Equinix, formerly MainOne, has expanded it data center in Lagos to support the growing demand for digital services in the country.
The digital infrastructure provider is also advancing three major data center projects in Nigeria, with future expansion plans for Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and South Africa.
The three data centre projects, include an interconnection hub in Victoria Island, a 1000+ rack capacity data centre in Lekki, and a data centre in Port Harcourt, according to reports.
Consumption for digital services has grown in Nigeria, with internet consumption hitting a record 1 million terabytes in January. This has led to an increase in data center investments.
Equinix expanded center called LG2.3, is aimed at providing state-of-the-art colocation and secure interconnection solutions for businesses across the region.
According, Bruce Owen, President of EMEA at Equinix, this expansion will benefit many businesses in Nigeria and on the continent.
“I am deeply encouraged by the enthusiastic partnerships and innovations emerging from this dynamic region, which continue to inspire our commitment to Nigeria’s digital and sustainable future.”
Data centres are critical infrastructures for modern businesses and governments, providing secure and reliable digital data storage, processing, and management.
Read also: Equinix records data traffic growth of 200% in 1 year
Data centres help to localise more content from international companies like Meta and Google, protecting the country from outages like the one experienced in early 2024 when multiple undersea cable breaks disrupted Internet connectivity in Nigeria and several West African countries.
According to analysts, these centers significantly boost user experience and network efficiency.
Wole Abu, Managing Director of Equinix West Africa, noted, “Data centers continue to play a pivotal role in driving economic development in Nigeria, serving as critical infrastructure that supports digital transformation and economic growth.”
He highlighted that as governments and enterprises increasingly acknowledge their significance, the global demand for data center capacity will continue to rise.
“While Africa’s demand for data solutions is still evolving compared to more mature markets, the continent is demonstrating strong potential for digital adoption and innovation,” he stated.
While Nigeria currently has 16 data centres, industry experts say this is insufficient as the sector has an at least $600 million data center gap.