Noting this in an interview with Techeconomy, Dr Krishnan said, “Data domestication is a legal requirement of any continent. The data must remain within the sovereign borders of the country. Which is a must, which is a mandate, and which we are pushing through the ministry as well as NITDA, and the Data Protection Commission,” he said.

“This is happening as of now, and it’s a process, so over a period of time, we will get it 100% right.”

Africa Data Centres, a subsidiary of Cassava Technologies, operates one of the largest network-neutral data centre platforms on the continent. And as Nigeria tightens its data localisation policies, the company is helping to build the country’s long-term digital sovereignty infrastructure, ensuring that sensitive workloads stay local, not on foreign servers.

But building a data economy that can handle that responsibility isn’t simple. Beyond compliance, the stakes are national, data is becoming a new form of sovereignty, determining a country’s digital independence.

When asked about the growing wave of AI, Dr Krishnan Ranganath pointed to both progress and challenges. “AI workloads are beginning to increase as of now. And of course, the networks need to fall in place. We have a lot of issues on the networks and connectivity side that is falling in place bit by bit,” he said.

“Once some of the ongoing projects fall in place, that latency part will reduce. Because Nigeria is not just Lagos alone. It goes out to other parts of Nigeria, which is, you know, a home for 180 million remaining Nigerians.”

He pointed out that AI won’t scale if the rest of the country remains poorly connected. For years, Lagos has carried the digital load, but expanding reliable connectivity and infrastructure across other regions is now essential if Nigeria wants to compete in the AI phase.

AI adoption, in particular, depends on strong, distributed infrastructure, something data centres like Africa Data Centres are striving to build across the region.

Still, even the most advanced data centres can’t operate without steady electricity, and that’s where Nigeria continues to find it tough. Unreliable electricity continues to drag on the growth of digital services.

On this, Dr Krishnan Ranganath said, “Power always remains an issue in Nigeria, especially the transmission is the biggest issue for power. Otherwise, you know, we have decent enough power generation in Nigeria.”

He believes collaboration between data centres, operators, and independent power producers (IPPs) is the key to keeping servers online. “Collaboration between various data centres and operators along with IPPs is the way forward, which I see,” he explained.

“Of course, we talk about a lot of atomic power and other related stuff, but we are not ready for that as of now, to my understanding, because the government needs to put frameworks for that. But to start with, better collaboration between the data centres, operators, and IPPs, that takes us a long way.”

That kind of realisation, balancing vision with practical limitations, defines Africa Data Centres’ approach. The company is part of a pan-African drive to build the backbone of the continent’s digital economy. 

In Nigeria, this means laying the foundation for a phase where data sovereignty, AI innovation, and energy sustainability converge.

Companies like Africa Data Centres are taking a chance that these gaps can be bridged with consistent investment, strategic partnerships and patient execution..

At GITEX NIGERIA 2025, global players talked about scaling AI and cloud adoption across Africa, but Dr Krishnan’s perspective was grounded in the realities on the ground: local data, stable power, and connected networks. Without these, the continent’s AI vision might still be waiting for the lights to stay on.

This is coming a few months after he was crowned the ‘Man of the Year’ at Africa’s Beacon of Information and Communications Technology Merit and Leadership Award 2023.

According to Digital Economy Magazine, Dr. Krishnan was chosen for the recognition based on his expertise in helping to champion the growth recorded in Nigeria’s Information and Communications Technology, especially in the evolving data center and cloud computing space.

“We have looked at your work in Information and Communications Technology in Nigeria and West Africa in the last two decades. As an organization, we came to the conclusion that you have done well to help grow the industry. Thus, we have no option but to crown you the ‘Technology Person of the Year’, said Akin Naphtal, CEO of Instinctwave Group, owner of Digital Economy Magazine.

Meanwhile, a seemingly surprised Dr Krishnan Ranganath appreciates the organizer for the recognition, saying it will go a long way to encourage him to work harder to help grow the industry, which presently accounts for 17.47 percent of Nigeria’s total GDP, amounting to ₦3.1 trillion ($6.7 billion) in the first quarter of 2023 according to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

“First, I want to thank Digital Economy Magazine for recognizing me as the ‘Technology Person of the Year’. I do not take this for granted. Secondly, this recognition is an assurance that various stakeholders are noticing my little contribution. Thus, it is expedient on me to do more for the industry,” he told Journalists on the sideline.

Dr. Krish is presently the Regional Executive for West Africa for Africa Data Centres, one of Africa’s largest networks of an interconnected, carrier- and cloud-neutral data centre facilities.

He has more than three decades of experience in the global industry working with various multinationals across emerging Information and Communications Technology markets.

Now in its 7th Year, the Tech Innovation Awards (TIA) formerly, Nigeria Tech Innovation and Telecom Awards have grown to become the most esteemed accolade in the ICT space, to celebrate organizations, individuals, governments and the private sector that have distinguished themselves over the years and are at the forefront of digitization with innovative products and services that keep the ICT sector exciting.

Presenting the award to Dr. Krish as he is fondly called in the ICT industry in Nigeria, the organizer of the award ceremony, Nigeria CommunicationsWeek, noted that ‘Man of the Year’ is the highest award given to an individual each year.

“We are honoured to present to Dr. Krishnan Ranganath, Regional Executive-West Africa at the Africa Data Centres, ‘Man of the Year’ award,” announced Mr. Ken Nwogbo, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Nigeria CommunicationsWeek at the event held at the prestigious Oriental Hotel in Lagos.

He disclosed that Dr. Krishnan Ranganath was chosen for the award by critical industry stakeholders, who believe he has brought a lot of expertise into the data centre space, which is touted as the new oil.

Now in its 14th year, Africa’s Beacon of ICT Merit and Leadership Award is regarded as the most prestigious annual event available in Nigeria’s ICT industry. Industry watchers and analysts see the award designed to reward individuals and corporate organization as merit centric.

Meanwhile, a visibly surprised Dr. Krishnan has described the award as heart-warming and thought-provoking, especially as he did not expect such an honour from a media organization and other industry stakeholders.

He believes the award is more of a challenge for him to work harder.

“I am surprised to have been called out for this recognition. My takeaway from this recognition is that the industry appreciates what we are doing at Africa Data Centres to empower businesses in Nigeria and Africa,” he told Journalists on the sideline.

Earlier in a lecture, he presented at the event titled ‘Digital Transformation and Cloud Services as New Order’, Dr. Krishnan had stated that the Nigerian cloud industry, which is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25% from 2022 to 2027 presents ample opportunities for businesses: integrating emerging technologies like edge computing, AI, machine learning, IoT, and blockchain.

He believes that Nigeria’s cloud will lead to capital flight reduction, improved responsiveness to citizens’ or customers’ needs, increased transparency, enhanced public service delivery and enhanced human capital and create new jobs.

Speaking about the digital gap, he argued that capacity building and promoting women in ICT are important for bridging the digital divide and promoting inclusive growth. “In Nigeria, only 22% of ICT jobs are held by women. Encouraging and promoting women’s participation in ICT can lead to increased innovation and economic growth,” he said.

Digital transformation and cloud services as new order will ensure the growth of Nigeria and Africa by creating a base for future generations and positioning Nigeria as the Silicon Valley for human capital and creating value for the system and people. It will alsotransform Nigeria by providing new opportunities for businesses and individuals.

However, this transformation requires local infrastructure and a commitment to cloud neutrality. Thanks to the likes of Africa Data Centres, which is already doing this by supporting the development of local digital economies, enabling businesses to innovate and compete on a global scale leveraging its world-class data centre infrastructure in Lagos.

Ranganath, will be speaking on the theme “Digital Transformation and Cloud Services as New Order.” Cloud services play a critical role in accelerating digital transformation and delivering essential public services.

To achieve the next stage of digital transformation and enable countries to reap the benefits of the global digital economy, governments must prioritize adoption of cloud services where feasible. Cloud technologies offer cost savings, the ability to scale rapidly, access to advanced cybersecurity features and big data processing using AI.

This year’s rebranded Africa’s Beacon of ICT Merit and Leadership Distinguished Lecture/Awards Series is slated for Saturday, May 27, 2022, at the Oriental Hotels, Lekki, Lagos.

According to Ken Nwogbo, CEO, Communication Week Media Ltd, organisers of the ABoICT Distinguished Lecture/Awards Series, “the choice of Dr Krishnan Ranganath, Regional Director, Africa Data Centres is deliberate because of his exceptional career in data centre operations.”

Dr. Ranganath is instrumental and a key stakeholder in the initiation and management of multiple networks & data centres across geographies with a proven track record of monitoring the inflow & outflow of funds, and ensuring optimum utilisation of available resources towards the attainment of organizational goals

Dr Krishnan Ranganath is a senior executive with over (two) 2 decades of experience in global markets mechanics with diverse Multinationals across Emerging Markets. Worked with numerous IT/ITES and Telecommunications players for a range of large and very elaborate projects.

Managed multi-million dollar projects, land large and disparate teams across various regions and time zones. A seasoned player in start-up and business re-engineering.

He is also involved in various activities in promoting and enabling local content in Africa and preparing long term ICT strategies and roadmaps for various emerging economies within Africa as well as in West Africa Telecom infrastructural development.

Past speakers include Dr. Ernest Ndukwe, then executive vice-chairman, Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC); Engr. Yomi Bolarinwa, former Director-General of National Broadcasting Commission (NBC); Biodu Omoniyi, Managing Director/CEO, VDT Communications; Ayotunde Coker, Managing Director, Rack Centre Limited; and Peter Adedayo Arogundade, managing director and chief executive officer, Sidmach Technologies Nigeria Limited, among others.

The events drew top politicians and government functionaries as well captains in the ICT industry as well financial institutions.