Abolaji Adebayo 
Technology capital
With its commitment to lay over 6000 kilometres of fibre optic cables across the state for improved internet services, the Lagos State government is determined to become the technology capital of Africa. In addition to being the commercial capital of Nigeria and the economic hub of West Africa, the state is making frantic effort to be the centre of digital economy.
This is as the state government under the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is deploying all strategies and infrastructure to make the state a Smart City. To achieve this, the state government has said it is placing high premium on 6000 fibre optic cable, aimed at improving access to func- tional, efficient and affordable internet services. The governor assured that his administration would leverage the deployment of cutting edge technology to create improved and effective governance to the smart city project.
Sanwo-Olu unfolds dream
He noted that in achieving a 21st century economy, it required technology, especially the availability of an efficient and reliable internet service. “The bedrock of a functional smart city is adequate and functional infrastructure. “We are committed to improving the provision of adequate in- frastructure to fast track the smart city project in order to optimise the limitless opportunities of a fully digitalised economy,” he said. According to him, the widespread application of technology will create opportunities and enhance socio-economic growth.
Sanwo-Olu recounted some of the successes of leveraging technology in furtherance of building a smart Lagos city that is globally competitive. In fact, the current disposition of telecommunication service consumers for faster, stronger, and far reaching, digital internet connectivity has largely been facilitated by the introduction of fibre optic cable powered networks and this has seen fiber optics technology become a strategic pivot for con- temporary telecommunications operations. The Nigerian telecommuni- cation industry is also set on this path as efforts have been made in recent times by stakeholders and the government to adopt fibre optic technology in the provision of telecommunication services.
Worthy of special mention is the Lagos State Unified Duct Infrastructure Project (LASG-UDIP), which was kick-started in 2020 as part of the state’s ‘Smart City Programme’ aimed at providing a 24-hour driven economy. The state government is building the needed infrastructure for the smart city. The Commissioner for Science and Technology disclosed that over 3,000km of fiber cables were deployed in the year 2020 as part of the unified fibre project. The project is said to be a multiyear project that will involve the installation of a total of 6000km of fibre optic cables that will come in two phases of 3000km each.
Apparently, the project is also a means of implementing a “dig once” policy in order to prevent the fragmented and constant digging of state roads by different telecom operators and internet service providers. This increased deployment of fibre optic technology within the telecommunications sphere in Nigeria underscores the necessity of government’s involvement in the regulation of the operation, installation, and deployment of fibre optic cables across the country by telecommunication companies through adequate and robust regulatory frameworks.
Private investors
The governor called for support, partnership and collaboration of the private sector in order to transform the state to a smart city hub. In 2019, MainOne boosted its efforts with a 2,700 kilometre length of fibre optic coverage. Then the Chief Executive Officer of MainOne, Funke Opeke, said the company was looking at collaborating with the Lagos State government and all other relevant stakeholders to build a digital state. MainOne was pleased to have the opportunity to present plans for digital Lagos, a proven path to ubiquitous broadband connectivity.
This plan would involve the investment by MainOne of over N25 billion over the next two to three years, to develop critical fibre optic infrastructure to enable broadband services across Lagos. After this announcement, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), reacting to a piece of misleading news, said, in 2020, that digging and fibre optic cable laying by some telecoms operators were in accordance with the agreements reached during meetings by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, and management of the NCC, with the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) led by Kayode Fayomi, the governor of Ekiti, in January 2020.
Right of way
The Nigerian Governors’ Forum then gave its commitment to allow the network operators expand their networks by granting right of way (RoW) approvals for telecommunications infrastructure expansion unhindered across their states. It means that the revolution had begun and people were seeing the activities of these telecoms companies. To prevent chaos, on May 14, 2020, the Lagos House of Assembly approved the unification of fibre infrastructure for telecom companies. This meant the deployment of a single cable duct for all telecom companies and other utility providers operating in the city.
A “dig once” policy was put in place to prevent the illegal digging of state roads by different telecom operators and Internet service providers. Later, in 2021, the state government announced that it has installed a 3,000 kilometre of Fibre Metro Network connection within the year 2020 across the state as part of the comprehensive Smart City Programme aimed at providing a 24-hour driven economy. The then Commissioner for Science and Technology, Hakeem Fahm said an additional 3,000km will be installed in same year.
This is in line with the Smart City Project of the Lagos government. Fahm said that the implementa- tion of the Smart City Project is to enable governance, connectivity, and environmental security, saying that the use of technology would make reporting of security, health incidents easy to reach, and promote access to major stakeholders in the government.
By April 2022, the project deployment kicked off in June 2020 with a 24-month completion timeline and had recorded several successes. These include the completion of over 2, 600 kilometres of the fibre infrastructure; the connection of over 1, 000 telecom base station sites of MTN and Airtel to the fibre infrastructure; the signing of agreements with Liquid Telecom, MainOne, Dolphin Telecoms, Swift, Spectranet, etc.
This project has become the most important success driver for Google’s Equiano submarine cable, Facebook’s 2 Africa submarine cable and the evacuation of large scale broadband capacity (delivered by the foregoing submarine cables), which would otherwise have been stranded to different parts of Lagos and through the same fibre pipes to other parts of Nigeria.
However, the divisional chief executive of ipNX Nigeria, Segun Okuneye, in April 2022, noted that low level availability of fibre optic infrastructure in the country is a major problem. He also complained of the Right of Way hurdles.
Data centres
Effort by the Lagos State government to build a digital economy hub of Africa is gaining traction as private investors continue to explore the State for data centre space. At the last count, the state is hosting about 13 data centres, with the latest launched on Tuesday by Airtel Africa, which commences construction of Nxtra by Airtel’s first data centre in Nigeria. Nxtra by Airtel is set to be one of the largest networks of data centres in Africa, with high-capacity data centres in major cities located strategically across Airtel Africa’s footprint, complementing its existing edge sites.
This development underscores the company’s commitment to meeting the continent’s data management needs by providing trusted and sustainable data centre capacity to serve the fast-growing African digital economy. The ground-breaking ceremony of the new data centre, situated on Lagos Victoria Island, was hosted by Airtel Africa’s outgoing Group Chief Executive Officer, Segun Ogunsanya and his successor, Sunil Taldar.
It attracted key dignitaries and industry leaders including SanwoOlu; Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani; Heads of Federal and State Ministries and Parastatals, and members of the national and state assemblies, among others. Speaking during the event, the Group Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Africa, Segun Ogunsanya, said the Nxtra project marks a significant milestone in the company’s journey and is a cornerstone of the organisation’s growth strategy, with a particular focus on Nigeria, its largest market.
“We strongly believe that the establishment of NXtra Data Centres will enhance data sovereignty, security, and preservation within the continent, reflecting our commitment to make Nigeria a major hub for access to digital services as we propel Africa towards a sustainable and inclusive digital age,” he said. Ogunsanya added: “This mega project will provide over 1000 jobs. And more significantly, once deployed and at capacity, it will create over 250 permanent jobs for Nigerians whilst supporting companies in the manufacturing, financial services, health care as they move their data and computing into third party data centers like ours.
Ultimately, we have to store data and content closer to where it is being consumed.” Sanwo-Olu, who said his government is committed to positioning the state as a premier digital hub in Africa, stated: “The NXtra Frontier is not merely the construction of a facility, but the dawn of a new era in data control, security, and preservation throughout Africa. Airtel’s commitment to the highest standards in data management, technological innovation, and ex- tensive network infrastructure is truly commendable. With a total capacity of 180 MW distributed across 13 major Data Centers and over 48 Edge Data Centers, NXtra is poised to redefine data storage and accessibility in Africa.”
Also, speaking at the ground breaking ceremony, Tijani extolled the revolutionary opportunities ahead for business and the economy in a future driven by connectivity via data centers such as NXtra and powered by technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) that the future of business. “Data is a key driver in our economy. Not only do we need to connect our people, we also must invest in the digital economy, and through the investment that companies like Airtel have made in our economy, we are fully able to participate in the digital economy,” he said.
Job opportunity
The Nxtra by Airtel data centre in Lagos will deliver 38 megawatts of total power and host high density racks that integrate the latest best practice construction to achieve 1.3 power usage effectiveness (PUE). It is expected to be live by the first quarter of 2026. The Lagos data centre facility will be the first of five hyperscale data centres to be developed by Airtel Africa on the continent.
