MTN Nigeria has officially launched the Sifiso Dabengwa Data Centre, a facility it touts as West Africa’s largest Tier III data centre and one of the biggest across Africa. This significant investment positions MTN to become a major player in the cloud computing market, directly competing with international giants like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud.
The state-of-the-art facility boasts a total capacity of nine megawatts (MW). The first phase, now operational, delivers 4.5 MW of computing power, with the second phase set to be deployed based on market demand.
According to Yahaya Ibrahim, MTN Nigeria’s Chief Technical Officer, the entire project, including both phases, is valued at $235 million, with the advanced cloud infrastructure alone costing $20 million. Roger Shutte, MTN Nigeria’s General Manager for Infrastructure, indicated that the data centre could eventually scale up to 14 or even 20 MW to meet future demands.
Speaking at the launch, Karl Toriola, MTN Nigeria CEO, emphasized the company’s pride in this milestone, calling it a crucial step towards fostering economic growth and strengthening Nigeria’s burgeoning tech ecosystem. “We are going to continue to expand the capacity that we have, and part of that is the readiness for artificial intelligence,” Toriola stated. The data centre is named in tribute to Sifiso Dabengwa, MTN Nigeria’s former CEO, whose contributions were pivotal to the telecom operator’s success in Nigeria.
Lynda Saint-Nwafor, MTN Nigeria’s Chief Enterprise Business Officer, highlighted a key differentiator: the data centre’s cloud services offer self-orchestration capabilities, a first-of-its-kind feature in Nigeria. This allows developers and businesses to remotely manage their computing and storage needs independently, mirroring the functionality of leading global cloud platforms. Saint-Nwafor asserted that Nigerian startups and businesses no longer need to rely solely on global providers, as MTN now offers comparable, and in some cases, superior cloud services.
A significant advantage for local businesses, according to Saint-Nwafor, is the on-shore hosting of data in Lagos. This proximity to Nigerian enterprises translates to lower latency and faster access to data, crucial for optimal performance. Furthermore, she pointed out the benefit of pricing services in Naira, a distinct advantage over merely accepting Naira payments, particularly for businesses that generate revenue in the local currency.
While MTN CEO Karl Toriola declined to disclose the expected return on investment (ROI) for the data centre, the substantial investment and future expansion plans signal MTN’s long-term strategic play in Nigeria’s digital economy. This move aligns with earlier industry predictions by experts who foresaw telcos pivoting towards B2B services like data centers as a sustainable growth strategy, especially in light of recent tariff adjustments.
