Author: Akin Naphtal

Equinix, Inc., the world’s digital infrastructure company, has announced a $22 million investment to open a new high-performance data center in Lagos. The facility, named LG3 and set to launch in the first quarter of 2026, represents the first phase of an ambitious, multi-year investment plan totaling approximately $100 million. The new data center is poised to provide critical infrastructure for Nigeria’s rapidly expanding digital ecosystem, enabling local businesses to scale efficiently and attracting international companies to the West African hub. A key feature of the Lagos launch will be the incorporation of Equinix Fabric, a sophisticated connectivity platform. This…

Atlancis Technologies has deployed East and Central Africa’s first GPU-powered Artificial Intelligence (AI) factory. The infrastructure, operating under the company’s Servernah Cloud brand, is hosted at iXAfrica Data Centres and is poised to end the region’s reliance on foreign technology for high-powered computing. This milestone signals a decisive shift from dependency to digital sovereignty, enabling African enterprises, governments, and innovators to build, train, and deploy sophisticated AI models entirely within the continent’s borders. The initiative aims to supercharge regional AI adoption by making critical Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) locally accessible. Dubbed the heart of “Africa’s AI revolution,” the Servernah AI-as-a-Service…

MTN Group has reappointed Charles Molapisi as its Group Chief Technology and Information Officer (CTIO). The announcement, part of a broader executive reshuffle unveiled last month, sees the seasoned telecom leader return to the role he first held from 2019 to 2022, just as he steps down from his post as CEO of MTN South Africa after a transformative three-year tenure. Molapisi’s homecoming to the group-level tech helm comes at a pivotal moment for MTN, Africa’s largest mobile operator serving over 290 million subscribers across 17 markets. Having previously steered the company’s technology and information systems strategy during a period…

MTN Nigeria and Ericsson have achieved a breakthrough in mobile network efficiency with the successful field deployment of the Ericsson AIR 3284, a revolutionary triple-band Massive MIMO radio that consolidates all of MTN’s 4G mid-band spectrum into a single, ultra-compact unit. The cutting-edge solution replaces multiple traditional radios with a single energy-efficient system, slashing tower space, power consumption, and maintenance requirements. By simplifying infrastructure, MTN Nigeria is driving down operational costs while boosting network performance, especially in high-traffic urban zones. The AIR 3284 enables real-time, intelligent capacity allocation, dynamically directing resources to congestion hotspots only when needed, ensuring optimal efficiency…

Orange Marine, the submarine cable specialist subsidiary of the Orange Group, has announced the construction of two state-of-the-art cable ships, aiming to bolster the resilience of the world’s critical internet infrastructure. This strategic investment is aimed at securing and maintaining digital networks across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. The new vessels will expand Orange Marine’s operational fleet to four ships dedicated to maintenance, positioning the Orange group as the operator of the world’s most advanced cable maintenance fleet. These ships will patrol key maritime zones, including the Atlantic, the English Channel, the North Sea, the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean,…

In a move to future-proof its mobile infrastructure, VodafoneZiggo has announced a landmark three-year agreement with its long-term technology partner, Ericsson. The deal initiates a massive program to upgrade and expand the mobile network across the Netherlands, aiming to meet soaring data demands and drive national digital innovation. The ambitious initiative will see enhancements across 3,000 sites, preparing the network for expected growth in mobile data usage. The upgrade is designed to ensure a seamless and reliable experience for users nationwide while unlocking new possibilities for consumers, businesses, and the Internet of Things (IoT). A key component of the rollout…

Vertiv Holdings Co, a global leader in critical digital infrastructure, announced Monday that it has agreed to acquire Purge Rite Intermediate, LLC (“PurgeRite”) from Milton Street Capital LLC in a deal valued at approximately $1.0 billion in cash at closing, with up to an additional $250 million contingent on meeting 2026 performance targets. The acquisition, based on the initial $1.0 billion price, equates to about 10.0 times PurgeRite’s expected 2026 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), including anticipated cost synergies. The multiple is projected to drop below 10.0x if the earn-out is achieved. Vertiv expects the deal to…

In a strategic move set to redefine digital banking across the continent, Absa Group has announced a landmark partnership with global technology leader, Huawei to implement a cutting-edge Private Cloud Solution. This initiative marks a significant leap in Absa’s journey to become a digital-first, cloud-native organization. The new platform, developed on Huawei’s robust cloud infrastructure, is designed to accelerate the bank’s ability to deliver faster, more personalized financial services. A key focus of the deployment is ensuring local data sovereignty and compliance with the diverse regulatory requirements across Absa’s extensive Pan-African markets. The collaboration is poised to fast-track innovation in…

Digital Realty, the world’s largest provider of cloud- and carrier-neutral data centers, has officially opened its inaugural facility in Ghana, a major milestone in the company’s African expansion. The new Accra data center, known as ACR2, is strategically located in the capital’s digital corridor, surrounded by dense fiber networks and with direct on-ramps to the 2Africa subsea cable system – one of the largest submarine cable projects ever deployed on the continent. With an initial 1.7 MW of IT capacity, ACR2 is designed to serve as a high-connectivity hub for enterprises, financial institutions, telecommunications operators, cloud providers, and government entities…

Vertiv, a global leader in critical digital infrastructure, announced Tuesday the launch of its gigawatt-scale reference architectures tailored for NVIDIA’s Omniverse DSX Blueprint, a move designed to accelerate generative AI deployments and reduce Time to First Token on platforms like NVIDIA Vera Rubin. The announcement coincides with NVIDIA’s unveiling of its AI Factory Research Center in Manassas, Virginia, positioning Vertiv as a key enabler in building multi-generational, gigawatt-class AI factories that address surging demands for power, cooling, and scalability in the AI industrial revolution. Unlike traditional one-size-fits-all designs, Vertiv’s architectures offer flexible deployment options—including stick-built, hybrid, and fully prefabricated models…