Equinix, a leading global data center provider and the company behind the acquisition of Nigeria’s MainOne, has announced plans to invest $140 million in expanding digital infrastructure across southern Nigeria over the next two years. According to a blog post shared with TechCabal, this investment will fund the construction of a new data center in Port Harcourt and the expansion of Equinix’s third data center in Lagos. These developments represent a major push to decentralise Nigeria’s internet capacity, which has long been centered in Lagos.
This announcement follows five months after Equinix completed the post-acquisition integration of MainOne, which it acquired in 2022 for $320 million. With this latest move, Equinix is strengthening its presence in Nigeria, where about 70% of the country’s subsea cable landings and data infrastructure are still concentrated in Lagos, contributing to a persistent digital divide.
As part of this initiative, Equinix will launch PR1, its first data center in Port Harcourt, which will also become the landing point for Meta’s 2Africa submarine cable in Nigeria. This is expected to significantly boost bandwidth capacity in the region and reduce the heavy reliance on Lagos. Additionally, Equinix plans to expand LG3, its third Lagos-based data center, to meet the rising demand for enterprise and cloud services.
Over the past two decades, Nigeria’s digital infrastructure has experienced rapid growth. Following the auction of GSM licenses in 2001, the number of mobile subscribers surged from zero to over 140 million. This growth was further supported in 2012 by the emergence of tower companies and later by significant investments in data centers and fiber-optic networks.
Despite this progress, local data infrastructure remained basic until around 2020. That year marked a turning point, as major international investors such as Equinix entered the Nigerian market, signifying the country’s deeper integration into the global digital economy.
Equinix now operates more than 260 International Business Exchange (IBX) data centers across 74 metropolitan regions worldwide. These centers are linked through Equinix Fabric, a software-defined platform designed to provide secure and high-performance connectivity between data centers, cloud platforms, and enterprise networks.
Enhancing resilience through subsea cables
Nigeria currently hosts eight submarine cable landings, including two of the most advanced systems globally—Google’s Equiano and Meta’s 2Africa. Each cable offers design capacities exceeding 100 Tbps, representing a significant upgrade in connectivity capabilities. However, the full benefits of these developments depend on reliable infrastructure redundancy.
Equinix has committed to improving this resilience.
“We’re routing traffic over multiple cables in West Africa on an active/active basis,” said Wole Abu, Managing Director of Equinix West Africa, in a blog post. “The next time a cable fails, our goal is for customers not to notice.” This forward-thinking approach introduces much-needed resilience to the region’s digital framework.
Bridging Nigeria’s digital divide
Although international connectivity has improved dramatically, a persistent challenge lies in the middle-mile infrastructure that connects coastal cable landing points to inland users. Urban centers such as Lagos, Accra, and Abidjan enjoy relatively strong connectivity, but many inland areas remain underserved.
Nigeria’s National Broadband Plan (2020–2025) sets a target of achieving 70% broadband penetration by 2025. However, as of January 2025, penetration stood at just 45%. According to the World Bank, Nigeria requires an additional 95,000 kilometers of fiber infrastructure—up from the current 35,000 kilometers—to achieve full national coverage.
To tackle this issue, the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy recently established a Broadband Alliance aimed at building a national fiber backbone. Equinix and other private sector players are expected to play a central role in realizing this goal.
“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,” said Abu.
The launch of Equinix PR1 in Port Harcourt will significantly boost internet capacity in Southern Nigeria and support the geographical diversification of digital infrastructure. By reducing Lagos’ dominant control over bandwidth and cable access, the project aims to unlock new digital growth pathways in the region.
Equinix, a global data center leader, has unveiled plans to invest $140 million over the next two years to enhance internet connectivity throughout southern Nigeria. This move follows the company’s $320 million acquisition of MainOne in 2022, marking its official entry into the West African market. The main objective of this investment is to address the imbalance in Nigeria’s digital infrastructure, where Lagos has long been the central hub.
Planned developments include the opening of Equinix PR1, the company’s first data center in Port Harcourt, as well as the expansion of Equinix LG3, its third facility in Lagos. Importantly, the Port Harcourt center will serve as Nigeria’s initial landing station for Meta’s 2Africa submarine cable, significantly increasing the region’s bandwidth and challenging Lagos’ historical dominance in cable landings. This development is particularly impactful for Southern Nigeria, a region known for its rapidly growing population and vital role in the country’s oil economy.
From GSM to global digital integration
Nigeria’s digital transformation has progressed swiftly. Beginning with the GSM license auction in 2001, the mobile subscriber base quickly expanded to over 140 million. In 2012, the emergence of tower companies allowed operators to scale more efficiently by outsourcing tower maintenance. Subsequent infrastructure advances, including the deployment of fiber-optic cables and the establishment of data centers, further developed the digital ecosystem.
Initially, local data centers were built to support basic connectivity. A major shift occurred around 2020 when significant foreign investments started flowing into the sector. Equinix’s acquisition of MainOne was a major milestone, connecting Nigeria to a global infrastructure network and setting the foundation for scalable digital expansion.
Equinix now operates over 260 IBX data centers across 74 cities worldwide. These facilities are interconnected through Equinix Fabric, a software-defined networking platform that facilitates secure, high-performance interconnection between data centers, cloud services, and enterprise systems.
Nigeria’s eight submarine cable landings include two state-of-the-art systems—Google’s Equiano and Meta’s 2Africa—each capable of delivering over 100 Tbps. These cables mark a substantial improvement in Nigeria’s connectivity landscape. Still, without robust redundancy measures, the benefits of these cables could be at risk.
Equinix is actively working to mitigate this vulnerability.
“We’re routing traffic over multiple cables in West Africa on an active/active basis,” said Wole Abu, Managing Director of Equinix West Africa, in a recent blog post. “The next time a cable fails, our goal is for customers not to notice.” This initiative is key to building a resilient digital infrastructure across the region.
Addressing the middle-mile bottleneck
Even with significant progress in global connectivity, the middle-mile infrastructure remains a major obstacle—especially in linking coastal cable landing sites to inland populations. While cities like Lagos, Accra, and Abidjan benefit from robust connectivity, many rural and interior areas still lag behind.
The National Broadband Plan (2020–2025) outlines a target of 70% broadband penetration by 2025, but as of January 2025, the rate is just 45%. To close this gap, the World Bank estimates that Nigeria must add approximately 95,000 kilometers of fiber to the existing 35,000 kilometers.
To accelerate this development, the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy recently introduced a Broadband Alliance focused on building a national fiber backbone. Effective collaboration between public and private sector players will be vital to this effort.
“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,” said Abu.
With the launch of Equinix PR1 in Port Harcourt, internet capacity in Southern Nigeria will expand significantly. This move not only breaks Lagos’ near-monopoly on cable landings but also fosters geographic balance in digital infrastructure development. Through this investment, Equinix is helping to shape a more inclusive and regionally balanced digital future for Nigeria.
