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Digital Parks Africa (DPA) is expanding its footprint into Nigeria’s data-centre market with plans to develop a new carrier-neutral facility in Lagos, adding another major player to a sector attracting rising investment as demand for cloud computing, artificial intelligence and locally hosted digital services accelerates.
The company, which is associated with Master Power Technologies Group, announced the planned Nigeria Data Centre 1 (NDC1) at ITW Africa in Kenya on September 8.
The project marks DPA’s expansion into West Africa’s data-centre market and builds on the group’s more than two decades of operations in Nigeria, where it has maintained a presence since 2001.
DPA Targets Businesses, Banks and Cloud Providers
DPA said NDC1 will be designed to serve businesses, financial institutions, banks, cloud providers and connectivity companies that require resilient digital infrastructure close to their customers and operations.
The carrier-neutral model will allow customers and connectivity providers greater flexibility in selecting how they connect to the facility and scale their digital operations.
According to the company, the centre will support critical digital services, cloud access, connectivity and other data-intensive operations as demand for digital infrastructure continues to grow across Nigeria and the wider African market.
However, DPA has not disclosed the investment value, planned capacity or expected commissioning date for NDC1.
Nigeria’s Data Centre Market Attracts More Investment
DPA’s entry comes as Nigeria’s data-centre industry experiences a growing pipeline of local and international investments.
Increasing cloud adoption, digital payments, artificial intelligence and demand for locally hosted data are driving operators to expand capacity, particularly in Lagos, which remains the country’s dominant data-centre hub.
Equinix, for instance, announced a $22 million investment in a new Lagos facility in 2025 as the first phase of an approximately $100 million African investment programme.
Meanwhile, Open Access Data Centres announced plans for a $240 million, 24MW facility in Lagos, to be developed in two 12MW phases and designed to provide hyperscale and AI-ready capacity.
Kasi Cloud Datacenters also unveiled a Lekki facility in May 2026, with the platform designed to scale to approximately 100MW of critical IT capacity.
Lagos Emerges as Nigeria’s Data Infrastructure Hub
The concentration of new facilities in Lagos reflects the state’s position as the country’s principal technology and connectivity market.
Lagos State disclosed in May 2026 that approximately 146MW of additional data-centre capacity was in the pipeline, with an ambition to exceed 250MW by 2030.
The expansion is being driven by the increasing volume of digital activity generated by financial institutions, technology companies, cloud platforms and businesses operating increasingly online.
For data-centre operators, Lagos also offers proximity to Nigeria’s largest concentration of enterprises, telecommunications infrastructure and internet connectivity.
Local Data Rules Could Accelerate Demand
DPA’s investment also comes ahead of a significant regulatory change that could increase demand for data-centre infrastructure located within Nigeria.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has directed banks, fintech companies, mobile-money operators, payment processors and other licensed payment service providers to store and manage payment transaction data generated in Nigeria on local servers.
Affected institutions have until January 1, 2027, to achieve full compliance with the directive issued by the CBN’s Payments System Supervision Department in June 2026.
The policy is expected to encourage financial institutions and payment companies currently relying on offshore infrastructure to migrate relevant workloads to facilities within Nigeria.
This could create additional demand for secure data centres capable of meeting the performance, reliability and compliance requirements of financial and technology companies.
DPA Sees Nigeria as Long-Term Digital Market
DPA CEO and founder Menno Parsons described the investment as the next stage of the company’s long-standing commitment to Nigeria and its wider vision for Africa’s digital economy.
He said the group’s more than 20 years of experience operating in Nigeria has provided insight into the country’s infrastructure challenges and the requirements of its expanding digital ecosystem.
The company’s decision to develop a carrier-neutral facility also reflects the changing structure of the data-centre market, where customers increasingly require access to multiple connectivity and cloud providers rather than infrastructure tied to a single network.
Competition Intensifies as Digital Demand Grows
The arrival of DPA adds another layer of competition to a Nigerian data-centre market that is rapidly expanding to accommodate the country’s digital economy.
The combination of AI workloads, cloud adoption, fintech growth, digital payments and new data-localisation requirements is increasing pressure on existing infrastructure while creating opportunities for new facilities.
For Nigeria, the expansion of data-centre capacity could strengthen the domestic digital ecosystem by enabling more businesses to host applications and data locally, improving connectivity between enterprises and cloud providers, and reducing reliance on infrastructure outside the country.
DPA’s planned Lagos facility therefore arrives at a critical point in Nigeria’s digital infrastructure development, as operators race to build the capacity needed to support the next phase of the country’s increasingly data-intensive economy.
