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Airtel Nigeria has reiterated its long-term commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s digital infrastructure and improving data access as part of efforts to close connectivity gaps and unlock new economic opportunities across the country.
The reaffirmation was made during a high-level inspection tour of the Nxtra Data Centre under development at Eko Atlantic, Lagos, by Nxtra by Airtel Africa. The tour was led by Airtel Nigeria’s Chief Executive Officer, Dinesh Balsingh, alongside Yashnath Issur, Chief Executive Officer of Nxtra by Airtel Africa. They were joined by the Chairman of Eko Atlantic, Gabbi Massoud, the CEO of Design Group Limited, Bayo Odunlami, and members of the technology media.
The Nxtra Data Centre has completed a rigorous design validation process and has received approval from Eko Atlantic to proceed with construction, marking a key milestone in the project’s development.
Issur described the site visit as a significant step in delivering a world-class digital facility on schedule, noting that the investment is aimed at providing secure, reliable and globally competitive digital services for Nigeria and the wider African market.
He said the Lagos facility is central to Nxtra’s long-term vision for Nigeria’s digital ecosystem, adding that the data centre will provide high multi-megawatt capacity aligned with hyperscale customer requirements and support high-density computing environments. According to him, the project is designed to bring advanced cloud infrastructure closer to Nigerian users.
The data centre, which is expected to be the largest in Nigeria, will deliver both hyperscale and edge facilities across key African markets. With a planned capacity of 38 megawatts, the Lagos site is positioned to serve as a major hub for data hosting, cloud services, content distribution, artificial intelligence and enterprise solutions in West Africa.
Balsingh said the project remains on track towards its previously announced 2028 go-live date. He noted that Airtel’s focus since the project’s announcement has been on developing a secure, energy-efficient and future-ready facility that supports Africa’s broader digital transformation agenda.
During the inspection, stakeholders toured critical areas of the site, including piling zones where structural requirements have been tested. Technical teams also provided briefings on infrastructure design, security architecture, redundancy frameworks and sustainability measures being deployed to ensure long-term reliability and operational excellence.
Located near major fibre routes and undersea cable landing stations, the Eko Atlantic data centre is expected to enhance Nigeria’s data sovereignty, reduce latency and improve access to reliable digital services for enterprises and consumers. The facility is also expected to significantly increase local data hosting capacity and support emerging technologies such as cloud computing and artificial intelligence.
Massoud said the inspection highlighted Eko Atlantic’s commitment to hosting infrastructure projects of global relevance. He noted that the Nxtra data centre aligns with the city’s vision of attracting long-term, technology-driven investments that contribute to Nigeria’s economic growth and evolving digital ecosystem.
Through this investment, Airtel Nigeria and Nxtra by Airtel Africa continue to demonstrate their commitment to building critical infrastructure that enables innovation, supports economic development and accelerates Nigeria’s digital transformation.
Nxtra by Airtel is developing a network of hyperscale data centres across Africa, with additional facilities currently under construction in Nairobi, Kenya, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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