MTN Unveils Data Centre and Cloud Services Worth $170M to Drive Nigeria’s Digital Future

On Tuesday, July 1, Nigeria’s leading technology company, MTN Nigeria, unveiled the Dabengwa Sifiso Data Centre to cater to the growing demand for data in Nigeria and mitigate the risks posed by over-dependence on foreign data infrastructure.

The data centre—named after Dabengwa Sifiso, who served as CEO of MTN Nigeria and later as Group Chief Operating Officer before his death in September last year—is now West Africa’s largest, with a total capacity of 4.5 MW in Phase 1 and another 4.5 MW expected in Phase 2, which is slated for completion soon.

Speaking at the unveiling ceremony in Ikeja, the capital of Lagos, Karl Toriola, CEO of MTN Nigeria, said the data centre presents a vital opportunity to accelerate Nigeria’s tech ecosystem while enabling the public and private sectors to store and manage their data locally.

“Today is not simply the commissioning of a state-of-the-art data centre and the launch of a new cloud platform. It is much more than that. It represents a technological investment that also serves as a bold statement of our steadfast commitment to Nigeria’s digital future,” Toriola said in his opening address.

“It is a significant leap in the digital landscape to meet the increasing demand of Nigerian businesses for solutions that focus on growth and innovation. Businesses can optimize their operations to improve efficiency and drive economic growth across the nation,” he added.

During a pre-launch event on Monday, June 30, attended by Neusroom, Yahaya Ibrahim, Chief Technical Officer (CTO) of MTN Nigeria, revealed that the cost of building the data centre exceeded $100 million (₦153.8 billion). However, Toriola later put the total figure at $150 million.

Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, in his address, commended MTN for its continued investment in Nigeria and described the facility as a project aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s agenda for growing the nation’s digital economy.

“An investment like this, the one we are here to launch, offers a platform for our young people to thrive,” Tijani said.

He continued: “Enterprise-grade infrastructure like this, on our own soil, gives startups, developers, and digital creators the ability to build and scale from Nigeria to the world. With this facility, MTN is reinforcing its position as Nigeria’s digital backbone.”

In addition to the data centre, MTN also unveiled a first-of-its-kind cloud infrastructure, MTN Cloud, designed to support Nigeria’s booming tech ecosystem as well as the public sector.

Lynda Saint-Nwafor, Chief Enterprise Business Officer at MTN Nigeria, said MTN Cloud opens new opportunities for tech startups and other enterprises. She also disclosed that MTN is set to launch an accelerator programme to help build and scale startups.

“We just unveiled our cloud offering that brings Nigeria into a new era of digital infrastructure—reliable, secure, and local. But we are not stopping there. A few weeks from now, we’ll launch the MTN Cloud Accelerator—from Africa, for Africa—under our impact programme designed to fuel the growth of Africa’s most promising startups. This isn’t just another accelerator; it is the launchpad for business,” she said in her remarks at the Dabengwa Sifiso unveiling.

Fielding questions from journalists at the pre-launch event on Monday, Lynda revealed that MTN Cloud, which cost around $20 million, will offer services at rates 15–20% lower than those offered by hyperscalers.

“Let’s accelerate Africa, together—from Africa, for Africa—powered by MTN Cloud,” she added.