Airtel Africa Launches Nxtra to Propel Africa’s Digital Revolution
In a strategic move to strengthen Africa’s digital evolution, Airtel Africa has introduced Nxtra by Airtel, a cutting-edge data centre venture committed to meeting the escalating demand for secure and sustainable data centre capacity across the continent. Launched on December 5, 2023, Nxtra aims to establish one of Africa’s largest networks of high-capacity data centres in key cities, strategically complementing Airtel Africa’s existing infrastructure.
Nxtra extends to serve the expanding African digital economy, offering multi-megawatt capacity and hosting the next generation of computing. The facilities are designed to adhere to stringent global security standards, ensuring ‘five nines’ availability. With Airtel Africa’s extensive fibre footprint, Nxtra provides integrated solutions for global hyper-scalers, large enterprises, startups, SMEs, and government entities.
By enhancing local data centre capacity, Nxtra anticipates an improvement in the speed of accessing digital services and a reduction in data management costs. This, in turn, is poised to fuel innovation and support the emergence of a new wave of African tech talent. Nxtra also addresses data sovereignty requirements, enabling the provision of more localized cloud services within the countries where Airtel Africa operates.
The inaugural Nxtra facility, slated to go live in mid-2025 in Lagos, Nigeria, boasts 34 MW of total power capacity. Engineered for high-density racks, the facility adheres to the latest best practices in construction, targeting an impressive 1.3 power usage effectiveness (PUE).
To spearhead Nxtra’s vision, Airtel Africa has appointed Yashnath Issur as the CEO, bringing on board his 16 years of experience, including a stint as the former head of Global Data Centre Portfolio Management at Amazon Web Services. Yashnath has meticulously assembled a team of experts to execute Nxtra’s ambitious strategy.
A rapid increase in data centre capacity is needed to support the growth potential of Africa’s digital economy. We’re proud to drive the future of Africa’s digital infrastructure, unlocking opportunities for businesses to grow and fuelling economic prosperity.
Stated Segun Ogunsanya, Airtel Africa’s Group CEO, expressing confidence in the venture.
As Airtel Africa continues its track record of successfully delivering infrastructure projects across the continent, Nxtra by Airtel emerges as a key player in shaping Africa’s digital landscape, poised to become the preferred partner for global customers and the newest tech unicorns in Africa.
Reporting by JAMES MUTUA
