Equinix, Inc. (Nasdaq: EQIX), the world’s digital infrastructure company, today announced the appointment of Wole Abu as its Managing Director in West Africa to lead the integration and expansion of the business.
In his role, Wole will oversee the Equinix business in Nigeria, Ghana and Cote D’Ivoire and will work closely with both local businesses and multinational companies to build on the strong foundations for connectivity and growth in the region bringing the opportunity of Equinix to the West African region.
Wole takes over the reins of Equinix’s West Africa business from MainOne’s founder and CEO, Funke Opeke, who remains with Equinix as a strategic advisor in the West African region through March 2026.
Wole is a seasoned professional with over 20 years’ experience in the Nigerian Telecoms Industry.
Wole Abu, managing director for West Africa at Equinix, said;
“I’m excited to be joining Equinix, as we share a common vision for expanding digital infrastructure across Africa. This mission is crucial for bringing life-enhancing services to the region and bridging the digital divide. By empowering both enterprises and individuals, we’re enabling broader participation in the global digital economy. I’m eager to contribute to this transformative work and help create a more connected, accessible digital landscape throughout Africa.”
Commenting on Wole’s appointment, Judith Gardiner, Vice President for Growth and Emerging Markets at Equinix said: “We are delighted to have Wole join Equinix as the leader driving our operations in West Africa. With his expertise, we will support local businesses and multinational companies in expanding into Africa and beyond through Equinix. This marks a significant milestone for Equinix as we continue to develop our presence in Africa, establishing crucial strategic data hubs, accelerating digital technology development, supporting our customers, and contributing to the continent’s immense growth potential through robust digital infrastructure.”
Who is Wole Abu?
Wole Abu joins Equinix from Liquid Intelligent Technologies where he held the position of CEO for Nigeria and Africa Data Centre (ADC). As well as driving business success, Wole is passionate about driving societal and social change through technology and is focussed on driving a successful strategy for connectivity and digital access in West Africa.
Prior to his appointment at Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Abu served as the Chief Executive Officer of Pan African Towers, a telecom infrastructure company he built to being one of the leading Towercos in Nigeria. Abu also served as Vice President of Sales at Airtel Nigeria, where he also held several senior management roles in the Human Resources, Engineering, Operations, Finance, Legal, and Marketing departments respectively.
This polyfocal blend of functional skills, makes Abu a very experienced leader and force in the telecoms sector as he is poised to bridge the connectivity gap in Africa in an environmentally sustainable fashion.
This is demonstrated as he was recently named one of the top 20 Towercos Chief Executives in the World by TowerXchange.
Abu, in his storied career also won the Nigeria Tech Innovation and Telecom Award (NTITA) by the Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) for his outstanding contributions to the growth and development of the telecom industry. Abu was also elected by the same association to serve as its Publicity Secretary.
He has managed across start-ups and mature companies, leading these businesses into periods of massive and rapid growth through new business service rollouts, while driving positive change in the respective companies.
While at Pan African Towers, Mr. Abu led the company to win four significant awards in its two years of business operations.
Abu is creative, innovative, visionary and a strategic planner who has an excellent sense of business ethics and corporate governance.
With his continued leadership style, rare enthusiasm and heightened drive to revolutionise the telecom industry in Nigeria, Mr. Abu is dedicated to making a significant impact on the society.
Highlights and Qualifications
- Abu is a member of the Project Management Institute, and volunteers regularly for causes that protect families and empowers communities.
- He holds a bachelor’s degree in Engineering with Honours from the University of Benin and an MBA from the Lagos Business School.
- In 2012, Abu attended the Indian Institute of Business Management, Ahmedabad where he acquired a certification in Business Administration and Management.
- Abu has attended several leadership courses in top educational institutions and consistently gives talks and makes presentations in top conferences and seminars globally… [Source]
Wole will also lead Equinix’s key local engagements to make a meaningful impact to society through the support of initiatives focused on education, sustainability, and the betterment of society as well as driving the vital environmental and community initiatives so crucial to the sustainable goals and vision of Equinix.
Wole’s appointment as Managing Director for Equinix’s West African business follows shortly after the opening of Equinix’s newest data center in Johannesburg.
