The purpose of a data centre is to act as a repository of data that is relevant to a specific business or enterprise. The data centre is set up to manage both the virtual space and, in a material sense, this repository of information. Of course, a data centre could be a public establishment or a privately run enterprise. Data centres have proved to be a highly successful system in many African countries, and since the year 2011, several countries in Africa including Nigeria, Benin, Kenya, Uganda and others have seen an enormous rise in their number of data centres. Let us take a look at how exactly the data centre system has impacted the economy of Nigeria’s capital city, Lagos.
In Lagos, as in many other parts of Africa, the benefits of the internet are gradually being recognised. As a result, several corporations are seeing the resourcefulness of outsourcing their data management to established data centres. This boom is consequently giving rise to more demand for data centres in the region. Outsourcing to data centres also ensures cost efficiency, and the quick and efficient management of data for many corporations. Telecom operators are seeing the profit associated with integrating their telecommunications operations with data centre management. As a result, this integration has also emerged as being quite the trend in these regions of Africa. The need for more data centres has without doubt created job opportunities in several countries, giving the potential for rise in employment rates. In addition to this, the establishment of data centres in these areas is also highly beneficial to existing businesses and consumers because of the increased supply that it provides for their data management requirements.
Trico Capital International in Lagos, Nigeria has undertaken the initiative to finance a data centre project in the Lagos region. Trico Capital International specialises in providing financial advice to development and infrastructure related projects in West Africa. Credit for conceiving this particular data centre project must be given to their CEO, Austine Ometoruwa.
The upcoming data centre is a collaborative effort between Trico Capital International and the Chiltern Group. This project is also supported in the development and operational sectors by IBM, and is expected to be fully operational by late 2014. This establishment is going to be highly encouraging to the Nigerian economy, and will also complement the growing increase in interest from international companies wanting to establish business projects in Nigeria. It has been observed that this significant increase has occurred since the installation of new submarine cables in Nigeria.
It has been noted that IBM has been targeting development projects in upcoming industries like banking, telecommunications, data centres, transportation, health care, and more in countries with tremendous business promise. This collaborative data centre with support from IBM is highly anticipated for its economic benefits and opportunities. Projects such as these also hope to bring technology to prominence in the continent, consequently boosting infrastructure and development projects as well. These initiatives have been invested in with the anticipation of providing relief in a continent rife with poverty, lack of access to modern forms of energy, and low rates of global trade.
Written by: Oluwaseyi only recently finished his Masters in Urban Planning from the University of Buffalo but he has had over a decade of experience online and might still have a geocities sites somewhere in the dusty corners of the web. Although now living in the USA, he has retained a strong interest in infrastructure development in his native city of Lagos, Nigeria and is planning a trip back once the spectacular new cable car system is finished. Although now living in the USA, he has retained a strong interest in infrastructure development in his native city of Lagos, Nigeria and is planning a trip back once the spectacular new cable car system is finished.
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