Global digital infrastructure provider Equinix, Inc. announced plans to open a $22 million high-performance data center, named LG3, in Lagos, Nigeria. Scheduled to launch in the first quarter of 2026, the facility serves as Equinix’s first newly built, greenfield site in West Africa, following its $320 million acquisition of regional provider MainOne in 2022. The $22 million commitment represents the initial phase of a broader two-year, $100 million capital expenditure plan aimed at expanding and accelerating digital infrastructure deployment across the African continent.
The upcoming LG3 facility will introduce Equinix Fabric to the Lagos metro market, giving local businesses, cloud vendors, and global enterprises direct, low-latency access to an interconnected network of over 270 data centers worldwide. By leveraging Nigeria’s position as a subsea cable landing hub, LG3 is engineered to support regional demands in cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and digital financial services. Equinix executives noted that the carrier-neutral, energy-efficient data center will help bridge West Africa’s digital divide while empowering the region’s expanding startup ecosystem and core business sectors.
November 10, 2025
Equinix has announced a new US $22 million data center, named LG3, in Lagos, Nigeria as part of its broader US $100 million digital infrastructure program in Africa. It will start operations in Q1 2026. The project is expected to increase Equinix’s interconnection, cloud access, and data sovereignty capabilities across one of Africa’s fastest growing technology hubs.
Project Overview
According to Equinix, LG3 data center will offer enterprise ready colocation and interconnection services. These are designed to improve network reliability, cloud performance, and support AI data processing. LG3 data center in Lagos, Nigeria will also anchor the company’s regional presence following the 2022 acquisition of MainOne and the 2025 launch of the LG2.3 expansion. The project announcement also pushes for Equinix’s scaling operations in West Africa. This comes at a time when demand for cloud connectivity, digital infrastructure, and related services is on a fast rise as evidenced by the data center construction projects springing up in Africa.
Factsheet for Equinix’s LG3 Data Center in Lagos, Nigeria
Developer/Operator: Equinix Inc.
Cost: US $22 million
Total Investment Program: More than US $100 million in Africa.
Start of Operations Date: Q1 2026
Status: Under development
Africa’s Data Center Race Gains Momentum
The surge in digital infrastructure development across Africa, often referred to as the African data center race has historically concentrated around major economic hubs like South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya. However, American cybersecurity and digital infrastructure firm Cybastion’s $75 million investment in Cameroon demonstrates how this competition is expanding into emerging regional markets across Central Africa. Announced in late August 2026 as part of a broader $7 billion U.S.-Cameroon trade pipeline, the project encompasses an artificial intelligence-powered data center and a dedicated captive power plant located in Douala. This hybrid design directly mirrors the evolving strategies within the continent’s data center expansion, where tech providers must bypass local grid instability to supply the heavy power requirements of modern cloud computing and AI workloads.
By positioning this facility in Cameroon, Cybastion and local stakeholders aim to turn the country into a strategic tech gateway for Central Africa. The initiative aligns with a broader trend across West and Central Africa, where nations are enacting strict data sovereignty laws and building localized sovereign data infrastructure to handle sensitive banking, public service, and corporate information natively rather than relying on overseas processing hubs. Ultimately, Cybastion’s entry into Cameroon highlights how the continental race is moving beyond simple data hosting toward integrated, AI-ready digital ecosystems that solve power constraints locally while capturing growing regional demand for advanced cloud services.
Timeline Context
2022: Equinix acquires MainOne. Enters Nigerian market.
April 2025: Equinix launches LG2.3 expansion in Lagos. Aim is to strengthen interconnection capacity.
November 2025: New US $22 million LG3 Lagos data center announced. This is under a digital infrastructure investment of more than US$100 million in Africa.
Q1 2026: LG3 data center to be operational.
Outlook on Equinix’s LG3 Data Center in Lagos, Nigeria
LG3 data center by Equinix in Lagos continues to pillar Nigeria as one of the primary digital gateways for Africa. With the increasing enterprise digitization, and innovations in the fintech and AI sectors, LG3 is set to serve as intended – both technically and financially. Equinix’s $22 million data center investment also allows the company to leverage Nigeria’s rapidly expanding subsea cable and terrestrial fiber networks. These take a considerable share of the region’s foundation of its cloud and AI infrastructure growth.
Additionally, by linking Lagos to its global network that currently spans more than 260 data centers worldwide, Equinix will be able to support data exchange between African markets and major global digital corridors in Europe, the Middle East, and North America.
What to Expect
Equinix’s broader US $100 million investment program in Africa will also explore additional capacity upgrades in Lagos, potential expansions into Port Harcourt and Abuja, and other developments in the continent.
Project Team
Equinix, Inc.: The primary developer, global operator, and parent investor funding the project.
MainOne (Solutions by Equinix): The regional subsidiary and West African connectivity provider managing local deployment and operations.
Vita Construction Limited: The indigenous main civil contractor appointed for the construction of the facility in Lagos.
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