Sanwo-Olu: Airtel’s Tier III Data Centre Will Boost IT Development, Create Business Opportunities

Emma Okonji

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has said the launch of Airtel’s Tier III Data Centre in Lagos, will further boost development in Information  Technology and create opportunities for businesses in the state and beyond.

The governor said this in Lagos, during the launch of the Airtel’s 200 racks capacity Data Centre located in Lekki, Lagos State.

The governor who was represented by the Lagos State Commissioner for Science and Technology, Hakeem Fahm, said: “I appreciate Airtel for its continuous investments in Nigeria, Lagos State in particular. Since the Data Centre will offer a combination of Co-location and Cloud Services, it will lower entry barrier of entrepreneurs who want to invest in data. The Data Centre will create more business opportunities for entrepreneurs, startups and business owners, which will in turn, drive Information Technology (IT) development in the state and beyond, as well as economic development of the country.”

During the Data Centre facility tour, shortly after the launch, Fahm, commended Airtel for its investments in the development of science and technology in Lagos State, noting that the Airtel Data Centre aligns with the state’s mega city plan, especially regarding the government’s aspirations in technology. 

“I commend the management of Airtel Nigeria for their impactful contributions in Lagos State and the country at large, thanks to their innovative drive in technology. The Data Centre has further contributed in placing the state as a technology hub in the country at large,” Fahm said.

Commenting on the data centre, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Airtel Nigeria, Surendran Chemmenkotil, said the launch of its data centre for commercial use was in response to its overarching objective of promoting digital inclusion as well as creating unfettered access and opportunities for entrepreneurs, businesses, and other organisations to enjoy premium data centre services in a world class and reliable facility. 

“With over 20 years of extensive telecoms, technological and consumer-empowering operations in Nigeria, we are best positioned to support businesses and government establishments with an incomparable data centre that will help advance commerce and ultimately expand the nation’s economy, driving growth and prosperity for entrepreneurs and consumers,” Chemmenkotil said.

 Director, Airtel Business at Airtel Nigeria, Ogo Ofomata, said: “We are inspiring and pioneering a new wave in the Nigeria’s data centre landscape as we offer a compelling and affordable data centre to both large enterprises and small and medium scale businesses. Through our data centre, businesses will benefit from uninterrupted power and hyper secure storage for servers and data transmission equipment for various sizes of private and public sector establishments.”

Awarded the high-end Tier III ANSI/TIA-942 certification by EPI, the world’s leading certification body for data centres, the Airtel ultra-modern data centre runs on superior technology that enables it to perform efficiently in Nigeria’s tropical climate while also providing multiple paths and backups to its users.

According to Ofomata, the Airtel Data Centre would begin full operations immediately. “The Tier III data centre possesses multiple paths for power and cooling, as well as redundant systems that allow staff to work on the setup without taking it offline. The Airtel Data Centre is positioned to power vast financial, communications, and other forms of enterprises – both large and small in Nigeria,” Ofomata added.