Lars Johannisson, the chief executive officer of Rack Centre, disclosed this during a special media briefing and experiential tour of the facility held at the company’s head office in Lagos on Tuesday, March 18, 2025.

Johannisson revealed that the facility, a multi-million-dollar investment, was intentionally designed and built to be energy efficient with the lowest PUE (Power Usage Efficiency) in the region and based on its use of a sustainable power generation mix of predominantly gas power, diesel and eventually solar, to manage the facility’s sustainability footprint.

“Rack Centre has taken the innovative approach to embark on an energy sufficiency drive by installing gas turbines for our operations to complement the diesel-powered generators and now, with the upcoming solar power installation within our LGS2 Data Centre, we are the most energy sustainable data centre within the region”, he said.

Johannisson explained that there is a massive growth opportunity in Nigeria for investment in data centres, adding that internet penetration and data centre presence in the country is on the rise.

He expressed satisfaction with the level of investment in data centres in Nigeria over the last few years, stating that this further confirms the huge opportunity in the entire data centre ecosystem.

“The decision to build this state-of-the-art 12MV IT load data centre, LGS2, was to help businesses experience seamless connectivity and cloud adoption while providing reliability, resilience and redundancy for business continuity. We know that our shareholders believe in Nigeria, and they know it is a good investment to propel the country forward regarding digital transformation,” he added.

He reaffirmed Rack Centre’s commitment to continue providing the necessary infrastructure and security architecture to help the country close the digital gap. He stated that the company has excelled in the last 12 years of operation in Nigeria to establish itself and excel in performance as the leading data centre facility in Nigeria and West Africa.

In his remarks, Ezekiel Egboye, the chief operating officer of Rack Centre, remarked that the facility was designed with critical features to meet what is required today, and in readiness for the future.

Egboye noted that the facility represents the huge infrastructure workload needed to provide the required energy for future work, driven by AI. He explained that the company remains committed to its sustainability goals, noting that the awareness of ESG-related pollution continues to drive its energy mix.

Also speaking during the media briefing, Folu Aderibigbe, the sales director, Rack Centre, described the newly built facility as a pivotal investment that would help to drive economic growth and promote innovation.

Aderibigbe stated that with such a facility, Nigeria will be positioned as a significant digital hub alongside South Africa on the African continent.

“Our previous facility, LGS-1, ran on 1.5 megawatts of power. The new site? 12 megawatts, nearly 800% increase in capacity. This isn’t just an expansion, it’s an outright transformation of Nigeria’s data infrastructure,” Lars Johannisson, Rack Centre, CEO stated.

“What it really means, going from 1.5 to 12 megawatts, we are establishing ourselves as a hyperscale AI-ready data centre in Nigeria. We are essentially doubling the existing capacity of data centres in Nigeria.”

For 12 years, Rack Centre has thrived in ensuring data connectivity in West Africa, asserting a 100% uptime record since 2013, an achievement almost unheard of in the industry.

“Uptime and asset integrity are everything,” the CEO stressed. “When your data is unreachable, business stops. We don’t let that happen.”

But beyond just keeping the lights on, Rack Centre has built a network that rivals global standards. The facility connects to all eight undersea cables serving Nigeria, giving businesses the most robust and redundant connectivity available.

The world is moving fast, and artificial intelligence is leading. “AI adoption is happening faster than PC and internet adoption ever did,” Johannisson noted. “The infrastructure must be ready, and that’s exactly what we’ve built.”

This new facility is designed with AI and hyperscale computing in mind. The Data Centre is made up of six halls with each taking two megawatts and racks that can handle up to 50 kilowatts of power per unit. The centre is prepared for the high-performance demands of AI workloads. 

“Infrastructure is the foundation of AI-driven economies,” said Ezekiel Egboye, the COO. “We are building for today while preparing for a future that’s coming at lightning speed.”

Nigeria’s internet penetration stands at 48% and is growing fast. It’s also home to Africa’s largest fintech ecosystem, making it a prime location for digital investment. Nonetheless, even with these strengths, only 2% of the world’s data centres are in Africa, half of which are concentrated in South Africa.

“This is an untapped goldmine,” Rack Centre’s CEO stated.

Focusing on Sustainability 

Running a data centre is energy-intensive, but Rack Centre is taking a sustainable-first approach. “Since 2013, we have operated independently of the national grid, generating our own power,” said the COO.

The new facility will rely primarily on gas turbines and solar power, making it the most energy-efficient data centre in Africa.

“We’re betting on sustainable digitalisation,” Egboye affirmed. “Our clients demand it, society expects it, and we are delivering it.”

With data being kept within Nigeria, Rack Centre is reducing capital flight, cutting latency, and providing more affordable digital services, ultimately bolstering the country’s economy.

“For businesses, this means lower costs of operations, faster transactions, and greater reliability,” said Folu Aderibigbe, sales director at Rack Centre. “Every sector will benefit from this, including banking and entertainment.”

The financial impact is enormous. “We’re talking about a triple-digit million-dollar investment—the largest of its kind in West Africa,” the CEO revealed.

The ultimate goal? Making digital access available to all Nigerians. “Cloud adoption is not a luxury, it has become a necessity.”

But access must be affordable. “The key to closing the digital divide is ensuring that 2G users can transition to 4G and 5G,” Egboye explained. “We’re working with mobile operators and device makers to make this a reality.”

Rack Centre is ensuring that businesses can keep their data within the country while meeting global security and compliance standards.

“We are the only IFC-certified data centre in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe,” the COO highlighted. “This is a big deal—it means we meet the world’s highest standards for environmental and energy efficiency.”

This is a statement. Rack Centre isn’t just expanding, but boosting Nigeria’s entire digital sector.

“By April, we’d launch West Africa’s largest data centre investment,” Johannisson said. “And this is just the beginning.”