The planned $320 million acquisition of MainOne by Equinix will accelerate the African digital transformation vision of the Nigerian undersea cable company, CEO, Funke Opeke says.
Equinix, Inc. today announced that it hopes to drive its African expansion through its planned acquisition of MainOne, the leading West African data centre and connectivity solutions provider with footprints across Nigeria, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire.
The companies expect the acquisition to close in Q1 of 2022, “subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions including the requisite regulatory approvals.”
“With similar values and culture to what we have jointly built in twelve years, Equinix is the preferred partner for our growth journey. The MainOne team is excited about the partnership created through the acquisition, and we look forward to building our next chapter together.”
Funke Opeke, MainOne Founder/CEO
For Funke Opeke, MainOne Founder and CEO, the Equinix acquisition, “will accelerate our long-term vision to grow digital infrastructure investments across Africa. I thank our founding shareholders led by Mr. Fola Adeola, MainStreet Technologies, AFC, PAIDF, FBN, Polaris, and AfDB for investing in the MainOne vision to bridge the Digital Divide in Africa. With similar values and culture to what we have jointly built in twelve years, Equinix is the preferred partner for our growth journey. The MainOne team is excited about the partnership created through the acquisition, and we look forward to building our next chapter together.”
According to Charles Meyers, President and CEO, Equinix, “the acquisition of MainOne will represent a critical point of entry for Platform Equinix into the expansive and rapidly growing African market. MainOne’s leading interconnection position and experienced management team represent critical assets in our aspirations to be the leading neutral provider of digital infrastructure in Africa.
“Growth of data consumption in Africa is amongst the fastest in the world, and our customers are looking for a trusted partner to pursue the opportunities presented by broad mobile adoption and greater connectivity across the region. MainOne’s infrastructure, customer relationships, partner ecosystem, and operating capability will extend the reach of Platform Equinix and bolster opportunities for customers in Africa and throughout the world.”
Under the terms of the transaction, the management team, including CEO Funke Opeke, will continue to serve in their respective roles. Opeke, who holds a Master’s in Engineering from Columbia University, and was named one of the World’s Top 50 Women in Tech by Forbes in 2018 for her efforts in sparking internet adoption, as also recently named one of the Top 10 Women to Watch in the Data Center Industry by Data Centre Magazine.
The $320 million deal is a key African entry point for Equinix which expect the deal “to be AFFO accretive upon close, excluding integration costs, marking the first step in Equinix’s long-term strategy to become a leading African carrier neutral digital infrastructure company. With more than 200 million people, Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy and, along with Ghana, has become an established data centre hub.”
Eugene Bergen, President, EMEA, Equinix says that “expansion in Africa has long been a strategic priority for us. With MainOne, we have found a company that not only has highly complementary data center and connectivity assets, but can further accelerate the expansion of our business model and growth objectives. CEO Funke Opeke and her team have built a powerful and dynamic infrastructure that will enable international customers access to the continent and African organizations access to the global Equinix platform. Customers can take full advantage of Equinix’s leading global interconnection services to connect with customers and partners, participate in rich digital ecosystems and expand their business across Africa and around the world.”
For Equinix, MainOne happens “to be one of the most exciting technology businesses to emerge from Africa. Founded by Funke Opeke in 2010, the company has enabled connectivity for the business community of Nigeria and now has digital infrastructure assets including three operational data centers, with an additional facility under construction expected to open in Q1 2022. Upon closing, these facilities will add more than 64,000 gross square feet of space to Platform Equinix, with 570,000 square feet of land for future expansions.
“MainOne owns and operates a subsea network from Nigeria to Portugal, as well as 1,200 kilometers of reliable terrestrial fiber network across southern Nigeria. These are all improving connectivity to and from Europe, West African countries and the major business communities in Nigeria. When completed, this acquisition will extend Platform Equinix into West Africa, giving organizations based inside and outside of Africa access to one of the world’s fastest-growing markets.”
MainOne By The Numbers
MainOne assets include:
- Three operational data centers, with an additional facility under construction expected to open in Q1 2022. These facilities will add more than 64,000 gross square feet space to Platform Equinix, in addition to 570,000 square feet of land for future expansions.
- An extensive submarine network extending 7,000 kilometers from Portugal to Lagos, Accra and along the west African coast, with landing stations in Nigeria, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire.
A terrestrial network of more than 1,200 kilometers of reliable terrestrial fiber in Lagos, Edo and Ogun States. Connectivity to terrestrial sites extends across 65 PoPs (points of presence) in cities across Portugal, Nigeria, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire. - Access to key internet exchanges enabling low latency to key global networks, including Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, Google and Facebook.
- An estimated 800+ business-to-business customers, including major international technology enterprises, social media companies, global telecommunications operators, financial service companies and cloud service providers.
- Nearly 500 employees and a management team with a deep understanding of local and international markets.
- The facilities generate approximately US$60M annualized (Q2’21LQA) revenue with a purchase multiple of approximately 14x EBITDA.
- Globally, Platform Equinix is comprised of 237 data centers across 65 metros and 27 countries, providing data center and interconnection services for over 10,000 of the world’s leading businesses, including more than 50% of Fortune 500 companies.
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