Airtel Nigeria is setting its sights on the future of cloud and AI infrastructure with the announcement of a 38-megawatt hyperscale data centre to be built in Eko Atlantic City, Lagos. This development is expected to be Nigeria’s largest yet, and will serve a range of users from hyperscale cloud providers to SMEs.
The project is part of a broader push by Airtel Africa to expand digital infrastructure across key markets. Speaking at a media session in Lagos, Airtel Nigeria CEO, Dinesh Balsingh, explained the ambition behind the move.
“Data centres are not just for cloud; they are foundational to AI. We’re preparing Nigeria for what’s next,” Balsingh said.
Although the investment value and delivery date remain under wraps, the company assured that construction will begin in earnest next year, with plans to launch the centre at scale.
Why Eko Atlantic?
The choice of Eko Atlantic—a high-end, reclaimed coastal development in Lagos—is more than aesthetic. According to Ogo Ofomata, Director of Airtel Business, the location offers both security and stable power, making it ideal for critical infrastructure.
“It’s not just for flex; it’s about long-term infrastructure at scale,” she noted.
The centre will support up to 6 kilowatts per rack, allowing it to handle high-performance computing needs, including GPU-powered workloads required for AI applications. While designed to handle enterprise-level tasks, it will also cater to local businesses and small startups.
This move talks about Airtel’s strategic alignment with Nigeria’s growing demand for robust cloud and digital services. The company joins other major players like Equinix, Rack Centre, and Africa Data Centres, all of whom have made large-scale investments in Nigeria’s tech backbone.
According to industry analysts, Nigeria’s data centre capacity is expected to more than double, from 136.7MW in 2025 to 279.4MW by 2030. The sector is projected to reach a market value of $671 million by the end of the decade, putting Nigeria behind only South Africa in Africa’s data infrastructure rankings.
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