Gbenga Adegbiji, Chief Executive Officer of Geniserve, has urged the development of resilient, AI-ready data centres to bolster Nigeria’s digital economy and draw investment from global technology giants.
Adegbiji made the call during a media capacity-building training session on Nigeria’s Digital Infrastructure Economy, held Tuesday in Lagos. The event was organized by The Media Training Room (TMTR) in collaboration with Africa Hyperscalers.
He described data centres—backed by reliable connectivity—as the foundation of the country’s digital ecosystem.
“Without these foundations, applications in payments, social media and e-commerce cannot function seamlessly,” Adegbiji said.
He highlighted the growing demands from artificial intelligence workloads, which require data centres equipped for high-density racks, stable power supply, and efficient cooling systems.
“Power availability, cooling and redundancy are critical for resilience, while operational excellence ensures uptime beyond standard tier-three or tier-four classifications,” he added.
Adegbiji called on the government to prioritize federal projects that create a nationwide mesh network connecting all states to remove single points of failure. He also stressed the urgent need to develop local talent capable of managing sophisticated data centres.
To address the skills gap, he proposed mandatory internship quotas for private technology companies, warning that “infrastructure without skilled manpower cannot be sustained.”
He further emphasized the importance of robust public-private partnerships to achieve digital sustainability, data sovereignty, and the attraction of hyperscale operators to Nigeria.
On the connectivity front, Adebola Adefarati, an official from Rack Centre, explained how Nigeria could optimist global connectivity through strategic infrastructure sharing.
He advocated for a combination of fiber, wireless, and satellite technologies to provide reliable, high-quality internet access across the country.
Adefarati pointed to persistent middle- and last-mile challenges—including high right-of-way costs, regulatory hurdles, vandalism, and redundant deployments—that continue to hinder expansion.
“The cost and complexity of deploying infrastructure in Nigeria require collaboration,” he said.
Unlike in many other countries where governments heavily subsidize connectivity, he noted that Nigerian companies often self-fund networks.
Adefarati called for greater infrastructure sharing among telecom operators, data centres, and regulators to cut duplication, reduce costs, and boost efficiency.
He underlined the advantages of a shared digital ecosystem, including local data hosting, faster services, and less reliance on overseas outsourcing.
“Having our data in Nigeria allows banks, SMEs and tech companies to operate more efficiently,” Adefarati said. “Shared infrastructure is key to creating a sustainable, scalable and secure network across the country.”
He also identified security risks, bureaucratic delays, and elevated operational costs as critical barriers in the last-mile segment that demand innovative, collaborative solutions.
The training session reflects growing industry focus on strengthening Nigeria’s digital backbone to support AI adoption, economic growth, and global competitiveness.
