Nigeria’s data centre market is on track for rapid expansion, with total installed capacity projected to rise from 56.1 megawatts (MW) in 2025 to over 218 MW by 2030, representing an almost fourfold increase in five years.According to a new report by Estate Intel, the data centre segment has maintained steady momentum since the pandemic, which underscored its resilience and strategic importance to Nigeria’s digital economy.“Between 2025 and 2030, however, Nigeria is expected to grow from 56.1MW in data centre capacity to 218+MW, representing a growth of over 3.7x,” the report stated According to the report, Nigeria’s data centre industry has recorded steady annual growth of about 21% since 2020, when the pandemic highlighted the sector’s resilience.
This upward trend is projected to continue through 2030, supported by growing participation from major global operators including Equinix, OADC, and Digital Realty.Digital growth The sustained growth trajectory of Nigeria’s data centre sector aligns with the country’s broader digital transformation agenda and positions Nigeria as a key emerging data hub in Africa.While other real estate sectors have struggled in recent years, the data centre industry continues to record sustained demand for cloud storage, fintech operations, and digital services.According to the report, between 2020 and 2024, Nigeria completed 14 data centres, each with a median capacity of 1.5MW. Over the next 5 years, the median capacity of data centres delivered will grow to 4.5MW, larger than the 1.5MW noted in the preceding 5-year period.Ongoing projects Several large-scale projects are currently under construction by both international and local operators:Equinix is building a 20MW data centre in Alaro City, Lagos.Airtel is developing its 35MW Nxtra Data Centre in Eko Atlantic.
Open Access Data Centres (OADC) is constructing a 24MW facility along the Lekki Corridor. infrastructures and the various contractors driving its development.Rack Centre LG2 (Ikeja, Lagos), Airtel Nxtra (Eko Atlantic), and African Data Centres LOS1 (Eko Atlantic) were all handled by ITB Nigeria, one of the leading construction firms in the country.MainOne MDX-i (Lekki) and LGO3 (Victoria Island) were developed by Vita Construction Limited, an indigenous contractor responsible for several high-profile projects. The facilities are now owned by Equinix, following its 2022 acquisition of MainOne. The MDX-i centre was completed in 2015 and expanded in 2022 with the addition of MDX-i Lekki II.GTBank DC01 Data Centre (Ikate-Elegushi) was executed by Cappa and D’Alberto, marking the first Tier III-certified data centre in Africa’s financial services industry. The firm is currently building the Jovis Nigeria Limited Data Centre in Victoria Island.MTN Nigeria’s Data Centre was delivered by Interkel Group, a local firm that launched the facility in 2020 as part of MTN’s Network-as-a-Service initiative, providing both hosting and colocation services.National Information Technology Centre Data Centre 1 (DC1), Abuja, which serves the Nigerian government’s data storage and processing needs, was constructed by Sageto Limited for Galaxy Backbone.
