Airtel launches Nxtra to strengthen Africa’s digital economy

Cynthia Ezekwe

Airtel Africa has announced the launch of Nxtra, a new data center venture aimed at supporting the growth of Africa’s digital economy and bridging the digital divide across the continent. The first facility of the new venture will be established in Lagos, Nigeria, with an initial investment of $20 million and will be operational by 2025.

The Nxtra venture is set to have a total power capacity of 34 megawatts (MW) and will be built to accommodate high-density racks and employ advanced construction techniques to achieve a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) rating of 1.3, making it highly energy-efficient. Leading Nxtra’s vision will be a team of experts in engineering, construction, operations, and technology. Airtel Africa’s goal is to build one of Africa’s largest data center networks, with high-capacity facilities located in major cities across its operating regions and complementing its existing edge sites.

“This ambition aligns with the company’s commitment to catering to the growing needs of African enterprises. Nxtra’s data center infrastructure will be designed to host the next generation of computing, providing multi-MW capacity in a phased manner,” the telecom giant stated. 

In addition to meeting the highest global security standards,Airtel noted that Nxtra facilities will adhere to the “five nines” 1 benchmark, meaning they will be highly reliable and available. With the backing of Airtel Africa’s extensive fiber network, Nxtra will offer secure and scalable integrated solutions to a wide range of customers, including global hyper-scalers, large African enterprises, startups, SMEs, and governments. 

Commenting on the initiative, Segun Ogunsanya, Airtel Africa’s Group CEO, said “Africa’s digital economy demands a rapid expansion in data center capacity. We are proud to champion the future of Africa’s digital infrastructure, unlocking opportunities for businesses to flourish and fueling economic prosperity.”

Ogunsanya said that the company’s track record of delivering infrastructure projects across Africa gives them confidence in their ability to establish next-generation data centers that will support their vision of becoming the partner of choice for global customers and Africa’s newest tech unicorns.

In addition to improving access to digital services and reducing data management costs, Ogunsanya said that Nxtra’s presence will help to foster innovation and nurture a new generation of African tech talent, as well as enable the expansion of local cloud services within Airtel Africa’s operating footprint.