- Unveils Cloud Platform to Rival Global Tech Giants
MTN Nigeria has officially launched the first phase of its highly anticipated $240 million data centre and cloud services platform, positioning itself as a major player in Africa’s digital infrastructure space.
The 9MW facility, named the Sifiso Dabengwa Data Centre in honour of the company’s former CEO, is located in Ikeja, Lagos, and marks a significant milestone in Nigeria’s journey toward digital self-sufficiency, AI readiness, and data sovereignty.
West Africa’s Largest Tier III Data Centre
The first phase of the Tier III-certified facility delivers 4.5 megawatts (MW) of IT load and houses 780 server racks.
It is fully modular, spanning three floors, and built using 96 prefabricated containers to allow scalability and flexibility. When completed, the centre will expand to 14MW and could scale further to 20MW depending on market demand, the company has said.
Speaking at the Launch, MTN Nigeria’s Chief Executive Officer, Karl Toriola, explained that so far, MTN has committed about $150 million to the physical infrastructure of Phase 1, with an additional $20 million invested in its cloud services.
He described the launch as a pivotal step in the company’s broader mission to transform Nigeria’s digital landscape.
“This is not just a data centre,” Toriola said. “It’s the largest prefabricated modular data centre in Nigeria and West Africa to date, and it underpins our strategy to support Artificial Intelligence, cloud computing, and digital transformation in Africa.
“The facility brings world-class infrastructure to Nigerian soil—hosted locally, priced in naira, and accessible on a pay-as-you-use basis,” he said.
Local Cloud to Rival AWS, Microsoft and Google
As a critical part of the launch, MTN also introduced a locally hosted cloud platform, designed to compete with international hyperscalers like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud.
The platform boasts self-orchestration capabilities, allowing users—particularly developers and businesses—to log in remotely and manage their computing and storage needs autonomously. This is the first of its kind from a local provider in Nigeria.
“Our cloud platform delivers lower latency, faster onboarding, and enhanced data security, all while being cost-effective and priced in naira,” said Lynda Saint-Nwafor, MTN Nigeria’s Chief Enterprise Business Officer. “With this launch, Nigerian businesses no longer have to look abroad for scalable cloud solutions—we offer all they need right here.”
She noted that this offering is especially critical for start-ups, fintechs, SMEs, and public sector agencies that require reliable infrastructure without the complications of foreign currency pricing or offshore hosting. “The ability to host data locally ensures compliance with Nigeria’s data protection laws and supports the country’s goal of data sovereignty,” she added.
Driving AI, E-Government, and Fintech Innovation
According to Yahaya Ibrahim, MTN’s Chief Technical Officer, the second phase of the data centre—built to Tier IV standards—will be introduced based on market demand, and will elevate the facility’s total load capacity beyond 14MW.
He added that the Dabengwa Data Centre is also future-proofed to support high-performance computing, e-government services, and the rapidly growing fintech ecosystem.
Ifeanyi Otudor, Senior Consultant at MTN Enterprise Solutions, noted the inclusion of dual transformers (2.5MB and 3.15MB) for grid stability, along with standby generators to ensure seamless operations. “We are ready for the high data traffic of today and tomorrow, across sectors,” he said.
