Truly, startups are fast becoming the heartbeat of Africa’s innovation economy, but no matter how brilliant the ideas are, every founder eventually learns that a digital economy is only as strong as its infrastructure. Reliable connectivity, data centres, and secure cloud access are the true foundations of scale.
In this space, companies like MainOne (now Equinix), Rack Centre, and WIOCC through its Open Access Data Centres (OADC), are investing heavily to strengthen Nigeria’s digital backbone.
But which of them is best positioned to ensure growth across the Nigerian startups sector?
MainOne (Equinix): The Global Reach & Certification Anchor
MainOne has leveraged its submarine cable system, fibre optic network, and its acquisition by Equinix to offer reach and certified reliability. Its data centre arm, MDXi, holds the Uptime Institute Tier III Constructed Facility certification (TCCF), among several other certifications (PCI-DSS, SAP Infrastructure Services, ISO 27001 & 9001).
Its Network Connect and Cloud Connect services link local branches or clouds with global infrastructure. For example, by routing traffic via its submarine cable and leveraging Equinix Fabric, it offers predictable performance and connectivity from Lagos to key global hubs.
Power reliability, a common pain point in Nigeria, is one of MainOne’s standout strengths. Its Lagos data centre integrates multiple power redundancies, utility partnerships, and high-capacity generators to maintain near-continuous uptime. That’s essential for startups whose businesses can’t afford downtime.
Still, MainOne’s premium-grade services usually come at higher prices. For small or growing startups, that might make it more suitable at later stages of expansion rather than at the beginning.
So, MainOne offers scale, high certifications, international interconnect, and relatively lower risk from interruptions.
Rack Centre: The Nimble, Neutral & Efficiency-Driven Option
Rack Centre carved its reputation as Nigeria’s first carrier-neutral Tier III certified data centre. Unlike most competitors, it is not owned by any telecom or internet provider, which gives clients the flexibility to interconnect with over 70 different carriers and ISPs. That neutrality is one of its biggest competitive edges.
Its location in Oregun, Lagos, provides direct access to all the major undersea cables serving Nigeria, including WACS, MainOne, Glo-1, SAT-3 and ACE. The result is low latency, strong redundancy, and smooth interconnection between local networks.
Rack Centre’s new LGS2 facility represents a huge step forward. The 12MW hyperscale and AI-ready centre is designed for exceptional energy efficiency and sustainability, with advanced cooling systems and a lower Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) ratio. This reduces operational costs and aligns with global sustainability standards, an important factor for modern tech companies.
Its approach appeals particularly to startups seeking flexibility, local performance, and freedom from vendor lock-ins. However, Rack Centre’s challenge is scale: it has a solid local presence but lacks the global integration that Equinix offers through MainOne.
One of its strongest propositions is neutrality: Rack Centre is not owned by a telco, ISP or cloud provider; it does not compete with its tenants; therefore, there is less risk of vendor lock-in or conflict.
For startups, especially those scaling fast, Rack Centre tends to offer strong locality benefits: low latency within Nigeria, strong peering via IXPN, predictable interconnects, and usually more flexible arrangements for rack space or interconnection.
WIOCC / OADC: The Pan-African Connector, Big Capacity Incoming
WIOCC, via its Open Access Data Centres (OADC) arm, is scaling aggressively. Its strategy is open access, hyperscale capacity, and linking regional networks.
OADC’s expansion plan is one of the biggest in the sector. The company has committed over $240 million to expand its Lagos data centre to 24 megawatts by 2027, starting with a 12MW first phase. The facility is designed to support cloud providers, hyperscale clients, and growing tech firms that need capacity and cross-border connectivity.
WIOCC also launched OAfabric, its cloud interconnection platform, which allows businesses to connect directly to international cloud services through a simplified interface. Combined with its wide fibre and submarine network, it aims to provide both affordability and regional reach.
That said, OADC’s infrastructure in Nigeria is still relatively new, with much of its full capacity under development. The scale and potential are enormous, but the market will need to see consistent delivery over time.
Its strength is scale (once the full capacity is live), strong peering potential across borders, and an open access model that benefits ISPs, cloud providers and telcos who need wholesale connectivity.
Comparing Strengths and Trade-offs
Each company brings something unique to Nigeria’s digital economy. MainOne is on top when it comes to global integration and enterprise-grade reliability, backed by Equinix’s global standards. For Rack Centre, it’s in neutrality, local performance, and energy efficiency, making it ideal for startups prioritising flexibility and cost control. WIOCC, meanwhile, is building a network that could redefine cross-border connectivity and scale for Africa’s data economy once fully realised.
In terms of reliability, both MainOne and Rack Centre already provide strong uptime backed by Tier III certifications. MainOne’s international connectivity gives it an advantage for startups with global vision. Rack Centre provides a more accessible, locally optimised alternative for startups that value independence and direct peering with multiple providers. WIOCC is the long-term investment, its pan-African fibre network and future 24MW capacity could make it the infrastructure giant to watch.
What I Think Startups Should Care About Most
If I were advising a startup today, I would tell them:
- Get your foundation right: data sovereignty, uptime, and latency are not optional. Pick a provider with strong certifications and multiple power/fibre redundancy.
- Think about the cost-to-scale: what looks affordable at 10 racks may be expensive at 100. Check how interconnect charges, cross-connects, and peering fees scale.
- Be wary of lock-in. Providers that are carrier-neutral and open access give more flexibility to mix and match cloud, network, and hosting providers.
- Monitor sustainability and total cost of ownership. Facilities that waste energy or have unreliable back-up power may cost more when things go wrong.
Who’s Best Positioned?
Each of these providers has a part. If I had to pick:
- For startups already serving international customers or aiming to scale globally, MainOne/Equinix remains ahead because of its global interconnection, submarine cable reach, and certifications.
- For startups focused on Nigeria or nearby countries and needing lower latency, predictable interconnect and flexible arrangements, Rack Centre looks like a strong option.
- For companies needing wholesale capacity, cross-border reach, or anticipating rapid growth in cloud usage, WIOCC/OADC will likely pull ahead once their full capacity is available and stable.
In short: there is no single perfect choice. But the competition among these three is powerful for our ecosystem. Startups will benefit as they force better reliability, lower prices, and greater innovation. And I’m positive the fate of Nigerian startups looks brighter if we build this backbone well.
