The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, has said MTN Tier III Data Centre aligns directly with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision to grow a $1 trillion economy by unlocking productivity, powering enterprise, and diversifying Nigeria’s economy beyond oil through innovation and inclusion.

Corroborating the minister’s statement, the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu also said the Tier III Data Centre facility would raise the bar for secure, scalable and efficient enterprise services that are critical enablers of businesses, public services, startups and multinational corporations alike.

Both the minister and the governor said this yesterday in Lagos, during the launch of Phase 1 of MTN Tier III Data Centre and local cloud located in Ikeja, Lagos, with a total expandable IT capacity load of 4.5 megawatts.

The minister said: “The facility is part of the digital foundation of that modern economy that we see. One that provides, and will continue to provide reliable and secure data computing and storage for small and large enterprises, including government data.

“It is only through this kind of infrastructure that we can truly enable sovereignty, trust, and also boost national productivity.”

According to him, the data centre facility connects directly to government’s project like the national fiber rollout that will deliver 90,000 kilometers of connectivity across Nigeria.

It’s also tied to the planned deployment of 7,000 communication towers in unserved and underserved communities, bringing meaningful connectivity to over 20 million Nigerians who are currently offline.

“Together, these efforts ensure that every citizen, regardless of their location, will have access and contribute to our digital economy. As we all know, talent will always need platforms.

“Investments like the MTN Data Centre that is named after MTN’s former Chief Executive Officer, Sifiso Dabengwa, that we’re here to launch, offers the platform for our young people to be able to thrive.

“The facility is a testament to what is possible when national vision meets private sector boldness, and I commend MTN for the initiate and for the investment,” Tijani further said.

Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Barrister Abimbola Salu-Hundeyin, said the facility launch would mark a significant step in Nigeria’s journey towards full digital transformation and economic resilience.

“The launch of the Dabengwa Data Center in Lagos, not only signifies MTN’s unwavering commitment to investing in Nigeria’s digital infrastructure, but also reinforces the strategic importance of Lagos State as a technology and innovation hub of our nation.

“As we all know, data is the new oil, the compass to a nation’s wealth and cloud technology is the engine that drives it. With the Tier III Data Centre facility, MTN is raising the bar for secure, scalable and efficient enterprise services which is a critical enabler of businesses, public services, startups and multinational corporations alike.

“Lagos being home to a population moving closer to 30 million people and Nigeria’s economic health centre, Nigeria’s commercial capital, the number one business hub of Nigeria, and the third largest economy in West Africa, the fifth largest economy in Africa and the fastest growing mega city in the world, is obviously the natural choice for such a forward-looking investment,” Sanwo-Olu said.

In his welcome address, the CEO of MTN, Dr. Karl Toriola, said the data centre facility remained an exceptional investment in Nigeria.

“We have consistently maintained that we in MTN Nigeria are here to stay, and this is another mark of our representation and of our commitment to this country.

“We are opening the largest data centre in West Africa. It is lined with current traffic today, with a capacity of 4.5 megawatts, which will grow to 14 megawatts over the next 24 months,” Toriola said.