MTN Nigeria is today making a bold infrastructure play with the launch of the Sifiso Dabengwa Data Centre, a landmark N181 billion ($255 million) facility which the telco describes as the largest Tier III prefabricated modular data centre in West Africa.
Named in honour of the late Dabengwa Sifiso, former Group CEO of MTN, the Lagos-based centre is a strategic investment in Nigeria’s digital sovereignty and economic self-reliance, according to the nation’s number one mobile network operator (MNO).
The project, executed in partnership with Dell Technologies, aims to localise data hosting, reduce capital flight, and power critical services from fintech to e-government across Africa’s largest economy.
Dr. Karl Toriola, MTN Nigeria CEO, declares the facility a game-changer for the nation’s digital ecosystem during a pre-launch briefing held Monday in Lagos. “This is one of the biggest data centres in West Africa,” Toriola says, emphasising its core purpose: “Hosting Nigerian businesses’ data in Nigeria protects against sovereign data risks… [and] significantly reduces costs priced in volatile foreign exchange.”
Dr. Karl Toriola, MTN Nigeria CEO, declares the facility a game-changer for the nation’s digital ecosystem during a pre-launch briefing held Monday in Lagos. “This is one of the biggest data centres in West Africa,” Toriola says, emphasising its core purpose: “Hosting Nigerian businesses’ data in Nigeria protects against sovereign data risks… [and] significantly reduces costs priced in volatile foreign exchange.”
She says the barrier to entry for tech innovation has now dropped drastically. “With ₦100,000, a developer can test, deploy and scale an app that used to require millions of naira in server investment.”
Sifiso Dabengwa Data Centre: Key benefits for Nigeria:
Naira-powered cloud: MTN’s newly launched, self-orchestrated cloud platform (cloud.mtn.com) offers pay-as-you-go services in Naira, eliminating massive upfront costs for startups and SMEs previously forced towards dollar-denominated hyperscalers like AWS or Azure. “You don’t need to spend $1 million buying servers,” Lynda Saint-Nwafor, MTN Nigeria Chief Enterprise Business Officer explains. “Pay 100,000 Naira, take the capacity you need, build, test, and launch.”
Halting capital flight: The centre counters the “hundreds of millions of dollars” paid annually by Nigerian businesses to offshore cloud providers, redirecting investment locally.
Data sovereignty & compliance: Built to comply fully with Nigeria’s Data Protection Act (NDPA) and National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) regulations, MTN Nigeria assures that its new data centre ensures sensitive data resides within national borders. Toriola also confirms MTN’s “constructive” work with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC).
Future-proofed capacity: Designed for 9 megawatts (MW) of IT load – 4.5MW operational now, 4.5MW imminent in phase two – the modular campus can scale to 14MW or more. Roger Shutte, MTN Nigeria General Manager, Infrastructure & Cloud Engineering, highlights the site’s long-term expansion capability: “We will go to 9 megawatts in short order, possibly to 14, and we have the ability to expand even further.”
Resilience engineered: Despite low seismic risk, the prefabricated modular centre boasts earthquake resistance (Level 9) and “seven degrees” of diverse fibre redundancy for maximum uptime. Yahaya Ibrahim, MTN Nigeria Chief Technical Officer, confirms all critical systems support “hot swap” maintenance without shutdowns.
Digital backbone for Nigeria’s growth
Dr. Toriola says the centre represents a turning point in local cloud capacity. “This is one of the largest data centres in West Africa, and probably one of the biggest on the continent. The fact that it is modular and scalable gives Nigeria a flexible backbone for the future.”
Dr. Toriola adds that Nigerian developers can now access cloud infrastructure priced in naira, significantly reducing FX exposure. “If you’re launching a fintech or building an app, you no longer need to rely on Amazon or spend millions on infrastructure. With our pay-as-you-go service, you can innovate locally and scale globally.”
Two-phase power design: up to 14 megawatts
The data centre’s design delivers 9 megawatts of IT load across two phases, with scope to expand to 14 megawatts or more.
Roger Shutte, General Manager, Infrastructure & Cloud Engineering at MTN Nigeria, confirms: “We are commissioning 4.5 megawatts now and will add another 4.5 megawatts shortly. The site is purpose-built for long-term expansion, and we can easily scale to 14 or even 20 megawatts as demand grows.”
Green, resilient and locally built
Yahaya Ibrahim, MTN Nigeria’s CTO, says the Dabengwa centre is designed with earthquake-grade resilience and seven degrees of fibre connectivity, ensuring uptime and redundancy. “Even though Nigeria isn’t earthquake-prone, we built to withstand level-9 seismic shocks—because reliability matters.”
He says the infrastructure is designed for ‘hot swaps’, enabling component replacement without downtime. “We’re building for the long haul. Everything here—from power systems to batteries—can be replaced live, without shutting anything down.”
Fuel for Nigeria’s local cloud innovation
Lynda Saint-Nwafor, Chief Enterprise Business Officer, describes the new platform—cloud.mtn.com—as Nigeria’s first fully self-orchestrated cloud service.
“Just like AWS, you can log in, configure, pay in naira, and launch your service. We’re democratising access to cloud technology for Nigerian startups, SMEs, and government agencies.”
She says the barrier to entry for tech innovation has now dropped drastically. “With ₦100,000, a developer can test, deploy and scale an app that used to require millions of naira in server investment.”
Data sovereignty and regulatory momentum
MTN Nigeria’s push comes amid increasing regulatory pressure from Nigeria’s National Data Protection Commission (NDPC) to localise sensitive data. Toriola says hosting Nigerian data onshore helps reduce risks from “sovereign data exposure in foreign states.”
“We’ve worked hand-in-hand with NITDA and NDPC to ensure this infrastructure supports full compliance with Nigeria’s data protection regime,” he says.
The centre is Tier III and Tier IV certified by the Uptime Institute and complies with ISO 20000-1 ITSM standards. MTN confirms it is already hosting sensitive data for major government and enterprise clients.
A $255 million investment in Nigeria’s digital future
Phase one of the centre has cost MTN Nigeria $100 million, with an additional $20 million spent on local cloud infrastructure. The telco says phase two could push total investments to $255 million (approx. N181 billion), covering additional capacity, import duties, and site upgrades.
Ifeanyi Otudor, MTN Nigeria Head, Cloud Sales, frames the data centre project as “not just about technology… it’s also about creating jobs and building a more resilient economy.” Phase one cost approximately $100 million, with an additional $20 million for local cloud infrastructure; phase two is projected at $135 million, reflecting MTN’s enduring commitment despite naira devaluation challenges. “When devaluation happens, we’re still investing… because we believe in the long-term future of the country,” Toriola adds.
According to the MTN Nigeria CEO, the decision to push ahead, despite Nigeria’s currency sliding from ₦460 to ₦1,600 to the dollar since the project began, signals MTN’s long-term commitment.
“When we say we’re here to stay, we mean it. Devaluation happened, but we kept building because we believe in Nigeria’s future,” he says.
Empowering the Nigerian digital workforce
Ifeanyi Otudor, Head of Cloud Sales at MTN Nigeria, says the centre is also about economic empowerment. “It’s not just infrastructure. It’s about creating jobs, supporting fintech, upskilling developers, and making Nigeria a digital powerhouse.”
Strategic alignment with Ambition 2025
The new facility aligns with MTN’s Ambition 2025 strategy to evolve from a traditional telco into a full-fledged techco. Toriola says the company is shifting towards three pillars: connectivity, infrastructure, and platforms.
“The Dabengwa Data Centre is our infrastructure play. Financial services and media platforms will follow. Our aim is to help Nigeria transition into a digital economy—one that creates jobs, drives GDP, and improves lives.”
Toriola says the new data centre is a clear example of MTN’s “infrastructure business,” while its other priorities include building platforms such as financial services and digital media.
Built in Nigeria, for Nigerians
MTN Nigeria’s Dabengwa Sifiso Data Centre marks a defining moment in the country’s digital journey, the nation’s largest telecoms company says. With cloud infrastructure now locally available, priced in naira, and backed by robust redundancy, Nigeria is inching closer to its goal of data sovereignty and digital inclusion, Dr Toriola reckons.
From Lagos to every underserved region, MTN says the centre will serve as a launchpad for innovations yet to come, and a symbol of what’s possible when technology meets long-term vision.
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