Global data infrastructure giant Equinix is deepening its commitment to West Africa with the announcement of a $22 million investment in a new data centre in Lagos, marking its first greenfield build in the region. The facility, to be known as LG3, is expected to open in the first quarter of 2026 and will cater to both local enterprises and international firms seeking to scale their digital operations in Nigeria’s fast-growing tech ecosystem.
The new project represents the initial phase of Equinix’s broader $100 million Africa investment strategy, which aims to strengthen digital infrastructure and connectivity across key markets on the continent over the next two years.
According to Wole Abu, Managing Director for West Africa at Equinix, the LG3 data centre will “accelerate access to technologies like cloud, AI, and the next wave of startups,” as Lagos cements its position as “the crossroads of talent, innovation, and global connectivity.”
Strategically positioned, Lagos remains Nigeria’s digital nerve centre, hosting the country’s largest concentration of fintechs, banks, telecom operators, and enterprise customers. With over 18 million active internet subscribers as of Q1 2024 and multiple subsea cable landings, the city is the natural hub for data-driven investments. Market analysts project Nigeria’s data centre sector to reach $684 million by 2030, with Lagos commanding over 30% of that market — underscoring its significance in Africa’s digital future.
Equinix’s LG3 facility will be equipped with Equinix Fabric®, enabling customers to seamlessly link physical and virtual infrastructures to a global ecosystem spanning over 270 data centres worldwide. This integration will allow Nigerian businesses to connect directly to cloud service providers, global networks, and partners across continents.
The Lagos project forms part of a larger $140 million infrastructure expansion plan announced by Equinix in April 2025. That plan includes the development of PR1, a new data centre in Port Harcourt, which will serve as the first landing station for Meta’s 2Africa subsea cable outside Lagos, helping to decentralise internet capacity and improve redundancy in southern Nigeria.
Equinix’s journey in the region began in 2022 with its $320 million acquisition of MainOne, a leading West African connectivity provider. The acquisition handed Equinix control of multiple operational data centres in Nigeria, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire, as well as MainOne’s 7,000-kilometre subsea cable linking Nigeria to Portugal and an extensive terrestrial fibre network across southern Nigeria.
The company’s growing presence adds to a surging wave of data infrastructure investments in Nigeria. MTN Nigeria is investing over $240 million in a 9-megawatt Tier 3 data centre to strengthen its cloud offerings, while Airtel Nigeria is developing a 38-megawatt facility in Lagos at a cost of $120 million to support AI-driven services. Similarly, Open Access Data Centres (OADC) plans to expand its Lagos site to 24 megawatts by 2027 to meet surging demand for cloud and colocation services.
Globally, Equinix operates over 220 hyperscaler on-ramps across 45 metropolitan regions, with 4,000+ customers and 64,000 interconnections on its platform. The company now aims to channel this networked capacity into West Africa’s digital economy.
“With the opening of our newest data centre in Lagos, Equinix is proud to invest in this dynamic region,” said Aslıhan Güreşcier, Vice President for EMEA Growth & Emerging Markets at Equinix. “We’re enabling our customers to grow with world-class data centres that power everything from banking and education to emergency services and commerce.”
By positioning itself at the heart of Nigeria’s digital transformation, Equinix is not only extending its global reach but also helping bridge Africa’s data gap, fostering innovation and connectivity in one of the world’s most promising emerging tech markets.