The company restated this commitment during a recent high-level inspection tour of the Nxtra Data Centre that is being developed through Nxtra by Airtel Africa at Eko Atlantic, Lagos, the highly rated smart city with ambition to become the Data Centre hub of Nigeria.

The inspection tour was led by Dinesh Balsingh, the chief executive officer of Airtel Nigeria, and the Chief Executive Officer of Nxtra by Airtel Africa, Yashnath Issur, with the esteemed chairman of Eko Atlantic Mr. Gabbi Massoud, the CEO of the lead Engineering firm Design Group Limited, Mr. Bayo Odunlami and tech journalists.

The Nxtra Data Centre went through a stringent design validation process and cleared the approval to proceed construction from Eko Atlantic.

Commenting on the developments, Mr Issur said the site visit was a milestone marker and an indication of the company’s commitment to delivering the world-class digital facility on time and ensure that, ultimately, the investments deliver reliable, secure, world-class services for Nigeria and the rest of the continent.

“This Nxtra Data Centre in Lagos represents a critical part of our long-term vision for Nigeria’s digital ecosystem. Today’s visit allows us to review progress, engage our stakeholders, and ensure that our infrastructure investments continue to meet global standards and local needs. This data centre will deliver critical high multi megawatt capacity in line with hyperscale customers and enable high density environment. We are putting the infra to bring the cloud to Nigeria,” he said.

The data centre, set to be the largest in Nigeria, is being established to deliver hyperscale and edge facilities across key African markets.

With a load of 38 Megawatts, the Lagos facility is expected to serve as a major hub for data hosting, cloud services, content distribution, artificial intelligence, and enterprise solutions in West Africa.

In his remarks, Mr Balsingh reiterated that the data centre was progressing steadily towards the previously announced 2028 go live date.

“Since the announcement of this project, our focus has been on building a world-class facility that supports Africa’s digital transformation agenda. We are encouraged by the progress recorded so far and remain committed to delivering a secure, energy-efficient, and future-ready data centre for Nigeria,” he said.

During the tour, stakeholders were ushered through key sections of the site, including piling zones, where required structural requirements have been tested.

Technical teams provided briefings on infrastructure design, security architecture, redundancy systems, and sustainability measures being implemented to ensure reliability and operational excellence.

Strategically located close to major fibre routes and undersea cable landing stations, the Eko Atlantic data centre is designed to enhance Nigeria’s data sovereignty, reduce latency, and improve access to reliable digital services for private and enterprise customers, significantly boosting the country’s data hosting capacity and supporting emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and cloud computing.

Mr. Massoud noted that the inspection tour underscored the city’s dedication to infrastructure of global relevance.

“Eko Atlantic as a city with high quality infrastructure will contribute positively to boost the economy of Nigeria and is a perfect place for the development of the digital infrastructure of Nigeria. The Nxtra data centre reflects the calibre of projects we seek to attract, long-term, technology-driven investments built to the highest global standards. Today’s visit affirms the rigour of the planning and execution process by Nxtra, and the commitment of Eko Atlantic to facilitate and promote the Nigeria’s evolving digital ecosystem,” he said.

Through this ongoing investment, Airtel Nigeria and Nxtra continue to demonstrate their commitment to building infrastructure that enables innovation, supports economic development, and accelerates Nigeria’s digital transformation.

Nxtra by Airtel is developing a network of hyperscale data centres across the continent. Besides Lagos, construction of a new data centre has also commenced in Nairobi, Kenya and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The data centre is expected to host high density racks that integrate the latest best practice construction to achieve 1.3 power usage effectiveness (PUE). [Read more about Nxtra by Airtel here]

Meanwhile, Airtel Nigeria, as part of its continued efforts to foster stronger relationships with key stakeholders, hosted a Media Roundtable event to discuss updates on its sustainability initiatives, innovations, and strategic approach towards ensuring seamless customer experience.

The event which held on Tuesday, September 24, 2024, at Sheraton Hotel Ikeja, had over 30 senior media personnel in attendance and included insightful presentations by four Airtel directors who discussed ongoing activities pertaining to Information Technology, data products, network infrastructure, sustainability as well as the company’s commitment to digital transformation and technology.

Femi Adeniran, the director of Corporate Communications and CSR, while delivering his introductory remarks, stated that the roundtable serves as a platform for Airtel to keep its media partners informed about the company’s activities, recognizing their role as essential partners and supporters of the business.

Also speaking at the event, Ismail Adeshina, the director of Marketing, Airtel Nigeria, in his presentation, presented the Airtel Unlimited Data and Smart Router, two of the current data packages designed to add value to customer experience.

“We are proud to say that we are the first in the Nigerian telecom industry to bring about the Unlimited Data and the Airtel Smart Router. Due to the increased need for data by our customers, we have debuted the Unlimited data bundle. We have also introduced the Airtel Smart Router which enables users to easily convert their traditional TV sets into smart TVs,” he said.

Kemi Ariyo, the director of Information Technology, in her presentation on the telco’s strategy to ensure seamless customer experience stated, “At Airtel, we value our customers and one of the ways we ensure they enjoy seamless experience is through our use of Artificial Intelligence tools. These AI tools predict upcoming problems, detect and auto-correct issues.”

She also added Airtel has launched the tier four NXtra data center which is scheduled to commence operations by 2027.

On his part, Harmanpreet Singh Dhillon, the chief technical officer, highlighted the commitment of Airtel to improving its network technology and how the telco remains in the vanguard of satellite internet.

“Airtel believes in the adoption of the latest technologies that align with sustainability standards, and going by this, we have adopted a hybrid solution that combines solar and lithium-ion batteries. All you need is a satellite at a site, and you can connect to the rest of the world. We are unique in this aspect as we work with two links, where one serves as a backup to promote reliability and stability.”

The event concluded with an interactive question-and-answer session in which journalists engaged with the four directors on various topics, ranging from customer data experiences and digital transformation.

Airtel Nigeria is a leading provider of telecommunications and mobile money services, a member of the Airtel Africa Plc, with a presence in 14 countries in Africa, primarily in East Africa and Central and West Africa.

Nxtra by Airtel is set to be one of the largest networks of data centres in Africa, with high-capacity data centres in major cities located strategically across Airtel Africa’s footprint, complementing its existing edge sites.

Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos State, said this about the data centre:

“The NXtra Frontier is not merely the construction of a facility, but the dawn of a new era in data control, security, and preservation throughout Africa. Airtel’s commitment to the highest standards in data management, technological innovation, and extensive network infrastructure is truly commendable. With a total capacity of 180 MW distributed across 13 major Data Centers and over 48 Edge Data Centers, NXtra is poised to redefine data storage and accessibility in Africa.”

Also speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony, Dr Bosun Tijani, the minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, extolled the revolutionary opportunities ahead for business and the economy in a future driven by connectivity via data centers such as NXtra and powered by technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) that the future of business.

“Data is a key driver in our economy. Not only do we need to connect our people, we also must invest in the digital economy, and through the investment that companies like Airtel have made in our economy, we are fully able to participate in the digital economy,” Dr. Tijani said.

This development underscores the company’s commitment to meeting the continent’s data management needs by providing trusted and sustainable data centre capacity to serve the fast-growing African digital economy.

The ground-breaking ceremony of the new data centre, situated on Lagos’s Victoria Island, was hosted by Mr. Segun Ogunsanya, Airtel Africa’s outgoing group chief executive officer, and Sunil Taldar, his successor.

It attracted key dignitaries and industry leaders including Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani; Heads of Federal and State Ministries and Parastatals, and Members of the National and State Assemblies, among others.

Speaking during the event, Mr. Ogunsanya, said the Nxtra project marks a significant milestone in the company’s journey and is a cornerstone of the organization’s growth strategy, with a particular focus on Nigeria, its largest market.

“We strongly believe that the establishment of NXtra Data Centers will enhance data sovereignty, security, and preservation within the continent, reflecting our commitment to make Nigeria a major hub for access to digital services as we propel Africa towards a sustainable and inclusive digital age,” he said.

Mr Ogunsanya added that:

“This mega project will provide over 1000 jobs. And more significantly, once deployed and at capacity, it will create over 250 permanent jobs for Nigerians whilst supporting companies in the manufacturing, financial services, health care as they move their data and computing into third party data centers like ours. Ultimately, we have to store data and content closer to where it is being consumed.”

The Nxtra by Airtel data centre in Lagos will deliver 38 megawatts of total power and host high density racks that integrate the latest best practice construction to achieve 1.3 power usage effectiveness (PUE). It is expected to be live by the first quarter of 2026.

The Lagos data centre facility will be the first of five hyperscale data centres to be developed by Airtel Africa on the continent. Combined, these data centres will offer a robust 180-megawatt capacity, distributed across 13 major data centre and over 48 edge data centres.

Coupled with Airtel Africa’s extensive fibre footprint, Nxtra offers secure and scalable integrated solutions to global hyper-scalers, large African enterprises, startups, SMEs and governments.

Through locally available data centre capacity, speed to access digital services will improve and the cost of managing data will be reduced, thus helping power increased innovation, while supporting a new generation of African tech talent.

Furthermore, Nxtra by Airtel is enabling customers meet data sovereignty requirements while at the same time enabling more local cloud.

Nxtra by Airtel aims to build one of the largest network of data centres in Africa with high-capacity data centres in major cities located strategically across Airtel Africa’s footprint, complementing its existing edge sites.

Nxtra’s ambition will allow it to serve the growing need of African enterprises and its data centre infrastructure will be designed to host the next generation of computing, while providing multi-MW capacity in a phased manner.

These facilities will meet stringent global security requirements and meet ‘five nines’¹ availability. Coupled with Airtel Africa’s extensive fibre footprint, Nxtra offers secure and scalable integrated solutions to global hyper-scalers, large African enterprises, startups, SMEs and governments.

Through locally available data centre capacity, speed to access digital services will improve and the cost of managing data will be reduced, thus helping power increased innovation, while supporting a new generation of African tech talent.

Furthermore, Nxtra by Airtel is enabling customers meet data sovereignty requirements while at the same time enabling more local cloud services to be offered in the countries where Airtel Africa operates.

The first major Nxtra facility in Lagos, Nigeria, will deliver 34 MW of total power. It is designed to host high density racks and integrate the latest best practice construction to achieve 1.3 power usage effectiveness (PUE). It is expected to be live in mid-2025.

To deliver on Nxtra’s vision, Airtel Africa has appointed Yashnath Issur, the former head of Global Data Centre Portfolio Management at Amazon Web Services, as CEO of Nxtra by Airtel.

Yashnath has 16 years of experience in the industry and has, over the past year, built a team of experts to execute on the strategy.

Airtel Africa’s Group CEO, Segun Ogunsanya said:

“A rapid increase in data centre capacity is needed to support the growth potential of Africa’s digital economy.  We’re proud to drive the future of Africa’s digital infrastructure, unlocking opportunities for businesses to grow and fuelling economic prosperity. Airtel Africa’s team has consistently shown our ability to deliver on infrastructure projects across Africa, and we are confident that our next generation data centres will support our ambition to become the partner of choice for global customers and Africa’s newest tech unicorns alike.”