Huawei has announced the official launch of what the Chineses technology company says is its first local cloud service in Nigeria.
Huawei says its local cloud service promises to enhance data sovereignty, support local businesses, and drive digital innovation in Nigeria.
According to the Chinese technology company, the cloud service has a reliability rate of 99.99% and reduced latency from over 80 milliseconds to just 15 milliseconds.
“Not knowing where your data is stored is terrifying,” Lu says, explaining that the local cloud will ensure that all data remains within Nigeria, thereby complying with the Central Bank of Nigeria’s standards and the objectives of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC). This compliance is particularly crucial for sectors like fintech, which require strict adherence to data privacy laws.
Huawei: local cloud service to support data sovereignity
Speaking at the Huawei Cloud Summit Nigeria 2024, held in Lagos, Chris Lu, CEO of Huawei Nigeria, highlights the critical importance of data localisation during the launch event themed “Leap Now With A Better Cloud.”
“Not knowing where your data is stored is terrifying,” Lu says, explaining that the local cloud will ensure that all data remains within Nigeria, thereby complying with the Central Bank of Nigeria’s standards and the objectives of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC). This compliance is particularly crucial for sectors like fintech, which require strict adherence to data privacy laws.
The cloud service operates from Tier III+ data centers, although specific locations have not been disclosed. Much of Nigeria’s data centre infrastructure is concentrated around Lagos, suggesting that the new service will primarily benefit businesses in this economic hub.
In his remarks, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, Deputy Governor of Lagos State, praised Huawei’s ongoing collaboration with Lagos State and described the launch as a pivotal moment in Nigeria’s technological advancement.
According to the Deputy Governor, “This marks a significant milestone for Nigeria in our journey towards technology advancement. The introduction of a local cloud by Huawei is a huge deal because it would largely help businesses and everyone, as it’ll also enhance sovereignty.” He encouraged local enterprises to embrace these innovative solutions as they set a transformative course for Lagos and Africa at large.
Huawei’s commitment to fostering Nigeria’s digital economy was further underscored by Lu, who notes that the local cloud would provide businesses with secure and efficient digital environments. “For Huawei, it’s important that we build in Nigeria because we have been working with our local partners who are great at developing applications and services for various industries and consumers,” he explains.
This initiative aims to empower local businesses by offering scalable cloud solutions that enhance their operational capabilities. The launch comes on the heels of Huawei securing a $3 million contract with the United Bank for Africa (UBA), one of Nigeria’s largest financial institutions. Under this agreement, Huawei will provide UBA with 200 petabytes of storage alongside comprehensive cloud computing solutions.
In addition to enhancing data sovereignty and compliance with regulations, Huawei’s local cloud service is expected to serve as a technological hub for West African countries. The company says it aims to deliver intelligent and innovative cloud capabilities that can significantly benefit various sectors across the region. Huawei has also initiated programs aimed at supporting startups and small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria.
Hugo Hu, Huawei Cloud’s Managing Director, reveals plans for grants to assist these businesses in growing at little or no cost. “In May this year, we already launched a startup program to tackle this problem,” he says. This initiative is designed to identify promising startups and provide them with funding opportunities based on their proposals.
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