Lagos to build data centre for proper information management

Lagos State Government said that it would build a state-owned data centre to manage the growing data in the state.

The State Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, disclosed this at the groundbreaking ceremony of Rack Centre 12mw IT power capacity date centre facility in Lagos.

Hamzat, who represented Governor Babajide SanwoOlu, at the event, said: “Our data and other information is growing phenomenally, so, it has become crucial that we manage them adequately well.”

He, therefore, called on the private sector to come and partner the state in making the project a reality.

Hamzat, who disclosed that as of 2021, data centre investments (via private operators) in the state, have crossed over $1 billion, pledged to improve the business climate in the state and make it more conducive for both local and foreign investors.

On his part, the Group Chief Executive Officer, Rack Centre, Jasper Lankhorst, said the new build will enhance and broaden the capacity of the company to serve more clients in Nigeria with an IT load of 12MW as against the LGS 1 facility, which has an IT load of 1.5MW.

“With about 85 million Internet subscribers, more than any country in Africa or Europe, and the largest population and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Africa, Nigeria is a key entry point for global telecommunications, content, and cloud players seeking access to the region. We are embarking on this new build to bring applications and data closer to the user and improve the quality and speed of the user experience’’ Lankhorst said.

Lankhorst explained that the new facility, just like LGS 1 data centre, will offer the unique competitive edge of reliability as a Tier III Constructed Facility offering 100 per cent uptime with Zero downtime and 10 levels of physical security with biometric, CCTV monitoring, and 24/7 Command Centre.

“At Rack Centre, we are 100 per cent Carrier and Cloud Neutral, which means we are not owned or affiliated with any telecommunications carrier, ISP or managed service provider and do not compete, therefore offering great opportunities for all our digital ecosystem partners to grow their businesses at Rack Centre. We offer unrestricted interconnects between customers, as it allows them to manage traffic to get better value, lower latency, and higher resilience,” said Lankhorst.

He revealed that Rack Centre, with over 60 carriers, Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Cloud and Content delivery networks, offers a wide and unrestricted choice of services for its customers. He said fibre access to the facility is through three diverse routes and includes all active undersea cables on the Atlantic coast of Africa.

Lankhorst also disclosed that Rack Centre is developing one of the most efficient and sustainable data centres in Lagos, Nigeria, and across Sub-Saharan Africa in line with its sustainability strategy. The company, according to him, is switching its power source from diesel to gas not only to reduce carbon footprint but also to reduce environmental impact and align with the global sustainability data centre design trend. “Rack Centre is forecasted to be 35 per cent more energy-efficient than other regional data centres, and 16 per cent more energy-efficient than the global average. It will reduce water consumption by 41 per cent, and there will be a 45 per cent saving in embodied energy in materials used,” he said.