Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governor of Lagos State, stated on Tuesday that his administration is dedicated to establishing Lagos as one of Africa’s leading digital hubs.
At the groundbreaking ceremony for NXTRA by Airtel Data Center, which took place on Tuesday at the Eko Atlantic in Victoria Island, Lagos, Governor Sanwo-Olu delivered remarks.
Not only is a building being built, but a new era in data control, security, and preservation for all of Africa is being ushered in, according to him.
According to the governor, when the data center opens in the third quarter of 2025, it would not only represent Nigeria’s advancement but also play a key role in realizing the country’s digital goals.
“This initiative aligns with my administration’s objective of transforming Lagos into a 21st-century economy, and I applaud Airtel Africa and the Lagos State government for their collaborative efforts towards realizing a revolutionary digital breakthrough for Nigeria,” the governor stated.
“This Data Center’s enormous capacity will open up a world of opportunities in a variety of industries, from fostering creativity in software firms to improving the effectiveness of government services. It would establish Lagos as a leading digital hub in Africa, create jobs, and draw investors.
“With today’s groundbreaking ceremony, a new story is being written in addition to the beginning of construction. It’s a story driven by cooperation, ingenuity, and a common dedication to a bright digital future.”
Gov. Sanwo-Olu thanked Airtel for creating the data center in Lagos and stated: “Airtel Africa has become a leader in building state-of-the-art data center facilities throughout the continent through NXTRA. It is quite admirable how dedicated they are to maintaining the greatest standards in data management, technical innovation, and vast network infrastructure.
“With a 180 MW total capacity spread among over 48 Edge Data Centers and 13 main Data Centers, NXTRA is set to revolutionize data accessibility and storage in Africa.
“This Data Center aims to meet the growing demand for cloud services and data consumption in Nigeria and beyond, establish a secure control hub for data storage and management within Africa, and contribute to the digital economy by offering scalable infrastructure for businesses and government services.
“I applaud NXTRA and Airtel Africa for their commitment to Africa and Nigeria. The Lagos State Government is fully committed to this project and will stop at nothing to see it through to completion.”
Governor Sanwo-Olu also commended Dr. Segun Ogunsanya, the departing Group CEO of Airtel Africa, for his enormous contributions to the expansion of Airtel’s digital infrastructure in Africa.
The President Bola Tinubu administration is dedicated to leveraging technology to improve productivity in critical sectors, according to a statement made earlier by Dr. Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy.
Tijani stated that the Federal Government will keep helping the tech sector and pointed out how crucial the data center is for the future.
Dr. Ogunsanya, who also spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony, expressed his pride in Governor Sanwo-Olu’s outstanding efforts in Lagos State.
According to Ogunsanya, when the data center is built, it will create 1,000 employment in a year and 250,000 after it is finished.
He noted that the NXTRA by Airtel Data Center groundbreaking signifies a step forward in improving data control, security, and preservation throughout Africa and the start of building Nigeria’s largest data center.