By Kester Omu
The Chief Executive Officer of MainOne, Funke Opeke has insisted that the only sure way to unlocking Africa’s digital transformation is to increase investment in shared fiber network infrastructure, data center and cloud computing infrastructure in Africa.
She noted this while speaking at the 2018 TMT Finance Africa Conference, a forum driving investment for telecoms, media and technology sector across Africa, held in Cape Town, South Africa last week.
Ms. Opeke, who joined panelists from DLA Piper, Teraco, PAIX and Rack Center to discuss the need for continued investment and growth within the telecom sector and data center market in order to realize the vision for increased ICT adoption in Africa, added that investment will also grow the digital ecosystem and ultimately expand the much envisaged digital economy .
She disclosed that MainOne, through its subsidiary, MDXi Data Centre has recently invested an additional N12billion in its Lekki data centre in order to grow its capacity from 300 to 600 racks. She stated this investment is a part of MainOne’s plan to invest additional $300 million to enhance communication infrastructure across West Africa over ten years.
“MainOne intends to remain at the forefront of the broadband initiative in West Africa with investments in fiber infrastructure and data centres across the region to advance broadband activities. In 8 years, we have established a reputation as the preferred provider of connectivity and data center services to West African businesses and have facilitated global content providers seeking direct access to subscribers on the sub-continent. The company has continued to extend its network reach and is currently providing services in eight West African countries, including Nigeria and Ghana,” she added.
