Grace Ashiru
Huawei Technologies, a leading information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure provider, is reportedly preparing to establish a data center in Nigeria to comply with the country’s data storage regulations. This new facility, referred to as a “cloud site,” is set to go live on October 31, 2024, and will provide data storage and computing resources for local businesses and various sectors.
The announcement was made by David Olaiya, Head of Cloud Fintech Business Development at Huawei Nigeria, during a keynote session at the Fintech Week event in Lagos. Olaiya explained that the new data center will be an extension of Huawei’s existing cloud infrastructure in South Africa, with additional connectivity to its data center in Ireland. Along with Huawei’s global 24/7 support, the Nigerian facility will also have a dedicated local support team.
Olaiya highlighted that the establishment of a local data center will address issues related to data sovereignty and regulatory compliance, improve local data availability, and reduce latency levels.
“This initiative responds to the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR), which mandates that Nigerian user data must be stored within the country,” Olaiya explained.
He pointed out that many companies using foreign cloud services face compliance challenges because their data often crosses international borders. The new data center will allow businesses to store data within Nigeria, with fintech companies—required to strictly adhere to data protection laws—being among the primary beneficiaries.
Huawei Cloud currently operates 93 availability zones across 33 regions globally, with data centers in South Africa and Egypt. In Egypt, Huawei Cloud, in partnership with Telecom Egypt, established its first locally-based public cloud platform to support the country’s digital transformation strategy.
In April 2024, Huawei Cloud also announced plans to support 100 Nigerian startups in their innovation and growth efforts on Huawei Cloud over the next two years. Additionally, in May 2024, the Nigerian government revealed plans to open a national data center by the end of that month, capable of storing up to 1.4 petabytes of data, including critical information like citizens’ biometric data.
