Nearly half the world remains offline. In Sub-Saharan Africa, fewer than four in ten people have reliable internet access. Even where connectivity exists, limited local datacenters lead to high latency, meaning cloud services often feel out of reach. These gaps impact not just entertainment or communication, but education, healthcare, and economic opportunity.

Cloud computing offers a way forward. With the right mix of infrastructure, policy, and investment, it can bring critical services closer to the people who need them most. In this post, I’ll explore how Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), edge computing, and distributed systems are helping bridge the gaps and what it will take to build more expansive cloud ecosystems.

The Promise of Cloud Computing

What is IaaS?

IaaS, or Infrastructure-as-a-Service, is a foundational concept of cloud computing. It means providing customers with a way to quickly develop, run, and scale applications without having to build or maintain physical servers themselves. Essentially, it’s like this: if you couldn’t afford to purchase a home, you’d rent one. In the same sense, if you don’t have the budget to finance an entire corporate datacenter just to launch your business apps, you rent space in someone else’s infrastructure. That “space” is the cloud, and the resources you access like compute power, storage, and networking are what we call Infrastructure-as-a-Service.

This model is so important in that it’s a simple solution, but also, because it solves an extremely common problem. Many individuals, startups, and even established organizations may not have the financial means, the technical know-how, or the time to build and operate their own datacenters. By using IaaS, they can rent exactly what they need, when they need it, paying only for what they consume.

IaaS makes it possible for a small business in Nairobi or Dhaka to run modern web apps, store customer data securely, and expand as demand grows, all without massive upfront costs. It allows for innovators to focus on creating value instead of worrying about maintaining hardware, electricity, or cooling systems.

Why Edge Computing Matters

While IaaS gives you the ability to rent powerful computing resources from centralized data centers, if all your data is centralized, that in itself creates another issue: distance. If your customers or users are thousands of miles away from where your application is hosted, everything little thing they do from clicking a button, loading a video, to submitting a form will likely be slow or delayed. This delay is called latency, and it can be a serious obstacle, especially in regions with limited international bandwidth.

This is why Edge Computing was developed. In short, edge computing brings some of that rented cloud power physically closer to the people using it. Instead of relying entirely on faraway data centers, edge servers or “edge nodes” process and store data in regional locations or even right inside a city or town. If cloud data centers are like massive grocery stores that house all your goods, Edge servers are sort of like local convenience stores that have all your favorite snacks. It’d be a pain to wait in long grocery lines when you just want one bag of chips for yourself. With an edge node nearby, users can access their relevant content and services faster because their requests don’t have to travel across continents and back.

In underserved areas, this can make a huge difference. Try to imagine a health clinic loading patient records or a school downloading educational videos, a nearby edge computer reduces the delays and keeps critical services running even if the main internet connection goes down.

By combining IaaS and edge computing, organizations get the best of both worlds: scalable infrastructure that can grow with them, plus the speed and reliability that come from processing data close to where it’s needed most.

The Digital Divide in Emerging Economies

Now that we’ve set the foundation both for what’s needed and what’s possible, it’s worth acknowledging the real obstacles standing in the way of broader cloud adoption. Connectivity, infrastructure, skills, and trust gaps still keep millions of people offline or struggling to make consistent use of digital tools.

Connectivity and Power Infrastructure Challenges

One of the biggest barriers is simply that reliable electricity and internet access are still out of reach for large parts of Africa, South Asia, and Latin America. In Sub-Saharan Africa, only about 43% of people have access to electricity that works most of the time. Even in areas where power exists, frequent outages or voltage fluctuations can make it hard to keep servers, routers, and network towers running smoothly.

Connectivity gaps are just as severe. Broadband remains either too expensive or too slow for most households, especially in rural communities. In many countries, the cost of a basic home internet plan can consume a significant portion of a family’s monthly income. That alone makes scaling digital services challenging, since cloud tools rely on stable connections to feel seamless and dependable.

High Latency and Lack of Local Datacenters

Even when connections are available, there is the question of how far data has to travel. A reliable, low-latency experience usually depends on having robust, nearby infrastructure, local data centers, regional network hubs, and a extensive fiber cabling.

In much of Africa and parts of South Asia, data centers are still heavily concentrated in just a few cities. For example, most of Africa’s cloud infrastructure is in South Africa and Nigeria. The rest of the continent often has to rely on traffic being routed through Europe before it comes back to local users. This can lead to noticeable delays when loading websites or using apps, especially during peak times. Geography only compounds this problem. In countries with vast rural areas, deserts, or mountainous regions, laying high-capacity cables or building large data centers requires major investment and creative engineering. These aren’t challenges that will disappear overnight, but more undersea cables and local data center partnerships are starting to close the gap.

Affordability of Devices and Last-Mile Access

The “last mile,” or the final connection between a network and the end user, is one of the most stubborn barriers to reliable connectivity. Even if an international cable lands on a country’s coast and a modern data center sits in the capital, the benefits only reach people when there is infrastructure to connect individual homes, schools, and businesses.

Building those last-mile links often comes down to fiber optic cables, cellular towers, or fixed wireless networks. In remote regions, running fiber to every village is expensive and sometimes hard to justify if the population is small or spread out. That’s why many communities still rely on patchy 3G or 4G signals or older copper telephone lines. On top of that, affordable devices remain out of reach for many families. While cheap Android phones have become more common, in some countries a smartphone still costs the equivalent of several months’ wages for the lowest-income households. Without an affordable way to connect, all the cloud infrastructure in the world doesn’t help us here very much.

Digital Literacy and Workforce Gaps

Even if connectivity and devices were solved tomorrow, an often overlooked barrier is simply a skills deficit. Digital literacy is uneven across emerging economies. Many people have limited experience using computers or navigating the internet beyond basic messaging apps.

For cloud computing to create meaningful impact, local users need to feel confident using online tools for education, healthcare, or business. This is especially important for small businesses and entrepreneurs who stand to benefit the most from modern digital services but often lack training or support to get started. On the technical side, there is also a shortage of professionals who can build, maintain, and expand cloud-based systems. This workforce gap slows growth and hampers the ability to rollout new services. Encouragingly, a growing number of training programs and coding bootcamps are tackling this issue, but the need far exceeds what currently exists.

Policy, Trust, and Regulatory Barriers

Finally, even when infrastructure and skills are available, the right policies need to be in place. Regulations around data privacy, data sovereignty, and cross-border data flows can shape whether cloud providers feel comfortable investing and whether public institutions feel safe adopting cloud services.

Many governments have legitimate concerns about where sensitive information like health records or financial data is stored and who has access. Some countries have introduced data localization rules that require certain information to stay within their national borders. While these rules can protect privacy and security, they can also make it harder for local organizations to use global cloud platforms if domestic infrastructure isn’t yet mature.

Trust is another critical issue. High-profile security breaches and concerns over foreign surveillance have made some institutions hesitant to move essential services into the cloud. Building confidence requires clear regulations, transparency from cloud providers about how data is handled, and ongoing efforts to improve cybersecurity across the board.

Real-World Initiatives and Success Stories

The work required to expand access to cloud computing is significant, but these initiatives are encouraging signs that meaningful progress is already underway.

Microsoft Airband Initiative
Launched in 2017, Microsoft’s Airband Initiative aimed to bring broadband to underserved communities by partnering with local telecom providers. It connected over 14 million people globally, including 6 million in rural Colombia where mountainous terrain had previously made internet access nearly impossible. In the U.S., 1.5 million rural residents also gained access. These connections opened doors for remote learning, digital farming tools, and small businesses moving online.

Google Equiano Cable

The Equiano Cable is a high-capacity undersea fiber line running from Portugal to South Africa, with landing points across West Africa. Completed by Google in 2022, it improved bandwidth, lowered latency, and gave countries along the coast better control over routing traffic, helping speed up services across the region.

AWS EdStart and Education Programs
AWS EdStart provides cloud credits and support for education startups in emerging markets. By lowering the cost of building and hosting learning platforms, it helps schools and local developers bring digital education to underserved areas.

Liquid Telecom’s Fiber Backbone
Since 2009, Liquid Telecom has laid over 110,000 kilometers of fiber across Africa, connecting cities from Cape Town to Cairo. This network supports local data centers, lowers internet costs, and provides the foundation for cloud services to reach new areas.

Reliance Jio and India’s Mobile Revolution
Reliance Jio changed India’s internet landscape by offering affordable data and building nationwide 4G coverage. It brought over 100 million people online, many for the first time, and sparked growth in mobile payments, online education, and cloud-based services.

The Role of Edge Computing

Reducing Latency and Improving Reliability

One of the biggest promises of edge computing is cutting down latency by reducing how far data has to travel. When requests are routed to nearby edge nodes or local data centers, users experience faster load times and smoother performance. That difference matters, especially in regions where every millisecond counts and bandwidth is limited.

But it’s not just about speed. Reliability improves too. Having micro data centers or localized infrastructure allows communities to keep vital services running even if a major internet connection is lost. For example, if a rural clinic or school has access to its own edge server, it can still function during network disruptions. That kind of autonomy builds both resilience and trust.

Micro Data Centers and Local CDNs

Some companies deploy CDN (Content Delivery Network) nodes that store frequently accessed content near or inside developing countries. These servers cache videos, software updates, and other data so that users don’t need to reach across continents for everyday tasks. Micro data centers go even further. Often about the size of a refrigerator or small shipping container, they’re installed in nearby towns or telco hubs to serve schools, clinics, or farms with local computing and storage. They’re rugged, cost-effective, and designed for environments where power and internet can be unstable. This setup allows communities to access services even when connections to the broader internet are slow or temporarily unavailable.

Community-Owned and Hybrid Models

Now imagine if these edge devices weren’t just installed for communities, but by them. A “cloud-in-a-box” edge node placed in a school, a clinic, or a community center could be operated locally, giving users more control over their data and services.

Far from theoretical, I’m more than happy to report that some rural communities in East Africa have already deployed solar-powered micro data centers that store health or education data locally and sync with the cloud when possible. These hybrid setups offer the best of both worlds: local performance with cloud-level scalability. They also create a sense of ownership and reduce dependence on distant service providers who may never prioritize smaller, remote populations.

Economic and Social Impacts of Cloud Connectivity

Small Businesses and Startups

Cloud solutions can play a major role in helping small businesses and startups grow, especially in underserved regions. By removing the need to purchase expensive servers or build physical infrastructure, entrepreneurs can get started with minimal investment.

For example, a young business owner in rural Asia can launch an online store, manage inventory in the cloud, and reach new markets without ever touching a physical server. This shift from capital expense to pay-as-you-go pricing reduces financial risk and makes it easier for startups to experiment, pivot, and scale when opportunities arise.

Edge computing adds another layer of potential. Placing edge nodes closer to underserved areas improves app performance and reduces loading times, which is especially important for local businesses trying to reach customers reliably. As infrastructure spreads, investors may begin to see these regions as emerging markets with untapped potential.

Education and Online Learning

One of the most visible social benefits of cloud technology is in education. Cloud connectivity enables online learning platforms that reach students in remote areas and support teachers in under-resourced schools.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, countries with even limited cloud infrastructure were better equipped to adapt. Students could stream lectures, submit assignments online, and get real-time updates from teachers. With data stored and synced in the cloud, educators were able to track student progress and manage classes more easily, even when everyone was remote.

Beyond crisis response, cloud-powered education helps raise digital literacy, builds a more skilled workforce, and connects rural schools to wider learning networks they might otherwise never access.

Healthcare and Telemedicine

In healthcare, cloud and connectivity can be the difference between access and isolation. Telemedicine makes it possible for rural clinics to consult with specialists in major cities or even abroad. Through cloud platforms, doctors can review patient scans, lab results, and health records remotely, saving lives where expertise is scarce.

Bangladesh offers a strong example. A system called Shastho Batayon allowed patients to call a hotline, where doctors could instantly access their cloud-stored health data and give informed medical advice.

Reliable cloud systems also ensure better continuity of care. Records are not lost or siloed, and follow-up treatments can be coordinated across locations. Healthier populations contribute to stronger economies, and cloud-enabled healthcare is becoming a key part of that equation.

Agriculture and High-Tech Farming

In regions where agriculture remains a major livelihood, cloud computing is beginning to make its mark. Through cloud-based tools, farmers can receive weather alerts, pest warnings, and daily market prices all through mobile phones.

This kind of real-time information helps farmers make smarter decisions about when to plant, irrigate, harvest, or sell their crops. In some cases, IoT sensors placed in fields collect data on soil conditions and send insights to cloud platforms, which then generate simple recommendations for the farmer.

While many of these systems are still in early stages across parts of Africa and South Asia, they offer a glimpse into how cloud-powered farming could increase yields, reduce waste, and boost rural incomes.

Policy and Governance Considerations

Incentives for Cloud Investment

For cloud computing to thrive in underserved regions, public policy will play a crucial role. Governments need to create environments where cloud providers feel confident investing. This can include offering tax breaks or subsidies for building local data centers, streamlining licensing processes, and developing clear digital infrastructure strategies that welcome private-sector participation.

Supporting Local Innovation and Competition

Policy isn’t just about bringing in the biggest players and highest bidders, we also must aggressively support homegrown innovation, especially when those small communities are out of reach and their need for localized IT infrastructure is greater. Countries can encourage startups and small cloud providers by offering access to funding, developer tools, and co-location spaces.

Maintaining fair competition matters too. If a single provider dominates the infrastructure, prices may rise and access may shrink. Regulatory bodies should ensure a level playing field, so innovation can thrive at all levels from national telecoms to local community networks.

My vision of the Path Forward

Bridging the digital divide with cloud computing will not be a single solution but rather a coordinated effort. I think the roadmap for success will start with stakeholders focusing their energy on:

Strengthening Core Infrastructure

Connectivity starts with reliable power, robust fiber backbones, and network reach. Investments in national grids, undersea cables, internet exchange points (IXPs), and data centers lay the physical foundation for any digital transformation.

Embrace Edge and Hybrid Approaches

Regions with inconsistent bandwidth or strict data rules should not have to wait for centralized infrastructure to catch up. Micro data centers, edge nodes, and hybrid clouds can offer local control while still syncing with the global cloud. These models provide the flexibility many countries need.

Develop Digital Skills and Awareness

Digital transformation only works if people are prepared to use it. Governments, NGOs, and cloud companies should support digital literacy training, upskill technical talent, and make cloud education more accessible. Coding bootcamps, cloud academies, and hands-on labs can go a long way.

Foster Sustainable Business Models

Pay-as-you-go models, shared infrastructure, and community-led networks can make cloud services more affordable and sustainable in areas where upfront costs are a barrier. Incentivizing local ownership and entrepreneurship will help these systems stick.

Ensure Flexible and Protective Policy

Smart policy should protect users’ data while still allowing innovation to grow. Governments can adopt clear data privacy laws, promote cross-border collaboration, and support secure and compliant cloud adoption across sectors like healthcare, education, and finance.

Consider Inclusivity when Innovating

Finally, inclusion has to be intentional. Women, rural communities, and historically marginalized groups must be part of the digital future. That means designing for accessibility, supporting local content creation, and lifting up underrepresented voices in tech.

Final Thoughts

While AI is constantly dominating headlines and every government seems eager to win the AI race, the fact of the matter is: even artificial intelligence needs the cloud to run. Cloud computing may not solve every challenge faced by underserved regions, but it can accelerate progress across almost every sector.

From helping a student access online learning in rural Kenya to giving a farmer in India real-time market updates, the progress we make could truly be transformative. I wrote this to document that progress and to highlight the fact that while the barriers are still real, so is the momentum. Infrastructure is improving, policy is evolving, and communities are proving they can lead when given the tools. The road ahead will take more collaboration, more investment, and more creative thinking.

The cloud shouldn't just serve those who already have access. It should power opportunity everywhere. I want to see a future where every school, clinic, and entrepreneur can connect and thrive.