By Adedapo Adesanya
The Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has lauded MainOne for its contribution to digital infrastructure and investments, saying Lagos will continue to take the lead in growing digital investments across Africa.
He made this disclosure during the recent launch of MainOne’s new Data Center, Lekki II after the company was acquired by Equinix, the world’s digital infrastructure company. The new data centre will drive the acceleration of digital services in the state.
Speaking at the event, Mr Sanwo-Olu commended MainOne for building digital infrastructure in line with his government’s strategy to make Lagos State a 21st Century Smart City.
He added that “Lagos is already on the map as the leading destination for technology companies on the African continent. Lagos is the commercial nerve centre of the country and we will continue to create an enabling environment for businesses to flourish by ensuring our policies support investment and create opportunities for entrepreneurs and investors.
“We can see that Equinix is now poised not only to be the biggest digital infrastructure player in Nigeria but in Africa, and we welcome Equinix to the heartbeat of the country, the Centre of Excellence, the largest economy in Africa and the technology transformation hub of Africa.”
On her part, the chief executive officer of MainOne, Ms Funke Opeke, expressed her delight in the company’s expansion, saying, “having a parent company that is the world’s digital company choose to enter Africa through the acquisition of MainOne is a bold statement.”
“Equinix recognizes that Lagos has the potential to become the digital infrastructure hub for Africa and we are delighted that through this acquisition Equinix will extend its network of 240 data centres in 66 markets to Lagos.
“Our plans include further expansion to the Lekki Campus to accommodate the requirements of global hyperscalers and regional businesses as we expand to connect the over 10,000 companies already on the Equinix platform.
“These businesses will now have access to our region and local businesses will come onboard to interconnect with them,” she noted.
On her part, Mrs Judith Gardiner, VP of Growth and Emerging Markets at Equinix welcomed MainOne as its latest acquisition and critical point of entry for Platform Equinix into the African market
“By extending our global reach, we offer our 10,000 customers a significantly large new market to enter and interconnect with at many levels. Our expectations are high given what we have learned about the vision of the Lagos State Government and we are committed to making Lagos the Digital hub of Africa.
“To put this in context, Amsterdam as a key hub, with a population of 1 million people has 9 Equinix Data Centers with over 106MW capacity. Lagos, with a population of over 20 million, has the potential to far exceed this footprint. We are committed to bringing our capital, expertise, knowledge and customers to accelerate the digital age in Nigeria,” she noted.
The event included a tour of the Lekki II facility which was commissioned for service by the Governor after the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Lekki II provides immediate room for growth on MainOne’s Lekki Data Center campus which is targeted for further expansion of up to 10MW of data centre capacity under the Equinix umbrella.
In line with MainOne’s existing assets, the new Lekki II Data Center offers open access connectivity to all the leading telecom networks in Nigeria with an established presence on the Lekki campus. Customers will enjoy access to a rich ecosystem of telecom operators, global networks, financial services companies, and content providers not just in Nigeria, but across West Africa.
Modupe Gbadeyanka