MTN Nigeria launches $150m Dabengwa Data Centre in Lagos with Abia govt as 1st client
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MTN Nigeria has launched West Africa’s largest data centre, Dabengwa Data and Cloud Centre, in Lagos. And, Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, and the Abia State government have become the first clients.
The $150m tier-3 facility also went live today. It is expected to serve startups, software engineers, content creators, and everyone operating within the digital space. According to the telecoms service provider, the centre will boost Nigeria’s digital economy.
During the launch, Karl Toriola, CEO of MTN Nigeria, explained that the project is designed to meet the increasing demands of Nigerians and foster growth and innovation. He noted that the initiative will propel data usage, bring content closer to Nigerian users, and improve access speed.
“These facilities are designed to provide the highest levels of reliability, ability, and security, and this is going to be transformative for the technology ecosystem in Nigeria,” he added.
Toriola noted that the data centre will also cater to larger organisations, including banks, oil companies, and government agencies, while supporting Nigeria’s preparedness for artificial intelligence-driven technologies.
According to MTN, the data centre has been named after Mr. Sifiso Debengua, a former Group Chief Executive Officer of the company and an instrumental player in its growth in Nigeria.
It has a 4.5 megawatt power capacity, with the potential to increase it to 14 megawatts over the next 24 months. The cloud system offers the same capacity as global hyperscale providers, thereby eliminating the need for Nigerian businesses to rely on foreign platforms.
Noting the potential for service quality, the CEO noted that its competitive digital platform will enable businesses to operate faster with a more secure service.
“To do this, we will continue to invest in research and development and explore new technologies and innovations. At MTN, we believe that everyone, particularly Nigerians and Africans, deserves the benefits of modern connectivity,” Toriola added.
Similarly, MTN Nigeria’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), Ayham Moussa, explained the significance of the cloud centre as a transformative item for the ecosystem. According to him, it will facilitate innovation and create opportunities for small startups to scale fast.
He added that overall, the project would help Nigerian companies to stay competitive. “This will help players to thrive in an increasingly connected world. So, whether you have a built-in or robotic startup or a large enterprise, cloud will enable you to be a part of the competition and stay up to date with the advancements in today’s industry,” Moussa said.
Also Read: Group to invest $240m in Lagos data center with expansion from 1.5 to 24 megawatts.
MTN is reinforcing its position as Nigeria’s digital leader
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, noted at the launch that the facility is another bold contribution by MTN to reinforce its position as an industry leader.
While appreciating the telecom operator for its consistent commitment to building infrastructure to support Nigeria’s digital economy, the Minister reiterated that the data centre aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s mission to grow a $1 trillion economy that powers enterprise in all innovation.
“This facility is part of the digital foundation of the modern economy that we see. One that provides world-class reliability, low cost, and a backbone that drives industries, startups, and AI services. It is only through this infrastructure that we can enable sovereignty, trust, and national productivity,” the Minister noted.
In addition, Tijani explained that with the facility, “MTN is reinforcing Nigeria’s position as the digital backbone of West Africa.”
The Minister, who is the first client of the data centre, mentioned that the facility connects directly to the 90,000 fibre optic cable project to connect over 30 million Nigerians who are currently offline.
“Investments like this offer the platform for our young ones to thrive and give startups and developers the ability to scale from Nigeria to the world,” Tijani added.
Its security benefits
Carl Toriola maintained that another key purpose of the facility is data sovereignty: it will ensure that Nigeria’s critical data remains within the nation’s borders, protecting businesses from geopolitical risks.
He explained that hosting Nigerian data locally will also help organisations comply with regulatory bodies like the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC) and the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA).
“We grow our security protocols to set up data against potential threats, and most importantly, it ensures our clients’ data is always safe and always accessible together in MTN,” he added, highlighting that the data centre is equipped with Advanced pooling and Power Systems.
