Telecom
Africa Data Centres Plans to Build Large Hyperscale Data Centres Across the Continent
Africa’s leading carrier-neutral co-location data centre provider, Africa Data Centres has announced plans to build large hyperscale data centres throughout Africa, including the North African countries of Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt.
The project will involve building 10 hyperscale data centres, in 10 countries, over the next two years – at a cost of more than US$500m. It is being funded through new equity and facilities from leading development finance institutions and multilateral organisations.
Mr Stephane Duproz, ceo, Africa Data Centres, explained that the finance for the roll-out has been provided by equity and loans to Africa Data Centres’ parent company, Liquid Intelligent Technologies, to fully fund the expansion.
Explaining the ambitious initiative, Duproz says, “We have already begun to acquire land in these countries and plan to roll-out very quickly to meet the needs of our existing and new customers. This is just the beginning for us.” The expansion will more than double Africa Data Centres’ already significant footprint on the continent.
“Examining Africa’s growth trajectory has allowed us to make investment decisions on new locations and confidently commit to expanding selected existing locations, resulting in the largest investment of its kind in history,” explains Duproz.
Growth
“This commitment to Africa, through the continuous deployment of capital-intensive infrastructure projects, has pivotal knock-on effects for the communities and economies we serve,” says Duproz. “All our data centres are world-class – built to the same, global market-leading standard and offer a reliable, resilient, secure and interconnected base.
“This allows multinational organisations to confidently enter the market, knowing their future growth is assured and they have access to open carrier systems to the rest of the continent.
“Additionally, without access to always-on, high-speed data centre facilities, the private sector cannot compete globally and will see slowed growth locally; equally important is the impact IT services have on the public sector – from healthcare to transport infrastructure.”
Africa Data Centres’ investment is a reflection of, as well as a catalyst for the continued direct foreign investment into the continent and the positive growth of local organisations.
Duproz says industries especially likely to be buoyed by Africa Data Centres’ expansion are the banking and growing fintech sectors, insurance and medical organisations, the public sector, hyperscale cloud providers and content providers.
These industries, he says, are highly sensitive to data speed, security, guaranteed uptime and are exacting when it comes to reliability and trust in their providers. The SME market too, he says, has found a significant opportunity for growth by plugging into the digital ecosystems that data centres provide.
“Our experience from across the continent is that the strategic value of data centres has both immediate and long-term effects on the economy and the communities they serve. Job creation is something we are passionate about at Africa Data Centres and the equation is a simple one: digitisation boosts economies, and successful digitisation requires data centres.
Data centres are digital ecosystems, acting as magnets to organisations – and as the digital ecosystem grows within the data centre, so the local economy grows in the real world. The impact of a data centre is long-lasting, with immediate job creation stemming from the physical build and enduring economic growth once operational.”
Sustainable, pan-African, neutral, interconnected
“We are Africa’s largest network of data centres – and we are growing perpetually. All of our facilities across the continent will remain interconnected, allowing our tenants to take advantage of our vast footprint. Furthermore, we guarantee carrier-neutrality – meaning our tenants benefit from competition, redundancy and reliability.
And, perhaps most importantly, is our commitment to sustainable, clean builds. We invest heavily in innovative grey-water systems, waste disposal and renewable energy sources, ensuring our carbon footprint is drastically reduced, our reliability is uncontested and while building economies, we’re aiding the environment”, says Duproz.
Africa Data Centres has already begun the implementation of its roadmap with the construction of both new facilities and the expansion of existing facilities underway.
Nigeria, through the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has won the 2025 World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) prize for its project, the Digital Awareness Programme (DAP), under Category C3, which is on Access to Information and Knowledge.
L–R: Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr. Aminu Maida, receives the WSIS 2025 Prize (Category C3: Access to Information and Knowledge) from the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Doreen Bogdan-Martin, following the selection of the Commission’s Digital Awareness Programme (DAP) as winner of the category.
The DAP, one of hundreds of projects submitted for the WSIS Prizes competition 2025, received the highest number of votes in its category, earning it the top honour. The programme equips secondary schools across the country with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) resources and provide internet connectivity to support teaching, learning, and research. Since inception in 2006, over 300 schools across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones have benefitted from the programme.
The Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Dr. Aminu Maida, received the award during the WSIS Prizes Winners 2025 Ceremony held on Monday in Geneva, Switzerland.
In his acceptance remarks, Dr. Maida thanked the hosts, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and WSIS, for recognising Nigeria’s efforts in promoting inclusive digital access across Nigeria, noting that the award would serve as further motivation for the Commission.
“This recognition is more than a celebration of past efforts—it is an encouragement to press forward. It affirms that investing in digital inclusion is investing in national development, and that Nigeria’s work is being seen and valued on the global stage,” Dr. Maida said.
Four other Nigerian projects—the Women Techsters and the Advanced Digital Empowerment Programme for Tertiary Institutions (ADEPTI) under Capacity Building, the Telecom-Based Research Grant Initiative under Enabling Environment, and the Digital Learning Initiative under e-Learning—were also celebrated for their nomination for the Champions Category of Projects at the WSIS Prizes Ceremony. Although they were not among the top-voted entries, they were acknowledged for their significant merit and impact.
The WSIS Prizes competition recognises and promotes projects that effectively leverage ICTs to advance sustainable development. The competition showcases how technology can serve as a powerful tool for addressing global challenges and achieving the SDGs. Projects from around the world are recognised annually, highlighting diverse approaches to building an inclusive information society.
The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) is a United Nations (UN) initiative aimed at building a people-centred, inclusive, and development-oriented information society. It provides a multi-stakeholder platform to address issues related to Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and their role in achieving sustainable development.
The Forum is an annual event that brings together high-level representatives from governments, the private sector, civil society, academia, the technical community, and international organisations. It serves as a global platform for implementing the WSIS Action Lines, which are aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has given telecom tower operators in the country August 2025 deadline to fix persistent network hitches in their facilities or face regulatory sanctions.
The Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the commission, Dr. Aminu Maida, reportedly gave the ultimatum during a high-level meeting with key industry players, attended by representatives of IHS Towers, American Tower Corporation (ATC), and Pan-African Towers, and mobile network operators (MNOs) in Abuja
According to sources, discussions at the meeting focused on the recurring challenges in the telecoms sector, particularly power failures, equipment malfunctions, and insufficient site maintenance, that have been causing poor Internet and call services in the country
Specifically, Maida tasked the tower operators on the imperative of complying with the NCC’s updated Quality of Service (QoS) framework, which now extends performance obligations to infrastructure providers, not just telecom service providers.
According to him, the timeline given by the commission is more than enough time for all parties to align with the performance standards expected of them.
Recently, to ensure compliance with the standards, the NCC introduced a Major Incident Reporting Portal for real-time outage disclosures; developed public performance dashboards to enhance transparency; mandated that telecom tower companies meet strict Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
Although the tower operators had previously cited delayed payments from MNOs as a reason for service lapses, the NCC had dismissed the justification, insisting that all parties must meet their obligations.
The EVC maintained: “Operators must fulfill both their technical and financial responsibilities. Poor service delivery—regardless of internal disputes—will attract consequences.”
Available data on the telecom tower infrastructure shows that IHS Towers has the largest assets with 16,000–19,000 sites, (62% market share); compared to American Tower Corp’s (ATC’s) about 8,270 towers; and Pan-African Towers’ 760–1,000 sites nationwide.
The latest NCC’s August deadline is believed to be putting pressures on the tower operators to improve the quality of their facilities for improved services as the commission had hinted of its plan to sanction defaulting operators with fines or stricter regulatory actions.
Industry experts believe that the NCC’s directive is a welcomed development as it will ensure reliable Internet connectivity and improved services quality for telecom consumers in the country.
Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is set to play a pivotal role at the upcoming 6th edition of the Telecom Sector Sustainability Forum (TSSF 6.0), where it will lead a critical discussion on the sustainable growth of Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs) in Nigeria.
Set against a backdrop of innovation and opportunity, this forum, organized by Business Remarks, aptly themed “Unlocking Nigeria’s MVNO Potential: Status, Trends, Investment, and Future Prospects,” is scheduled for August 26, 2025. This event reinforces the nation’s commitment to fostering a robust, competitive, and inclusive telecommunications landscape.
The forum will bring together a diverse array of key stakeholders from across the telecom ecosystem to deliberate on strategies for integrating MVNOs effectively into Nigeria’s rapidly evolving digital economy. With the recent advancements in technology and the issuance of 43 MVNO licenses to new players, MVNOs are poised to significantly enhance service delivery, drive digital transformation, penetrate underserved markets, and stimulate healthy competition across the sector.
As the global MVNO market is experiencing significant growth, with projections indicating continued expansion, experts believe that with the right regulatory environment and access to infrastructure, emerging markets like Nigeria can leverage MVNOs to unlock new value for both operators (by utilizing excess network capacity) and customers. Customers can enjoy a rich array of niche value-added services tailored to their needs.
Having been proactive in introducing a five-tier MVNO licensing classification, each with distinct services and a 10-year validity period, signaling a clear path for new entrants, the telecom regulator (NCC) will deliver a keynote address outlining the Commission’s regulatory framework, interventions, and commitment to ensuring a conducive environment for MVNO operations.
Mrs. Bukola Olanrewaju, Convener of the forum and Managing Editor of Business Remarks, emphasized the importance of collaboration. “TSSF 6.0 is designed to be a melting pot of ideas, bringing together Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), MVNOs, telecoms infrastructure providers, Internet Service Providers, industry associations, and technology experts,” she said.
“Our goal is to ignite discussions that will shape the future of MVNOs in Nigeria, ensuring their sustainable growth and their critical role in extending digital prosperity across the nation.”
The forum will feature interactive sessions, thought-provoking panel discussions, insightful paper presentations, and abundant networking opportunities. This event aims to provide a platform for stakeholders to share insights, address challenges, and explore collaborative pathways for sustainable growth.
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