</a>.
No. We are an independent consultancy with no reseller agreement with any of the three. You buy directly from the provider, in your name, and we recommend on fit rather than commission.
We serve clients in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Ghana, South Sudan and South Africa, and work remotely across the continent. We are based in Nairobi, and support can be remote, on site or a mix of both.
