Equinix, the global data center giant that acquired Nigeria’s MainOne, is investing $140 million over the next two years to expand digital infrastructure across southern Nigeria. The move includes building a brand-new data center in Port Harcourt and expanding its existing Lagos facility, LG3.
This development marks a major shift toward decentralizing Nigeria’s internet infrastructure, which has long been heavily concentrated in Lagos—home to 70% of the country’s subsea cable landings and data infrastructure.
Five months after completing the integration of MainOne, which it acquired for $320 million in 2022, Equinix is doubling down on its presence in Nigeria. The company’s new facility in Port Harcourt, dubbed PR1, will be the first data center in the city and will also serve as the landing station for Meta’s 2Africa submarine cable. This is expected to significantly boost bandwidth and improve internet reliability across the region.
In Lagos, Equinix will scale up LG3 to meet the growing demand for cloud and enterprise services, reinforcing its commitment to closing the digital gap and improving connectivity nationwide.
Over the last two decades, Nigeria’s digital landscape has transformed dramatically. Since the first GSM licenses were auctioned in 2001, mobile subscriptions have soared from zero to over 140 million. The infrastructure has steadily matured, thanks to the rise of tower companies in 2012 and major investments in data centers and fiber-optic networks.
Still, for many years, local digital infrastructure served mostly basic connectivity needs. That began to change in 2020 when global players like Equinix entered the scene—signaling Nigeria’s growing integration into the global digital economy.
Today, Equinix operates more than 260 International Business Exchange (IBX) data centers across 74 cities worldwide. These are connected via Equinix Fabric, a software-defined platform that enables secure, high-performance connectivity between data centers, cloud platforms, and enterprise networks.
Nigeria is now home to eight submarine cable landings, including two of the world’s most advanced systems—Google’s Equiano and Meta’s 2Africa. Both cables offer design capacities of over 100 terabits per second, a massive leap forward for internet speed and reliability. But there’s a catch: without strong infrastructure redundancy, the benefits of this expansion are still at risk.
That’s exactly what Equinix is working to fix.
“We’re routing traffic over multiple cables in West Africa on an active/active basis,” said Wole Abu, Managing Director of Equinix West Africa. “The next time a cable fails, our goal is for customers not to notice.”
This forward-thinking approach adds a critical layer of resilience to West Africa’s digital backbone—laying the groundwork for a more stable, connected future.
Nigeria’s digital infrastructure has made remarkable strides over the past two decades. Since the introduction of GSM licenses in 2001, mobile subscribers have surged from zero to over 140 million. The sector has continued to evolve, with the emergence of tower companies in 2012 and steady investments in fiber optics and data centers driving growth.
But despite these advances, a persistent challenge remains: the middle-mile infrastructure connecting coastal cable landing points to users in Nigeria’s inland regions. While cities like Lagos, Accra, and Abidjan enjoy strong connectivity, many interior areas remain underserved.
To bridge this gap, global data center leader Equinix has announced a $140 million investment over the next two years to strengthen internet access across southern Nigeria. The move builds on Equinix’s $320 million acquisition of MainOne in 2022, a deal that marked the company’s entry into the West African market.
As part of the expansion, Equinix will launch PR1, its first data center in Port Harcourt, and expand LG3, its third facility in Lagos. Notably, the Port Harcourt site will serve as Nigeria’s first landing station for Meta’s 2Africa submarine cable—a move expected to dramatically increase bandwidth capacity in the region.
This investment is more than just infrastructure—it’s a strategic shift. By decentralizing internet infrastructure from Lagos, Equinix is helping to reduce the capital’s near-monopoly on bandwidth and submarine cable access. It also opens up new digital growth corridors in southern Nigeria, a region critical to the country’s oil-driven economy.
Equinix’s move is part of a larger trend toward integrating Nigeria more fully into the global digital economy. Since 2020, major foreign investors have entered the market, signaling confidence in Nigeria’s digital potential. Equinix now operates more than 260 International Business Exchange (IBX) data centers across 74 cities worldwide, interconnected via Equinix Fabric—a secure, software-defined platform that links data centers, cloud services, and enterprise networks.
Nigeria currently hosts eight submarine cable landings, including Google’s Equiano and Meta’s 2Africa—two of the world’s most advanced systems, with design capacities exceeding 100 Tbps. These cables represent a massive leap forward in global connectivity. However, without robust redundancy and inland reach, much of their potential remains untapped.
Equinix is tackling this head-on by creating redundancy across its network.
“We’re routing traffic over multiple cables in West Africa on an active/active basis,” said Wole Abu, Managing Director of Equinix West Africa. “The next time a cable fails, our goal is for customers not to notice.”
But resilience alone isn’t enough. Nigeria’s National Broadband Plan aims to reach 70% broadband penetration by 2025, yet as of January 2025, the country sits at just 45%. To close this gap, the World Bank estimates that Nigeria needs an additional 95,000 kilometers of fiber, up from the current 35,000 km.
To accelerate progress, the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy recently launched a Broadband Alliance, focused on building a national fiber backbone. The success of this initiative will depend heavily on private sector participation.
“Our vendor-neutral platform and robust interconnection capabilities can help industry ecosystems form in West Africa and collaborate to grow the region’s digital economy,” Abu added.
The launch of PR1 in Port Harcourt and the scaling of LG3 in Lagos signal a clear shift: Equinix is laying the foundation for a more balanced, inclusive, and resilient digital infrastructure across Nigeria. By expanding beyond Lagos, the company is helping to unlock new opportunities for businesses, governments, and communities across southern Nigeria—and beyond.
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