Airtel Africa, a leading provider of telecommunications and mobile money services with a presence in 14 countries across Africa, has taken a giant leap toward igniting the continent’s digital transformation by officially breaking ground on its first data centre in Lagos, Nigeria.
This groundbreaking event marks a significant milestone in the company’s journey and serves as a cornerstone of Airtel Africa’s growth strategy, with a particular focus on Nigeria, its largest market.
The ceremony, held on Victoria Island in Lagos, was graced by esteemed dignitaries and industry leaders, including the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani; Heads of Federal and State Ministries and Parastatals; and Members of the National and State Assemblies, among others.
Speaking at the event, Segun Ogunsanya, Group Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Africa, emphasized the transformative potential of this endeavor, stating, “We strongly believe that the establishment of Nxtra Data Centers will enhance data sovereignty, security, and preservation within the continent, reflecting our commitment to make Nigeria a major hub for access to digital services as we propel Africa towards a sustainable and inclusive digital age.”
Nxtra by Airtel – A Game-Changing Data Centre Network
Nxtra by Airtel is poised to be one of the largest networks of data centres in Africa, with high-capacity data centres strategically located in major cities across Airtel Africa’s footprint, complementing its existing edge sites.
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This development underscores the company’s commitment to meeting the continent’s data management needs by providing trusted and sustainable data centre capacity to serve the fast-growing African digital economy.
Mr. Ogunsanya further elaborated, “This mega project will provide over 1000 jobs. And more significantly, once deployed and at capacity, it will create over 250 permanent jobs for Nigerians whilst supporting companies in the manufacturing, financial services, health care as they move their data and computing into third party data centers like ours. Ultimately, we have to store data and content closer to where it is being consumed.”
Lagos Facility – First of Five Hyperscale Data Centres
The Lagos data centre facility, the first of five hyperscale data centres to be developed by Airtel Africa on the continent, will deliver an impressive 38 megawatts of total power.
The facility will also host high-density racks that integrate the latest best practices in construction to achieve a remarkable 1.3 power usage effectiveness (PUE).
This state-of-the-art facility is expected to be operational by the first quarter of 2026.
Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, lauded the initiative, saying, “The Nxtra Frontier is not merely the construction of a facility, but the dawn of a new era in data control, security, and preservation throughout Africa. Airtel’s commitment to the highest standards in data management, technological innovation, and extensive network infrastructure is truly commendable. With a total capacity of 180 MW distributed across 13 major Data Centers and over 48 Edge Data Centers, NXtra is poised to redefine data storage and accessibility in Africa.”
Echoing similar sentiments, the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, extolled the revolutionary opportunities ahead for business and the economy in a future driven by connectivity via data centres such as Nxtra and powered by technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI). “Data is a key driver in our economy. Not only do we need to connect our people, we also must invest in the digital economy, and through the investment that companies like Airtel have made in our economy, we are fully able to participate in the digital economy,” said Dr. Tijani.
Integrated Solutions for Digital Transformation
The Nxtra by Airtel data centre network, comprising five hyperscale data centres and over 48 edge data centres, will offer a combined robust capacity of 180 megawatts.
Coupled with Airtel Africa’s extensive fibre footprint, Nxtra offers secure and scalable integrated solutions to global hyper-scalers, large African enterprises, startups, SMEs and governments.
Fostering Innovation and Data Sovereignty
Through locally available data centre capacity, speed to access digital services will improve, and the cost of managing data will be reduced, thus helping power increased innovation while supporting a new generation of African tech talent.
Furthermore, Nxtra is enabling customers to meet data sovereignty requirements while simultaneously enabling more local cloud services to be offered in the countries where Airtel Africa operates.
As Africa continues its rapid digital transformation, initiatives like Nxtra by Airtel are poised to play a pivotal role in shaping the continent’s digital landscape, fostering innovation, driving economic growth, and ensuring data sovereignty and security.
