Grace Ashiru
Airtel Africa is expanding its operations by constructing a new data center in Nairobi, Kenya. This move is part of the company’s strategy to diversify its revenue streams and marks its second data center on the African continent, following the one in Nigeria.
The telecommunications company has announced plans to establish a data center in Nairobi. This state-of-the-art facility will have a capacity of seven megawatts and will cater to the needs of the telecoms and other sectors. It is worth noting that this data center will be smaller in size compared to the 36-megawatt center that the company intends to build in Lagos, Nigeria.
During a conference call with analysts on February 1, Airtel Africa’s CEO, Segun Ogunsanya, announced the telco’s plans to commence data infrastructure development in Nigeria, followed by Kenya, with the aim of completing the project by mid-2026.
We are excited to announce that our groundbreaking in Nigeria is scheduled to take place in the next couple of weeks, with the one in Kenya following shortly after. The construction process typically takes about two years, so we anticipate these projects to be operational around mid-year 2026.
Mr. Ogunsanya emphasized the significance of the two upcoming data centers, referring to them as the “key stars in our portfolio.” He also confirmed that these data centers will be commercially operated.
Airtel believes that by establishing data centres within the continent, the speed of accessing digital services will be enhanced, and the cost of data management will decrease. This will not only foster innovation but also provide support to the emerging tech talent in the region.
The project represents the firm’s ongoing efforts to broaden its revenue sources beyond the traditional communication business and the recently established mobile money sector.
Airtel Africa launched Nxtra, its data hub business, in December with a strong commitment to meeting the growing needs of the continent’s trusted and sustainable data center capacity. This initiative aims to support the fast-growing African digital economy.
Nxtra is focused on establishing an extensive network of data centres in Africa. These state-of-the-art facilities will be strategically located in major cities across Airtel Africa’s footprint, aiming to create one of the largest data centre networks on the continent. This initiative was outlined in a previous statement released by the telecommunications company.
Mr. Ogunsanya has announced plans to expand the company’s data center footprint beyond the existing facilities in Lagos and Nairobi. In addition to these two locations, smaller data centers will be established in the mobile cable landing stations located in Tanzania, DRC Congo, and Gabon.
Airtel has been significantly expanding its presence in the Kenyan market, with substantial investments in both the voice and mobile money sectors.
According to the telco, the majority of its deployed 5G sites in five countries are located in Nigeria and Kenya, with a few also in Zambia and Tanzania.
Airtel Kenya made an exciting announcement last December, revealing that they have expanded their active 5G sites to an impressive 370. These sites are strategically positioned in 16 counties and 180 wards across the country.
The telecommunications company proudly boasts an extensive network infrastructure, covering a staggering 3,200 sites and reaching an impressive 89 percent of all 47 counties in Kenya.
