"Nigeria Surges Ahead as Africa Boosts Data Infrastructure"

" Nigeria Surges Ahead as Africa Boosts Data Infrastructure \r\n\r\n Nigeria is emerging as the latest focal point in Africa\u2019s fast-growing data infrastructure sector, with MTN and Airtel unveiling landmark projects in Lagos. The surge is part of a broader continental push to build AI-ready capacity, boost digital sovereignty, and attract global investment. \r\n\r\n Bonface Orucho, bird story agency \r\n\r\nNigeria is the latest flashpoint in Africa\u2019s fast-evolving data centre race, where, beyond storing and serving data, the focus is shifting to enabling the next generation of artificial intelligence applications.\r\n\r\nIn recent weeks, two of the continent\u2019s biggest telecom players, MTN and Airtel, have unveiled competing infrastructure projects in Lagos that could redefine what\u2019s possible for West Africa\u2019s digital economy.\r\n\r\nMTN\u2019s Sifiso Dabengwa Tier III facility, launched in July 2025, boasts a 4.5 MW IT load capacity, expandable to 9 MW, making it the largest data centre in West Africa.\r\n\r\nAirtel\u2019s response has been swift, announcing a hyperscale facility at Eko Atlantic City with a staggering 38 MW IT load, designed for GPU-heavy workloads critical to AI.\r\n\r\nThe US$120 million facility, expected to go live in 2026, is part of Airtel\u2019s cloud-first strategy, prioritizing AI compute capacity and addressing a gap flagged in Nigeria\u2019s 2024 draft National AI Strategy.\r\n\r\nThe International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) defines a data centre as a physical space that houses IT infrastructure for building, running, and delivering applications and services.\r\n\r\nAccording to experts, such infrastructure is \u201cthe silent power that determines who thrives and who lags behind in the digital age,\u201d says Karani Geoffrey, CEO of Upeosoft Limited, a software company.\r\n\r\n\u201cHigh-speed networks, regional data centres, cloud availability zones, and low-latency connections are what allow fintech, e-commerce, AI, and all digital innovation to flourish,\u201d he explained.\r\n\r\nThe State of Africa's Infrastructure Report 2025 notes that there's a larger continental trend, as \u201cthe continent leapfrogs in specific, high-value areas like AI-ready computing.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe timing of the announcements in Nigeria aligns with a broader surge in data center development across Africa.\r\n\r\nProjections from the report indicate Africa\u2019s data center construction market will nearly triple in value by 2030, from US$1.3 billion in 2024 to over US$3 billion.\r\n\r\nGrowth is being fuelled not only by hyperscale players like Airtel and MTN but also by smaller regional facilities responding to cloud adoption, fintech expansion, e-commerce growth, and public sector digitization.\r\n\r\nLagos and Nairobi alone are expected to add more than 100 MW of new IT capacity over the next three years.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nIn East Africa, IXAfrica\u2019s second hyperscale build will add 53 MW, incorporating advanced on-chip cooling to meet AI\u2019s processing demands.\r\n\r\nInstitutional investors are also moving in. Earlier this year, the International Finance Corporation committed US$100 million to Raxio Group to develop facilities in Ethiopia, Angola, Ivory Coast, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda, its largest-ever digital infrastructure investment in Africa.\r\n\r\nPrivate equity funds are backing build-to-suit models for hyperscale clients, while sovereign wealth funds in Morocco and Botswana are exploring the sector as part of diversification strategies.\r\n\r\nGlobal technology players are also expanding their footprints in Africa. In February, Huawei Cloud announced it would invest US$300 million over five years to enhance Egypt\u2019s cloud services, supporting 200 software partners, 1,300 channel partners, and training 10,000 developers.\r\n\r\nIn December 2024, Huawei launched Nigeria\u2019s first local cloud, becoming the first global cloud provider to offer in-country services.\r\n\r\nHosted on Tier 3+ data centres, Huawei Cloud reports delivering ultra-low latency of just 15 ms, offering storage and compute power optimised for local industries while ensuring all data remains within Nigeria\u2019s borders.\r\n\r\nVisa also recently opened a Johannesburg data centre hub to lower latency for payments and meet stricter data localisation rules.\r\n\r\nMorocco, however, remains a continental leader. The kingdom has overtaken South Africa as Africa\u2019s top host of data centres, with 23 operational facilities concentrated in Casablanca, Rabat, and F\u00e8s.\r\n\r\nIt also leads the upcoming pipeline, capturing 35% of Africa\u2019s projected power capacity growth, with 56 new facilities set to launch continent-wide by 2027.\r\n\r\nSustainability and sovereignty are central to Africa\u2019s strategy. In Morocco\u2019s Dakhla, a 500 MW renewable-energy-powered data centre is part of the Digital Morocco 2030 roadmap, backed by MAD 11 billion (US$1.22 billion) in national investment over 2024\u20132026.\r\n\r\nIn a sign of growing international interest, Naver Cloud, in partnership with Nvidia and Nexus Core, has announced a 500 MW AI-grade data centre campus in Morocco to serve EMEA workloads.\r\n\r\nGovernments elsewhere are also positioning data centres as tools for digital sovereignty.\r\n\r\nIn Cameroon, a 2025 state-backed study mapped the national ecosystem and called for stronger certification regimes, better connectivity, and more energy-efficient designs.\r\n\r\nEgypt\u2019s policy shifts on data localisation have spurred more in-country hosting of government services, while Kenya is incentivising builds beyond Nairobi to spread economic benefits.\r\n\r\nYet capacity alone does not guarantee capability. The sector faces a significant skills gap in electrical engineering, cooling systems management, and AI infrastructure operations.\r\n\r\nTeraco, South Africa\u2019s largest operator, has launched a Data Centre Academy to train technicians and engineers, with a focus on improving diversity in a historically male-dominated sector.\r\n\r\nTeraco has this week completed its JB4 expansion in Johannesburg, bringing the standalone facility\u2019s critical IT power load to a commanding 50 MW.\r\n\r\nDesigned for hyperscale cloud, AI, and big-data workloads, the campus spans 80,000 m\u00b2 and includes 14 data halls housing six new 5 MW units.\r\n\r\nThe build features a zero-water, closed-loop chilled water cooling system and AI-driven energy optimization to boost efficiency.\r\n\r\nThe energy demands of AI-grade facilities are also prompting investment in renewables. Teraco is building a 120 MW solar PV plant in South Africa to power its sites by 2026, while Africa Data Centres is developing a 12 MW solar farm in the Free State under a 20-year power purchase agreement.\r\n\r\nSuch efforts are vital considering the scale of the current gap.\r\n\r\nAccording to Karani, \u201c90% of Africa\u2019s internet traffic is still routed through servers outside the continent.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cAfrica hosts less than 1.3% of the world\u2019s data centre capacity, despite holding 18% of the world\u2019s population. This means a simple email from Nairobi to Lagos may travel via Europe or the U.S. before returning home.\u201d\r\n\r\n\u201cThis offshore dependence slows applications, raises costs, creates regulatory headaches, and limits Africa\u2019s ability to build sovereign digital ecosystems.\u201d\r\n\r\n bird story agency \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n "

"Nigeria Surges Ahead as Africa Boosts Data Infrastructure"

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