Nigeria is poised for a leap in digital capacity as Sahara Group, a leading global energy and infrastructure conglomerate, partners with the Federal Government to develop a National Data Park and Compute Infrastructure at Egbin Power, the continent’s largest privately-operated thermal power plant.
The initiative is being championed by Dr. ‘Bosun Tijani, Honourable Minister of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy, as part of a broader push to deepen Nigeria’s data sovereignty and enhance cybersecurity for sustainable economic development.
During a strategy session at Sahara Group’s Isle Centrum office in Lagos, Dr. Tijani affirmed that the Data Park project aligns with the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy (NAIS) unveiled in 2024.
He emphasized the park’s transformative potential, saying it would serve as the “enabler of Nigeria’s digital transformation and facilitate sustainable value extraction from Nigeria’s digital economy.” Drawing parallels to global models, he pointed to countries like Ireland and Singapore that have successfully attracted foreign tech investments through similar infrastructure.
Dr. Tijani said: “The Data Park will play a critical role in accelerating the nation’s quest for achieving credible centralised data, drive seamless coordination of computational resources and accelerate the development and deployment of AI solutions across various sectors.”
Kola Adesina, Executive Director of Sahara Group, described the project as a “huge opportunity” to safeguard and optimize Nigeria’s digital economy.
“Sahara Group has always been at the forefront of transformative projects. We have been working on establishing the Egbin Industrial Park as a vehicle for promoting sustainable development in Nigeria. We are confident that the planned collaboration with the Federal Government will propel Nigeria’s digital future to new heights. This will certainly be a landmark example of how collaboration can be leveraged to deliver world-class solutions that will impact all sectors of the economy positively,” he said.
Adesina added that the Egbin Industrial Park would be instrumental in creating a thriving digital ecosystem, with the potential to generate tens of thousands of jobs, enhance service delivery, and reduce Nigeria’s reliance on foreign cloud platforms. “Ultimately, data sovereignty and security achieved from the project will reduce dependency on foreign cloud platforms, ensuring seamless access to faster and more secure services,” he noted.
Egbin Power, part of the Sahara Power Group, is Nigeria’s largest power generation station with a capacity of 1,320 MW — providing reliable energy crucial for powering the data park. Its access to deep-sea internet cables and expansive land resources further positions it as an ideal site for digital infrastructure development.
Once operational, the National Data Park is expected to drive innovation, support critical sectors such as Healthcare, Agriculture, and Small Business, and significantly contribute to Nigeria’s GDP through tech-driven job creation and service enhancement.
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