Documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission show that IHS shareholders will vote on the proposed deal at an extraordinary general meeting in London later this year. 

If approved, MTN will acquire all remaining shares in IHS for $8.50 per share in cash and remove the company from the New York Stock Exchange.

The offer values IHS at an implied equity value of about $2.9 billion, excluding its Latin American operations. The price also represents a 9.7% premium to the company’s 30-day volume-weighted average share price as of February 4, 2026.

MTN plans to fund the transaction with about $1.1 billion from IHS’s existing balance sheet and another $1.1 billion from its own liquidity and debt facilities.

The deal already has support from shareholders controlling more than 40% of voting rights. MTN’s subsidiary, Mobile Telephone Networks Holdings, agreed to vote its 85.2 million shares in favour of the transaction. Those shares account for roughly 21.1% of IHS voting power.

Another major investor, Oranje-Nassau Développement, linked to French investment group Wendel, also committed its support. The firm controls about 63 million shares, representing nearly 19.6% of voting rights.

MTN investor documents indicate that shareholders representing around 46% of voting power are already aligned behind the transaction ahead of the meeting.

IHS’s board has also endorsed the acquisition. “The board unanimously authorised and approved the execution, delivery and performance of the merger agreement,” the company said in the filing.

Once completed, the transaction will end IHS’s run as a publicly traded company, just five years after its New York listing in 2021. The company had positioned itself as an independent infrastructure provider serving several mobile operators across Africa, the Middle East and Latin America.

Still, MTN has been one of its biggest customers and shareholders for years.

The acquisition will also give MTN direct ownership of a large part of the infrastructure supporting its mobile operations across Africa. IHS operates about 28,700 towers across its markets, including roughly 15,942 towers in Nigeria, where it holds an estimated 41 per cent market share.

MTN operates in all of IHS’s African markets, including Nigeria, South Africa, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire and Zambia.

Telecom operators across Africa have moved to take greater control of critical infrastructure as inflation, currency pressure and network costs squeeze margins.

In 2024, Airtel launched Airtel Africa Fibre to manage its 70,000-kilometre fibre network directly. Safaricom followed in 2025 by taking control of power systems at its telecom sites and deploying its own solar infrastructure instead of relying fully on tower-management contractors.

The IHS deal is expected to reduce dependence on third-party tower companies for MTN, while improving network management and foreign exchange risk control across key markets.

The filing also showed that employee stock awards under IHS’s incentive plans will be converted into cash payments based on the $8.50 offer price if the transaction goes through.

The merger still requires approval from at least two-thirds of votes cast at the shareholder meeting before it can proceed.

This position was underscored at the Africa Fintech Foundry Ecosystem Roundtable 7.0, a virtual engagement themed “The Capital Reset: What Technologies Are Still Fundable in Africa?”

Speaking on behalf of Kashifu Inuwa, the director general of NITDA, the Muhammad Aminu, special assistant on Digital Transformation to the DG, emphasised that investors are increasingly drawn to startups operating in environments supported by dependable digital infrastructure and clear, predictable policy frameworks.

He explained that digital infrastructure goes far beyond basic internet access.

According to him, it encompasses cloud computing systems, digital identity frameworks, payment infrastructure, data exchange platforms, interoperability standards, cybersecurity architecture, and emerging artificial intelligence technologies.

He noted that,

“These foundational systems significantly lower operational barriers for startups, enabling founders to focus on innovation, customer acquisition, and scaling, rather than having to build essential infrastructure independently.”

From an investment standpoint, Aminu observed that robust digital infrastructure reduces uncertainty, lowers operational risk, enhances scalability, and considerably cuts the cost of expansion, thereby making startups more attractive to both local and international investors.

He further highlighted several ongoing government initiatives aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s digital ecosystem.

These include sovereign cloud projects, data interoperability frameworks, cloud adoption policies, cybersecurity and data governance reforms, as well as the implementation of the Nigeria Startup Act.

In addition, he stressed that regulatory clarity and consistency in policy direction remain critical in attracting sustained investment into the technology sector.

Aminu also noted that NITDA is giving priority to human capital development through the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme, describing skilled manpower as a vital component of digital infrastructure.

In conclusion, he stated that a strong, well‑structured digital infrastructure framework not only lowers the cost of innovation but also boosts investor confidence and supports the long‑term growth and expansion of Nigeria’s startup ecosystem.

The project, announced in May 2024 during President William Ruto’s visit to Washington, was expected to become one of the biggest digital infrastructure investments in East Africa. 

Microsoft and Abu Dhabi-based G42 planned to build the facility in Olkaria, near Naivasha, using geothermal power. It was also meant to host Microsoft’s first Azure cloud region in East Africa.

However, negotiations later became difficult after Microsoft and G42 asked the Kenyan government to guarantee annual payments for part of the data centre’s computing capacity. 

According to reports from Bloomberg, Kenya could not provide guarantees at the level the companies requested, and discussions on the Microsoft data centre project stalled.

The delay has now raised wider concerns about whether Kenya’s current infrastructure can support hyperscale data centres and growing artificial intelligence workloads.

At full scale, the facility was expected to require around 1 gigawatt of electricity. That is close to one-third of Kenya’s current installed power capacity, which stands between 3,000 and 3,200 megawatts.

President Ruto had earlier warned about the pressure such a facility could place on the country’s grid.

“To switch on that one data centre, we would need to shut off power for half the country.”

Kenyan officials say the project has not been abandoned. John Tanui, principal secretary at Kenya’s Ministry of Information, said discussions are still ongoing, although the structure and scale of the project is still under review.

“The scale of the data centre they wanted to do still requires some structuring,” he said, while adding that power requirements are still under discussion.

The government now wants to expand Kenya’s electricity capacity to 10,000 megawatts by 2030 as it pushes to attract more large-scale technology investments.

Officials are also considering a phased rollout, beginning with a smaller 100-megawatt facility before expanding gradually. That approach could reduce immediate stress on the national grid while allowing Kenya to continue negotiations with Microsoft and G42.

The uncertainty around the project also reveals a bigger challenge facing African countries trying to attract global cloud and AI investments. 

While demand for digital infrastructure is growing with speed, many countries still lack the power generation and transmission capacity needed to support energy-intensive facilities.

The delay could also affect the rollout of Microsoft Azure services across East Africa, including cloud tools tied to products such as OneDrive and Copilot.

Neither Microsoft nor G42 immediately responded to requests for comment on the reported Kenya data centre dispute.

The programme is expected to begin on Wednesday and comes as demand for digital infrastructure increases across Africa.

Growth in cloud services, artificial intelligence workloads and enterprise data storage has increased requirements on operators to find engineers who can run critical systems.

Experts in the sector say new facilities are opening, but skilled workers remain in short supply.

“There’s a lot of recycling of the same people across companies,” said Adebola Adefarati, Rack Centre’s head of marketing and communications. “People move from one data centre or telco to another, and it becomes a closed loop. The industry has to start creating new talent.”

Rack Centre said many operators still depend on internal training because experienced workers are limited. The problem is bigger in Africa, where specialised training is scarce and trained staff are usually hired away by foreign firms.

According to the company, engineers who can manage infrastructure in Nigeria are especially attractive abroad because they already understand how to work under difficult conditions such as unstable grid power and high temperatures.

“Once people gain experience running reliable systems in Nigeria, they become prime targets,” Adefarati said. “We’ve seen a number of our own people leave for opportunities abroad.”

Rather than compete for the same workers, Rack Centre said it wants to help build a larger talent pipeline for the industry.

Data centres usually run with small teams, but those teams need specialised knowledge. Staff must manage power systems, cooling equipment, network hardware, monitoring tools and emergency response systems around the clock.

The first group will take in between 15 and 20 trainees. Rack Centre said only some may join the company after graduation, while others could move into jobs with telecom firms and other data centre operators.

Participants will receive classroom training, technical certifications and practical experience inside a live operating facility. One certification track will be delivered with Schneider Electric’s training platform. The full programme will run for about four to five months.

Rack Centre said it will fully cover the estimated $2,500 cost per participant.

“The issue is not that people aren’t studying engineering,” Adefarati said. “It’s that they’re not trained to work on systems that must run 100% of the time. Data centres are different. You’re dealing with redundant power, precision cooling, and real-time fault detection in a highly sensitive environment.”

The company said operating in Nigeria brings added pressure. Cooling systems must work efficiently in extreme heat, while power infrastructure must cope with an unreliable national grid.

Rack Centre is also developing the programme with the Africa Data Centres Association, which is working towards training up to 1,000 professionals over the next two years.

The initiative also aims to improve gender balance in the sector. Women are still underrepresented in many technical operations roles, and Rack Centre said it wants at least one-third of each cohort to be female.

“Data centres are often seen as hardware,” Adefarati said. “But their success is fundamentally about people.”

Dr. Aminu Maida, the executive vice chairman and chief executive officer of the NCC, announced the initiative during the formal inauguration of the council in Lagos on Thursday, describing it as a strategic milestone in Nigeria’s digital transformation journey.

According to Maida, the establishment of the council signals Nigeria’s intention to play a stronger leadership role in the next evolution of the internet, where speed, scalability, security, and smart connectivity will define economic success.

Nigeria Trails Global IPv6 Adoption

Maida disclosed that Nigeria’s current IPv6 adoption rate stands at approximately five per cent, significantly below the global average, which is above 40 per cent according to industry measurements from global internet analytics platforms such as Google and APNIC.

IPv6, or Internet Protocol version 6, is the latest version of the internet protocol that enables devices to communicate online. It was developed to replace IPv4, whose limited address capacity has become increasingly inadequate in a world driven by smartphones, connected devices, smart cities, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence.

While IPv4 supports about 4.3 billion unique addresses, IPv6 provides an almost unlimited pool of addresses, roughly 340 undecillion addresses, making it critical for the future digital economy.

Maida warned that Nigeria must urgently close the adoption gap.

“IPv6 is no longer optional. It is a strategic necessity for national competitiveness, security, innovation, and economic sovereignty,” he said.

Why IPv6 Matters Now

The NCC boss explained that the rapid growth of 5G networks, the Internet of Things (IoT), data centres, fintech platforms, AI-driven applications, and digital public services is placing increasing pressure on legacy IPv4 systems.

Globally, billions of connected devices are expected to come online over the next few years. Industry forecasts estimate that IoT devices alone could exceed 30 billion worldwide before the end of the decade.

Experts say IPv6 enables more efficient routing, lower network complexity, better end-to-end connectivity, and improved security integration compared with older IPv4 systems.

For Nigeria, Africa’s largest digital market by population and one of the continent’s fastest-growing internet economies, the transition is seen as critical to sustaining long-term digital growth.

Council to Drive National Deployment Strategy

Maida said the newly inaugurated council would coordinate implementation of a National IPv6 Deployment Strategy with clear, measurable timelines.

Its mandate includes positioning Nigeria among Africa’s leading IPv6-enabled countries within the next three years.

The council’s immediate priorities include:

• Establishing a national monitoring and reporting framework with quarterly progress reviews and annual reports
• Promoting professional training and certification for IPv6 engineers
• Driving migration of public sector digital platforms to IPv6-ready systems
• Removing deployment barriers for telecom operators, internet service providers, data centres, banks, and enterprise networks
• Recommending incentives and regulatory measures to accelerate adoption

He stressed that successful migration would require collaboration across regulators, telecom companies, academia, technology communities, and government institutions.

“No single stakeholder can achieve this transition alone,” Maida stated.

NCC Partners AFRINIC, Industry Stakeholders

The NCC also revealed that it has already laid groundwork for migration through strategic partnerships, including collaboration with the African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC), Africa’s regional internet registry responsible for IP address resources.

These partnerships, according to Maida, have supported technical capacity-building programmes across both the public and private sectors.

Operators Yet to Fully Deploy IPv6

Speaking at the event, Muhammed Rudman, chief executive officer of the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), noted that one of the biggest barriers to migration is the continued usability of IPv4.

He explained that many operators still rely on legacy infrastructure and therefore do not feel immediate pressure to migrate.

According to Rudman, Nigeria has more than 200 Autonomous System Numbers (ASNs) and over 100 networks with IPv6 allocations, yet only a limited number are actively deploying IPv6 services to customers.

“Many operators have IPv6 capability, but it has not been deployed in a meaningful way,” he said.

He added that widespread dependence on Network Address Translation (NAT), a workaround that allows multiple users to share scarce IPv4 addresses, has created issues around performance, traceability, and security.

Targets for 2030

Rudman said the council’s national roadmap sets ambitious but realistic targets, including:

• At least 20% IPv6 compliance across government networks by 2027
• 25% active IPv6 deployment among telecom operators
• Approximately 30% nationwide adoption by 2030

The council also plans to train at least 50 professionals in IPv6 engineering by October through partnerships with universities, training institutions, and regional technical bodies.

He acknowledged that skills shortages remain a challenge, particularly due to migration of trained professionals abroad, making continuous talent development essential.

Digital Sovereignty at Stake

Technology policy expert Chris Uwaje said Nigeria must move beyond dependence on outdated digital systems if it intends to compete in the emerging global technology order.

According to him, IPv6 adoption is not merely a technical upgrade but a national strategic imperative tied to sovereignty, innovation, and domestic capability building.

“This is about building the future internet on Nigeria’s own terms,” Uwaje said.

A Strategic Turning Point

The launch of the Nigeria IPv6 Council comes at a time when nations are increasingly investing in resilient digital infrastructure to support innovation, e-commerce, fintech, smart governance, and cybersecurity.

For Nigeria, analysts say accelerating IPv6 adoption could unlock new efficiencies, strengthen national networks, and better position the country for the next wave of technological advancement.

This brings an end to a period that saw commendable growth in the company’s West African operations.

In a personal statement shared on LinkedIn, the Regional Executive for West Africa confirmed he would be leaving the business, shedding light on what he described as a defining chapter in his career and the company’s development across the region.

“After 5+ incredible years, it’s time for me to sign off from Africa Data Centres (ADC).

What started as a bold experiment-stepping into a new market as a challenger-has evolved into a definitive chapter of growth, resilience, and success.

We didn’t just build data centres; we built the infrastructure for the future.

The journey was far from linear. It was defined by:

The Steep Curves: Navigating the complexities of a new market and turning challenges into competitive advantages.

The Milestones: Moving from our first rack to becoming a well-established, trusted partner in the colocation space.

The Culture: Building an organisation from the ground up that prioritises both operational excellence and a bit of fun along the way.

To my team and colleagues: You are the heartbeat of this success. Thank you for the late nights, the strategic breakthroughs, and the countless cups of coffee that fueled our progress. I am immensely proud of the “well-established” powerhouse we’ve become.

I’m walking away with great memories and a sharp focus on what’s next.

To my network: Stay tuned-I’m excited to share my next chapter with you soon.”

Dr Krish served most recently as Regional Executive for West Africa, a role he assumed in September 2022 after previously working as Chief Technology Officer at the company.

During his tenure, ADC expanded its regional and edge data centre footprint, becoming a key infrastructure provider that supports cloud adoption and local data hosting across several African markets.

Africa Data Centres, part of Cassava Technologies, operates one of the continent’s largest networks of carrier- and cloud-neutral data centre facilities. The company has been important in supporting digital transformation efforts, particularly as businesses shift workloads to the cloud and governments push for stronger data localisation.

Demand for data centres across Africa is increasing fast, driven by fintech growth, increasing internet usage and tough regulatory expectations around where data is stored.

In Nigeria especially, Dr Krish consistently argued that local data infrastructure is critical for digital sovereignty, improved security and long-term economic value.

Before joining ADC, he held senior leadership roles across Nigeria’s connectivity and data infrastructure sector, including positions at Medallion Communications Limited and Century Data Integrated Services Ltd. His career spans more than three decades across data centres, cloud services, connectivity and managed IT operations.

His exit comes at a time of strong competition in Africa’s digital infrastructure space, as global hyperscale cloud providers such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft and Google strengthen their presence on the continent, increasing pressure on regional operators to scale quickly and maintain local relevance.

ADC has not yet announced a successor or provided details on leadership changes following his departure.

That contrast was revealed in a new report, which shows the continent is building fast, but still lagging.

The study, Data Centres in Africa 2026, says Africa’s total installed capacity is expected to triple to about 1.2 gigawatts (GW) of IT load by 2030.

But then, this growth will track global expansion rather than close the gap. The United States alone hosts about 45% of the world’s data centres.

Globally, the data centre market was valued at $243 billion in 2025 and is projected to double by 2032.

Artificial intelligence is a primary driver. McKinsey estimates AI training and inference could triple global demand for data centre capacity by 2030, with 70% of new demand linked to AI workloads.

In comparison, Africa’s footprint is small. The continent has between 220 and 230 facilities spread across 38 countries.

Capacity is concentrated in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and Egypt. Most African data is still stored abroad, mainly in Europe and North America.

That reliance brings the risks. Data hosted overseas falls under foreign laws. The report points to the U.S. CLOUD Act, which allows American authorities to compel companies under U.S. jurisdiction to hand over data, regardless of where it is physically stored.

This leaves governments and businesses in Africa asking who really controls their data and whether they truly have authority over it.

More than 40 African countries have enacted data protection laws, and 19 have ratified the Malabo Convention on cybersecurity and data protection.

However, enforcement capacity usually lags behind legislation. Investors now see regulatory clarity as an important factor in deciding where to build.

Dr Ayotunde Coker, CEO of Open Access Data Centres, said: “Africa’s path to data sovereignty depends on building local processing power, sustainable energy use, and AI capacity that reflects the continent’s own priorities and realities.”

AI is changing the direction. In April 2025, African states adopted the Africa Declaration on Artificial Intelligence in Kigali.

The declaration commits $60 billion towards continental AI ambitions and led to the creation of an Africa AI Council made up of seven ICT ministers and eight independent members.

So far, 15 African countries have adopted a national AI strategy or policy. Still, infrastructure is not satisfactory.

According to the report, outside South Africa, only about one-third of built data centre capacity is fully utilised. Even in South Africa, 74% of capacity is fitted out and in use.

Operators say they are building ahead of demand, planning on 10- to 20-year horizons.

The demand side is still uneven. While 47% of Africans are mobile subscribers, only 28% use mobile internet.

In some low-income countries, internet access can take up to 26.4% of average monthly income. The physical coverage gap has narrowed to 9%, but the usage gap stands at 64%.

At the same time, data consumption per smartphone in sub-Saharan Africa averages about 6.7GB per month, far below the global average of 21.6GB.

The International Finance Corporation estimates that doubling undersea cable capacity could cut bandwidth prices by 30 to 50%. Even moderate price drops could push usage steeply higher.

Connectivity is expanding. Africa’s terrestrial fibre network reached about 1.3 million kilometres in 2025, up from 1 million kilometres in 2019.

The World Bank approved $500 million in late 2025 to deploy a further 90,000 kilometres of fibre. Egypt now connects to more than 19 subsea cable systems, Djibouti to 12, and South Africa to 11.

However, access to computing power is limited. Latency from African users to major cloud regions abroad usually exceeds 70 to 100 milliseconds, compared with less than 20 milliseconds in mature markets.

Where local cloud regions exist, such as in South Africa, median latency falls to between 35 and 45 milliseconds.

The report describes this as a “compute divide”. It argues that competitiveness will depend more on where computing capacity sits and how close it is to users, not just connectivity,

Investment is flowing in response. Hyperscalers and technology investors are estimated to have committed between $2.5 billion and $4 billion to African data centres in recent years.

Development finance institutions have put in an estimated $1.5 billion to $2 billion since 2016. Commercial banks, private equity firms and sovereign investors have also stepped up.

Private equity-backed platforms such as Raxio and Actis-backed Digital Realty have pursued regional expansion. Telecom-linked operators including Africa Data Centres, Nxtra by Airtel and STELLARIX are carving out carrier-neutral facilities while leveraging existing fibre networks.

Governments are building national facilities as well. Nigeria’s Galaxy Backbone, Ghana’s National Data Centre, Rwanda’s National Data Centre and state-backed projects in Ethiopia and Togo aim to anchor government cloud services and sensitive public data locally.

The economics are demanding, with building a standard Tier III facility globally now costing about $11.3 million per megawatt.

For AI-ready sites, tenant fit-out costs alone can reach $15 million to $25 million per megawatt. In Africa, operators face additional expenses linked to power back-up systems and imported equipment, with generators sometimes taking up to 18 months to deliver.

Occupancy can also take time. The report says it may take up to eight years for a new African data centre to reach 85% occupancy.

Yashnath Issur, CEO of Nxtra by Airtel Africa, said: “Developing large-scale infrastructure, such as a 40-MW data centre, fundamentally transforms the economic model of the industry.

“Beyond unlocking significant economies of scale in both construction and operations, this level of capacity also strengthens our position when negotiating long-term power purchase agreements. The result is greater cost predictability, improved energy security, and a more resilient foundation for sustainable growth.”

Talent is another pressure point, with Uptime Institute projecting the global industry will require 2.5 million full-time staff by the end of 2025.

In Africa, 39% of operators quote retention of skilled staff as their main human resources challenge. In Nigeria, that figure reaches 67%.

To respond, experts launched the Data Centre Talent Project for Africa in 2025. The three-month programme aims to enrol more than 100 engineering graduates in its pilot phase across Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa, with at least 30 job placements in the first cycle.

Despite the challenges, the report concludes that Africa’s digital economy could reach $1.5 trillion by 2030.

For that to happen, Africa data centre capacity will need to move from scarce infrastructure to becoming a reliable, local backbone for cloud services, AI and public systems.

At its core, this move reinforces the country’s ambition to build a $1 trillion economy, where digital infrastructure, space technology, and secure connectivity form the backbone of national productivity and global competitiveness.

As Nigeria accelerates its digital transformation agenda, the message is increasingly clear: terrestrial fibre infrastructure alone cannot meet the demands of a modern, resilient digital economy.

Under the leadership of Dr. Bosun Tijani, the Honourable Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, the country is closing long-standing gaps in national connectivity.

While progress on the 90,000km national fibre backbone, now over 60 percent complete, is commendable, fibre must be complemented by satellite infrastructure to achieve universal coverage, redundancy, and security.

The future of connectivity is hybrid: fibre plus satellite.

Satellites as Critical National Infrastructure

Through NigComSat, led by Jane Egerton-Idehen, the managing director and CEO, Nigeria is strengthening its space-enabled communications capabilities across key sectors, including broadband access, aviation, maritime operations, defence, disaster recovery, and remote-area connectivity.

Satellite communications are no longer optional, they are a core pillar of national infrastructure and digital sovereignty.

Global engagements at Space-Comm Expo Europe in London, alongside industry and investment exhibitions across the United States and Canada, reinforce a clear international consensus: satellite communications remain the most scalable and practical solution for last-mile connectivity, particularly in regions where fibre deployment is economically prohibitive, physically insecure, or geographically impractical.

For emerging and frontier markets, satellites are not a fallback, they are a strategic advantage.

From Vision to Execution

The focus now must shift decisively from policy intent to execution.

This includes:

• Mobilising diaspora capital and venture investment into Nigeria’s digital, defence, and space-technology ecosystem
• Structuring partnerships with OEMs, satellite operators, defence contractors, and space-technology firms
• Driving capacity development, CAPEX optimisation, and indigenous technical capability
• Championing the protection of Critical National Information Infrastructure (CNII)
• Embedding strong Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) frameworks aligned with the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA), Cybercrimes Act, and regulatory oversight from NCC and NITDA

These efforts are backed by commitments exceeding ₦1 billion in combined CAPEX and OPEX across infrastructure deployment, enterprise platforms, software upgrades, OEM partnerships, and workforce development.

A Call for Strategic Partnerships

Nigeria’s space and digital infrastructure ecosystem is open to serious, long-term partners.

We are actively engaging with strategic investors in satellite communications, secure connectivity, and digital infrastructure; OEMs and technology partners across space, defence, and cybersecurity, and institutional and diaspora investors seeking structured, compliant entry into Africa’s fastest-growing digital markets

For stakeholders based in Europe, the United Kingdom, the United States, or Canada, this is a timely opportunity to participate in space-enabled connectivity, last-mile broadband solutions, and secure digital infrastructure partnerships across Africa.

Nigeria’s future is space-enabled, secure, and globally connected. The window for early, strategic collaboration is open.

Olanrewaju Sulyman Lanre, is a member, N&CBN Toronto GTA Hub. He is also the ED/CEO, Equinoxcore Technology Limited.

As of early 2025, at least 77 subsea cables were landing on the African continent, far more than a decade ago, and international bandwidth into Africa has expanded, way beyond other regions. 

Total international capacity has really grown, rising several times over since 2019, with Equiano and the Meta‑backed 2Africa among the largest new systems deployed to serve the region. 

These cables carry nearly all international internet traffic and form the backbone of digital economies across the continent. 

However, the benefits of this growth are uneven. In many places, data costs are high, national backbone networks are patchy, and digital growth slows where connectivity is weak. Bandwidth, not apps, not investment, not policy, is impacting Africa’s digital growth.

What We Mean by ‘Bandwidth’

When people speak of internet access in Africa, they usually think of mobile phones and data plans. But that’s the last mile. The real capacity that determines speed, cost and reliability comes from international bandwidth, the long, buried fibre‑optic cables under the oceans that link Africa to the rest of the world.

These subsea cables, usually hundreds to tens of thousands of kilometres long, are responsible for carrying over 95–99% of international internet traffic globally. 

The numbers are commendable:

• Africa now connects to the world via dozens of subsea cables, including legacy systems and new entrants such as Equiano and 2Africa. 
• Equiano, activated in 2023, stretches thousands of kilometres along the Atlantic coast and brings a large increase in capacity over earlier cables. 
• The 2Africa system, at around 45,000 km, is one of the largest subsea cable projects ever built and gives tremendous potential capacity around the continent. 

Cables like these determine how much data can flow into Africa, and how cheaply.

Why More Cables Don’t Automatically Mean Affordable Internet

If bandwidth is available, why is the internet still expensive in many countries?

The short answer: the cost doesn’t stop at the shore.

International bandwidth must be distributed inland via national fibre backbones. It must compete in markets where telcos may hold strong pricing power. It must overcome regulatory challenges and local infrastructure gaps.

A few facts:

• Even in well‑connected countries, data expenses relative to income are high. Affordable data in absolute terms may still be unaffordable in local purchasing power. 
• Landlocked countries depend on neighbours for subsea connections, adding complexity and expense to their Internet access. 
• National fibre networks, the kilometres of cable across cities and regions, are incomplete in many places, preventing subsea capacity from lowering prices at the user level. 

The result? You can have the world’s fastest‑growing international bandwidth market, but still pay among the highest prices per gigabyte relative to income in parts of Africa.

Connectivity and Business: The Actual Costs for SMEs

For small and medium enterprises, bandwidth affects everything:

• Customer access: slow or expensive data limits the ability to sell online or support customers in real time.
• Cloud use: tools for finance, collaboration and inventory depend on stable connections.
• Payments: digital payments are now standard, but they require reliable connectivity to avoid errors and downtime.
• Remote work: teams and contractors must connect efficiently, or productivity collapses.

These are not niche worries but core to doing business in 2026, especially with competitors in Asia and Latin America benefitting from cheaper, abundant bandwidth.

The Politics and Economics of Connectivity

Connectivity is political.

Countries that have diversified cable landings and strong national networking systems, such as Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria, have an advantage. They can manage outages better, negotiate capacity pricing, and attract digital investment.

However, there are still weaknesses:

• Cable cuts due to natural events or anchor strikes have caused major disruptions in West and East Africa in recent years. Repairs are expensive and slow, and outages can knock out essential services. 
• Regulatory fees and licensing policies can slow new cable deployment or raise costs for operators. 

Meanwhile, satellite broadband services, from providers such as Starlink and similar constellations, are expanding coverage, especially in rural and underserved areas. 

Their reach is wider, but equipment prices and regulatory challenges limit their role as the core solution for mass, affordable connectivity. 

Satellite Alternatives: Real Promise, Real Limits

Satellite internet has expanded in Africa, with low‑earth‑orbit systems promising connectivity beyond fibre’s reach.

But there are limitations:

• Cost is high for most small businesses and households compared with mobile or fixed broadband. 
• Latency and reliability can be variable, especially without local ground infrastructure.
• Regulation and licensing differ country by country, slowing roll‑out.

Satellite is a useful complement, not a replacement for fibre‑optic bandwidth, not yet.

The Emerging Divide: Connected Hubs vs the Rest

The biggest danger is not a lack of cables but uneven development.

Where bandwidth is abundant and affordable, digital services grow:

• Businesses scale
• Innovation hubs form
• Educational and health services improve

Where it is scarce or costly, opportunities shrink. Growth plateaus. Digital ecosystems fail to take off.

Fixed broadband penetration in many African countries is still very low even with improving international capacity, a sign that infrastructure improvements alone are not enough without distribution, affordability and competition. 

What Actually Makes Connectivity Work

Stretching fibre under the ocean is only step one.

To boost bandwidth for growth, the following are important:

• Competitive retail markets so prices fall
• National fibre backbones so that capacity reaches businesses and towns
• Policy that welcomes investment and protects infrastructure
• Cross‑border links so landlocked countries aren’t isolated

The Bottom Line

Bandwidth is the economic input that sets the floor for digital productivity.

Africa has come far. Its subsea connections are deep and growing. The potential is enormous. But without affordable, reliable data that reaches businesses and homes, the digital economy will not live up to its projection.

In 2026, we need to treat bandwidth as core infrastructure, like power or roads, the digital vision will stay out of reach for many.

Installed capacity, which sat at just under 70MW in 2024, is projected to reach about 330–340MW by 2026, a fivefold expansion that few emerging markets can reach. 

That scale of expansion results from high demand from cloud providers, financial institutions, digital platforms and AI-driven services that can no longer depend on offshore infrastructure without paying the price in latency, cost and compliance.

Valued between $280 to 300 million today, the market is expected to approach $670 million by 2030, with investments over $1.7 billion by 2027. 

Colocation revenue alone is forecast to grow from about $251 million in 2025 to almost $580 million by 2030, growing at a pace of over 18% a year. 

Hyperscale campuses, carrier-neutral sites and well-engineered Tier III and IV facilities designed for dense, powerful workloads are driving this growth. 

Interestingly, nearly 70% of new data centre capacity planned for West Africa is being developed locally, anchoring Lagos as the region’s primary hyperscale and interconnection hub.

Supported by nationwide fibre initiatives such as Project BRIDGE, which aims to lay 90,000 kilometres of fibre across the country, and a digital economy projected to contribute up to $180 billion to Africa’s GDP by 2026, the foundations are now in place.

Taken together, these explain why 2026 has a lot in store to look forward to. This is the year Nigeria’s data centre market gains larger scale and competitiveness.

These top data centre and cloud projects to watch in 2026 are laying the foundations for how data, cloud and AI will work in Africa’s largest economy.

1. 21st Century Technologies’ 50MW Hyperscale Facility, Ikeja

What makes 21st Century Technologies’ Ikeja project impossible to ignore in 2026 is not just its size, but its intent. At 50MW, this is one of the largest hyperscale builds in West Africa, but its vision goes deeper. 

The facility is being designed for a phase where artificial intelligence, sovereign cloud and national data control are immediate needs. With demand for AI compute increasing across Africa, power and reliability have become the battlegrounds. This project faces that reality head-to-head.

The Ikeja site is engineered to Tier IV standards, with full N+2 redundancy across power, cooling and network layers. That is important because AI and mission-critical cloud workloads do not tolerate downtime. This facility will set a new benchmark for resilience in Nigeria’s data centre market. 

Its AI-ready architecture supports both hyperscale cloud providers and enterprises running heavy models locally, reducing dependence on offshore infrastructure and latency-prone routes. With open-access connectivity and a newly deployed regional network gateway, 21CTL is turning Ikeja into a serious interconnection hub.

This is a homegrown Nigerian hyperscale project at a time when most large facilities are foreign-owned. In 2026, data sovereignty will matter more than ever, especially for governments, banks and AI developers working with sensitive datasets. 

In combining scale, local leadership and global partnerships, 21st Century Technologies is going beyond adding capacity to laying down infrastructure that supports economic growth, skilled jobs and Africa’s long-term digital independence. That is why this project belongs strongly on any watchlist.

2. Airtel Africa’s 38MW Nxtra Hyperscale Data Centre, Eko Atlantic

Airtel Africa’s Nxtra facility at Eko Atlantic is unique because it is being built for the next wave of computing, not the last one. At 38MW, this carrier-neutral hyperscale data centre expands Nigeria’s capacity at a time when AI workloads are rewriting the laws of data centre design. 

High-density racks, GPU-ready halls and serious power planning are now highly indispensable. Nxtra is leaning fully into that transition.

Location is a strategic advantage here. Eko Atlantic provides direct proximity to major subsea cable routes and fibre corridors, translating into lower latency and stronger international reach. For cloud providers and enterprises, this is important. 

In 2026, the ability to deploy AI and cloud services locally, while staying tightly connected to global platforms, will define competitiveness. We expect this facility to attract both hyperscalers and regional platforms looking for neutral ground in Lagos’ fast-crowding data centre sector.

Beyond capacity, Nxtra’s importance lies in timing and scale. Backed by over $120 million in investment and scheduled to go live in early 2026, it arrives just as Nigeria’s cloud market enters its next growth phase. 

Its targeted power efficiency, multiple substations and regulatory alignment give it an edge with fintechs, telecoms and data-heavy enterprises under pressure to keep data onshore. 

This points to the fact that telecom operators now see data centres as core to Africa’s digital economy, not a side business.

3. Open Access Data Centres’ 24MW Hyperscale Expansion, Ilasan

Open Access Data Centres’ Ilasan project earns its place on this list because it solves one of Nigeria’s biggest digital problems, which is connectivity at scale. 

Expanding from 2MW to a planned 24MW by 2026, the Ilasan site is designed to serve hyperscalers, cloud platforms and AI-driven enterprises that demand both power and speed. Sitting directly next to the Equiano subsea cable landing station, it provides one of the lowest-latency environments in West Africa.

What truly differentiates this project is its open-access model. Carrier neutrality means choice, and choice drives competition, resilience and better pricing. Through its Open Access Fabric, OADC is effectively collapsing the distance between Lagos and Europe, making global cloud services feel local. 

With more workloads staying in-country to meet data protection regulations, facilities like Ilasan become strategic assets rather than simple colocation sites.

The scale of investment, $240 million committed as part of an African expansion plan, cannot be ignored. This project reveals a high confidence level in Nigeria’s digital growth. Sustainability is being built in from the start, with renewable energy integration and efficient design reducing long-term operating risk. 

In 2026, success will favour data centres that balance scale, connectivity and cost discipline. OADC’s Ilasan facility does exactly that, positioning Lagos as a regional hub ready to take its place in the global cloud and AI infrastructure map.

4. MTN’s Dabengwa Data and Cloud Centre, Lagos

MTN’s Dabengwa Data and Cloud Centre earns its place on this list of top data centre and cloud projects to watch in 2026 because it represents a transition in how large-scale digital infrastructure is being delivered in West Africa. 

Launched in 2025 and already seeing demand outpace supply, the facility is the region’s largest prefabricated modular data centre. That is important in 2026, when speed, flexibility and reliability are no longer nice-to-haves. At full build-out, the centre provides 9MW of Tier III capacity, designed to scale in phases as demand continues to rise.

What’s most interesting is the build approach. Using 96 prefabricated containers across three floors, the centre was designed to deploy faster, expand cleanly and maintain high resilience under pressure. 

This is a practical response to Nigeria’s infrastructure situation. The modular design allows MTN to add capacity without long construction cycles, while Tier III certification ensures uptime for cloud, enterprise and public sector workloads. Early adoption by government agencies and enterprises shows that trust is already in place.

In 2026, the Dabengwa Centre will not be judged just by size, but by impact. It is already supporting cloud platforms, fintech services and government systems aligned with Nigeria’s digital economy agenda. 

With strong partnerships and deep local market reach, MTN is using this facility to anchor cloud services closer to users and institutions. That combination of scale, speed and adoption is why this project deserves close attention.

5. Kasi Cloud LOS1 Hyperscale Data Centre, Lekki

Kasi Cloud’s LOS1 project is ambitious by any standard, and ambition is exactly why it belongs on this watchlist. Planned as a 100MW hyperscale campus backed by a $250 million investment, LOS1 is designed to operate at a scale Nigeria has not seen before. 

In 2026, scale will be more important than ever. Cloud providers and large platforms are no longer looking for incremental capacity. They want room to grow, and LOS1 is being built to provide it.

Location and backing strengthen the case. Situated on the Lekki Peninsula and supported by the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, LOS1 combines strategic geography with sovereign confidence. 

The facility is designed as a carrier-neutral interconnection hub, built to attract global cloud platforms while supporting local digital services. 

Nigeria is not just a consumer of cloud services, but also a host for regional digital infrastructure.

Sustainability pushes LOS1 even further ahead. With a target of 95% renewable energy usage, the project sets a new benchmark for green hyperscale development in Africa. In 2026, energy efficiency will be a deciding factor for hyperscalers weighing long-term operating costs and risk. 

LOS1’s focus on clean power, massive capacity and interconnection makes it a cornerstone project that will change how the world views West Africa.

6. Jovis Nigeria Data Centre, Victoria Island

The Jovis Nigeria Data Centre is among the top data centre and cloud projects to watch in 2026 because it shows where demand is heading, not where it has been. 

Located in Victoria Island, the country’s financial and commercial nerve centre, the project seeks to serve banks, fintechs, corporates and digital platforms that need low latency and local hosting. 

In 2026, proximity will be essential. Data-heavy services cannot afford distance when speed and compliance are on the line.

This project is also part of a growth wave changing Nigeria’s data centre market. With hundreds of megawatts of new capacity expected by 2026, competition will increase, and only well-located, well-built facilities will thrive. 

Jovis benefits from experienced delivery partners and a Tier III design approach that aligns with enterprise and regulatory needs. This is a measured, useful addition to Lagos’ fast-growing infrastructure base.

What makes Jovis one to watch is timing. As data localisation regulations tighten and open banking and digital public services expand, demand for secure domestic hosting will increase. 

Facilities like this help reduce reliance on offshore infrastructure while creating local jobs and skills. In 2026, the Jovis Data Centre will not just be another site in Lagos. It will be a pointer to how Nigeria’s digital economy is getting stronger, one project at a time.

7. Equinix LG3, Lagos

Equinix LG3 is key in 2026 because it marks a turning point, not an expansion. This is the first ground-up Equinix facility in West Africa, and it reveals a deeper, long-term commitment to Nigeria as a regional connectivity hub. 

While earlier presence came through acquisition, LG3 is purpose-built, designed from day one to integrate Lagos into Equinix’s global interconnection platform. That alone changes how international businesses view Nigeria.

Lagos already sits at the crossroads of multiple subsea cable systems, and LG3 is built to convert geography into economic advantage. By bringing global interconnection services directly into Victoria Island, Equinix is shortening the distance between Nigerian enterprises and global markets. 

This facility is expected to become a magnet for multinational firms, cloud platforms and fast-growing local companies that need secure, low-latency access to partners and customers worldwide.

What to watch in 2026 is not just occupancy, but influence. With LG3 going live in the first quarter and backed by a $100 million Africa expansion plan, Equinix is embedding Nigeria into its worldwide fabric of interconnected data centres. 

That pushes Lagos from a regional hosting location to a true global exchange point. For the cloud and enterprise market, this is a structural transition, not a headline project.

8. Rack Centre LGS2 Expansion, Lagos

Rack Centre’s LGS2 expansion stands out because it combines scale, sustainability and neutrality in a way few projects in the region can match. At 12MW, it expands the company’s footprint and positions the campus as one of the largest carrier-neutral sites in West Africa. 

In 2026, capacity alone will not be enough. Data centres that succeed will be those that can scale responsibly and connect efficiently, and this expansion is designed with that reality in mind.

The sustainability angle is not to be ignored. LGS2 builds on Rack Centre’s green credentials, with energy- and water-efficient design that has already set regional benchmarks. This is becoming more important as operators face high energy expenses and pressure from enterprise customers to meet environmental targets. 

The site’s ability to host dense workloads while maintaining efficiency gives it an edge as demand for compute continues to climb.

What makes LGS2 particularly relevant in 2026 is its ecosystem role. With access to all major Atlantic subsea cables and dozens of carriers, Rack Centre is not just adding space, it is strengthening Lagos’ place as an interconnection hub. 

With more data required to stay within national borders, facilities like this will anchor Nigeria’s digital sovereignty while supporting cloud growth at scale.

9. Africa Data Centres (Pan-African Expansion)

Africa Data Centres earns its place on this list not because of a single site, but because of its reach. In 2026, the story will move from isolated facilities to networks, and ADC is building one of the largest carrier-neutral footprints on the continent. 

Its expansion across Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Morocco and other key markets makes it a backbone in Africa’s digital economy.

Demand is the driver. Internet usage, digital payments, enterprise cloud adoption and content consumption are all accelerating, and latency is no longer acceptable. Hosting workloads closer to users is becoming essential. 

ADC’s strategy is a direct response to that pressure. Creating interconnected hubs across multiple countries, it enables cloud providers and enterprises to deploy regionally while staying compliant with local data rules.

In 2026, ADC’s importance will be measured by how seamlessly it links markets. Its facilities are designed to support hyperscale platforms, financial services and governments that need reliability and choice. 

Africa’s data centre capacity is expanding, and ADC’s pan-African model doesn’t just make it a landlord, but an enabler of cross-border digital trade and growth.

10. Project BRIDGE – Nigeria’s National Fibre Backbone

Project BRIDGE belongs on this list because data centres do not operate in isolation. Fibre is the silent dependency, and in 2026 this project will determine how far Nigeria’s cloud ambitions can really go. 

By planning to roll out 90,000 kilometres of open-access fibre, BRIDGE addresses the single biggest limitation facing large-scale digital infrastructure, and that is national connectivity.

What makes BRIDGE different is reach. While most data centre projects are clustered around Lagos, this initiative extends high-capacity connectivity to all 774 local government areas. 

That changes the economics of cloud services. This is the moment when data centres stop serving only coastal markets and begin supporting nationwide digital services in health, education, finance and public administration.

In practical terms, BRIDGE is the foundation beneath every hyperscale build planned for 2026 and beyond. Without reliable fibre backhaul, scale is theoretical. 

With it, cloud platforms can provide consistent performance across the country. For investors and operators, this project is the infrastructure that makes every other project on this list viable.