Business
MTN invests $240m in 9MW Lagos data hub, eyes AI, cloud growth
Technology giant, MTN, has committed over $240 million to the construction of a new data centre in Nigeria.
Cited in Ikeja, MTN said the 9MW data centre, named after late Chief Executive Officer, Sifiso Dabengwa, will be built in two phases. Phase One is a 4.5MW capacity Tier 3 data centre, costing about $120 million, including cloud infrastructure, which is to be unveiled today, July 1, 2025.
It could be noted that data centres play a vital role in digital economies, making possible the secure storage, processing, and management of data. They also help localise content from global platforms like Meta and Google, providing resilience against disruptions such as the major internet outage in West Africa earlier in 2024, caused by undersea cable breaks.
Speaking to journalists, the Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria, Dr. Karl Toriola, noted that the centre would be Nigeria’s largest pre-fabricated modular data centre, with 96 pre-fabricated containers and a total rack capacity of about 1,500. It is fully modular in power and cooling and occupies three floors.
Toriola added that the data centre would bring significant transformation to Nigeria’s technology ecosystem, since its services will be offered on a pay-as-you-use basis and priced in Naira.
“With the data centre launch, MTN is at the forefront of Nigeria’s digital space and ready to drive Artificial Intelligence (AI) needs across the country as we expand the capacity of the data centre facility.
“In addition, the data centre will enhance Nigeria’s data sovereignty and ensure that local data are hosted in Nigeria and protected from exposure and attacks.
“MTN is working closely with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) to ensure compliance with data policy,” Toriola added.
On the gains of the data centre to Nigerian businesses, both large and small businesses, Toriola noted that it would reduce the cost of doing business, as services would be paid for in Naira.
He stated that the data centre will provide cost-effective solutions that enable businesses to host their data locally, boost quality of service delivery, and comply with NDPC’s policy on data sovereignty.
Shedding more light on the cost element, Chief Enterprise Business Officer, MTN Nigeria, Lynda Saint-Nwafor, said, “It cost MTN the sum of $100 million for the Phase 1 data centre infrastructure, with an additional $20 million for the cloud infrastructure.”
Saint-Nwafor said the data centre would reduce latency and enhance customer experience in data computing and storage, especially during the onboarding process.
“The MTN Data Centre will offer a self-orchestration data platform that allows users to log into the cloud service from any part of the world to develop solutions,” she stated.
She added that MTN Cloud would offer more accessible services than those provided by hyperscalers like Google, Amazon Web Services, and Microsoft Azure.
