The Federal Government is taking concrete steps to position Nigeria at the forefront of the global digital economy with plans to establish a National Data Park and AI Compute Infrastructure at the Egbin Power Plant in Lagos.
During a recent site visit, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, alongside Sahara Group Chairman, Dr. Kola Adesina, and other stakeholders, highlight the strategic importance of Egbin’s steady power supply and infrastructure to support large-scale data processing.
Egbin, West Africa’s largest privately-operated power station, currently contributes over 16% to Nigeria’s national grid and offers ideal conditions—ample power, land, and water—for data centre operations. The initiative aims to solve two of Nigeria’s biggest tech barriers: unreliable electricity and limited computing power. If successful, it could anchor Nigeria’s AI capabilities locally and reduce dependency on foreign cloud platforms.
The project aligns with broader plans to transform Lagos into a digital and subsea cable hub, leveraging existing undersea connections from Europe and the Americas. By routing these into Egbin’s proposed high-capacity data zone, Nigeria stands to lower internet costs, boost service speeds, and improve national data sovereignty. Officials believe the move could attract global investment, boost digital infrastructure, and ensure sensitive data remains within the country.
Although still at the exploratory stage, the visit signals strong intent. Dr. Tijani hailed Egbin as a “critical national asset” and lauded the country’s engineering potential. If implemented, the data park could generate thousands of high-skilled jobs, attract global tech firms, and spark a shift in Nigeria’s economic narrative—from fossil fuels to digital innovation processed on home soil.