The Dabengwa Data Centre, commissioned earlier this year in Lagos, represents MTN’s latest investment in Africa’s growing data economy.

The facility, which houses open colocation components and advanced infrastructure for high-density workloads, has reached full occupancy at the first floor.

“Demand has outpaced supply,” said Roger Shutte, general manager, Infrastructure & Cloud Engineering at MTN Nigeria, during the Hyperscalers Convergence Africa conference held in Lagos. “We can confirm that we have fully committed our ground floor.”

According to Shutte, MTN’s new-generation data centres are being designed to handle the next wave of AI and cloud workloads, featuring higher rack densities and improved energy efficiency.

“We’re seeing hyperscalers and enterprises looking to host workloads locally, especially as data sovereignty policies take hold across Africa,” he said. “The challenge is building fast enough – and with the power and cooling systems to sustain it.”

Data centre demand in Nigeria has risen sharply in the past two years, driven by fintech adoption, AI experimentation, and the repatriation of cloud workloads from overseas servers.

Shutte noted that MTN is already migrating several of its AI use cases – 17 in total – from Europe into its Nigerian facilities.

“The learning journey has shortened dramatically since November 2022,” he said. “What used to take 18 months to build as a minimum viable product now takes me an evening. The real challenge now is deployment – the infrastructure must be ready to keep up with that speed.”

Analysts say MTN’s rapid uptake mirrors a wider continental trend. Africa’s total data centre capacity – currently estimated between 1.5 and 1.6 gigawatts, is expected to triple by 2030, with Nigeria, Kenya, Egypt, and South Africa leading growth.

Guy Zibi, Managing Partner at Xalam Analytics, said the rush to build capacity is only the beginning. “If Africa captures even half a percent of global data-centre power demand by 2030, that’s over one gigawatt of new infrastructure needed,” he said. For many, this indicates that once capacity comes online, it gets consumed immediately.

The discussion took place during Hyperscalers Convergence Africa 2025, a flagship digital infrastructure summit convened by Africa Hyperscalers, which brought together senior executives, policymakers, investors, and technology leaders from over 15 countries to explore Africa’s readiness for large-scale cloud, data centre, and AI infrastructure.

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Named after the late Sifiso Dabengwa, former CEO of MTN Group, the facility is more than just a data hub — it’s the cornerstone of MTN’s ambition to secure Nigeria’s digital future.

Designed for data sovereignty, cloud independence, and economic empowerment, the 14MW-capable modular campus features:

• 1,500+ server racks
• Tier III-level redundancy
• AI-powered cooling and monitoring
• Support for high-density workloads (up to 20kW)

Complementing the infrastructure is MTN Cloud — a locally-hosted, self-service IaaS platform priced in naira. It offers Nigerian startups, enterprises, and developers AWS-style provisioning — minus the forex barriers or regulatory risks.

With compliance to the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA), MTN’s solution tackles legal, financial, and performance concerns tied to foreign-hosted clouds.

What’s at stake?
From reduced latency and job creation to digital sovereignty and local innovation, MTN’s launch signals a turning point. It’s not just about megawatts and megabytes — it’s about making Nigeria the owner of its digital narrative.

According to Dr. Karl Toriola, MTN Nigeria CEO hosting data locally also provides additional benefits beyond compliance.

It drastically reduces latency, improves service reliability, and protects against geopolitical risks associated with storing sensitive data overseas.

He emphasized that in a world where cross-border data access can be subject to foreign policies, sanctions, or surveillance, it is crucial for nations to take ownership of their digital assets.

Toriola noted that MTN’s own internal services already run on-premise in existing data centres, meaning the new Dabengwa facility will largely serve external clients.

He added that MTN currently operates three other data centres across Nigeria, collectively using about 5 megawatts of power.

The new 4.5 MW modular facility adds significant capacity, and the company has procured land with long-term expansion in mind.

He assured that MTN will continue to expand its cloud and data centre footprint in line with the growing demand for digital services.

Lynda Saint-Nwafor, MTN’s chief enterprise business officer, described the new cloud platform as a game-changer.

She said it is the first Nigerian-hosted cloud service with full self-service orchestration, matching the ease and flexibility of global cloud providers.

This allows users to log in from anywhere in the world and instantly provision computing resources, without needing MTN personnel to manually assist with onboarding.

This capability makes MTN Cloud particularly attractive to developers and tech startups, enabling faster product development and shorter time-to-market.

The economic implications of this investment are also significant. By retaining cloud-related spending within the country, MTN’s initiative reduces capital flight and keeps value circulating in the local economy.

It is expected to create hundreds of direct and indirect jobs in cloud engineering, cybersecurity, support services, and data centre operations.

Furthermore, by offering affordable infrastructure to startups and SMEs, MTN Cloud will serve as a platform for local innovation and entrepreneurship.

Developers can build, test, and scale their applications within a secure and reliable environment, helping to grow the broader tech ecosystem and contribute to national GDP.

According to MTN executives, the goal is not only technological advancement but also national empowerment.

Reiterating this, Roger Shutte, MTN’s general manager for Infrastructure and Cloud Engineering, said that the Dabengwa centre is just the beginning.

He said the modular setup enables MTN to scale the campus up to 20 megawatts in the future, and the company is already considering more data centres across other regions of Nigeria to expand coverage nationwide.

Ultimately, the MTN Dabengwa Data Centre and MTN Cloud platform represent a bold step toward digital independence for Nigeria.

With high-performance infrastructure, local regulatory compliance, affordable pricing, and global-standard service delivery, MTN is offering a platform that has the potential to reshape the country’s digital landscape.

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