Telecommunications giant, MTN Nigeria, has unveiled the country’s largest modular data centre in Ikeja, Lagos, marking a significant milestone in Nigeria’s digital journey. The new 9-megawatt facility, named after the company’s late CEO, Sifiso Dabengwa, represents an investment of over $240 million and is set to play a transformative role in the nation’s technology and data space.
Game-Changing Infrastructure
The first phase of the project, a 4.5MW Tier 3 data centre, has been completed at a cost of $120 million—including cloud infrastructure. MTN says the centre will provide secure, localised data storage and processing capabilities, aimed at reducing Nigeria’s reliance on foreign servers and improving resilience against global disruptions like the undersea cable outage that affected West Africa earlier this year.
Designed for the Future
With 96 pre-fabricated containers spread across three floors and a capacity for about 1,500 racks, the Sifiso Dabengwa Data Centre is Nigeria’s largest pre-fabricated modular facility. MTN Nigeria’s CEO, Dr. Karl Toriola, described it as a flexible, scalable solution designed to serve both large and small businesses. Importantly, services will be charged in Naira and offered on a pay-as-you-use basis—an approach aimed at reducing business costs.
Driving Innovation and Data Security
Dr. Toriola also stressed the centre’s role in promoting data sovereignty and powering emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI). MTN is working closely with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) to ensure the facility complies with local data protection laws and keeps sensitive data within Nigeria’s borders.
Enhanced Services for Enterprises
According to MTN’s Chief Enterprise Business Officer, Lynda Saint-Nwafor, the company invested $100 million into the core data infrastructure and an additional $20 million into its cloud services. She said the new facility will deliver faster, more reliable computing services while simplifying access for local users. “We’ve created a self-orchestration platform that users can access from anywhere to build and manage their solutions. It’s easier and more affordable than what hyperscalers like AWS or Microsoft Azure offer,” she noted.
A Boost for Fintech, Government, and SMEs
MTN says the facility is built to handle high data traffic and support critical sectors such as fintech, government digital services, and enterprise businesses. Ifeanyi Otudor, Senior Consultant at MTN Enterprise Solutions, pointed out the robust power infrastructure backing the project, including dedicated transformers and backup generators for uninterrupted operations.
A Bold Step for Nigeria’s Digital Economy
This bold investment by MTN is seen as a strategic step toward making Nigeria a hub for digital innovation in Africa. As the tech ecosystem grows rapidly across the country—including in cities like Port Harcourt—such infrastructure will be key to supporting startups, SMEs, and public sector digital platforms.
