Onome Amuge
Airtel Nigeria, one of the country’s leading telecommunications providers, announced on Tuesday its plan to construct a 38-megawatt hyperscale data centre in Lagos. The facility, which the company claims will be the largest of its kind in the country, is designed to meet the soaring demand for cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) services.
The project is a key component of Airtel Africa’s wider infrastructure strategy and is set to be located in Eko Atlantic City, a high-value real estate development built on reclaimed land. The area, known for its security and reliable power infrastructure, has become a strategic hub for major corporations including First Bank of Nigeria and MTN Nigeria.
“Data centres are not just for cloud; they are foundational to AI. We’re preparing Nigeria for what’s next,” said Dinesh Balsingh, chief executive officer of Airtel Nigeria. He described the investment as “massive” but did not disclose the project’s specific cost or a definitive completion timeline, though he noted that serious development would commence next year.
The choice of Eko Atlantic City was deliberate, according to Ogo Ofomata, director of Airtel Business at Airtel Nigeria. “We are building it there for its security and access to reliable power. It’s not just for flex; it’s about long-term infrastructure at scale,” she said.
The data centre is being engineered with an IT load of 38 megawatts, capable of supporting high-performance server racks of up to 6 kilowatts. Its design is tailored for next-generation compute workloads, including the GPU-powered infrastructure that is crucial for advanced AI applications. While it is designed to be hyperscale-ready to serve large cloud providers and major enterprises, Airtel noted that the facility will also be accessible to small and medium-sized businesses.
The investment comes amid a flurry of digital infrastructure development in Nigeria. The country’s data centre market is projected to expand significantly, with total capacity expected to grow from approximately 136.7 megawatts this year to 279.4 megawatts by 2030. Analysts forecast the sector’s value will reach $671 million by the end of the decade, positioning Nigeria as Africa’s second-largest data centre market after South Africa. The market has attracted major global players, including Equinix, Africa Data Centres, and Rack Centre.
Airtel, which serves over 50 million subscribers in Nigeria, views the data centre as a critical move to future-proof its services and enhance its competitive position in the rapidly evolving digital sector.
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