Tech
MTN Dives Into AI, Cloud With $240M Lagos Data Center
Technology giant, MTN, has committed over $240 million to the construction of a new data centre in Nigeria.
Cited in Ikeja, MTN said the 9MW data centre, named after late Chief Executive Officer, Sifiso Dabengwa, will be built in two phases. Phase One is a 4.5MW capacity Tier 3 data centre, costing about $120 million, including cloud infrastructure, which is to be unveiled today, July 1, 2025.
It could be noted that data centres play a vital role in digital economies, making possible the secure storage, processing, and management of data. They also help localise content from global platforms like Meta and Google, providing resilience against disruptions such as the major internet outage in West Africa earlier in 2024, caused by undersea cable breaks.
Speaking to journalists, the Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria, Dr. Karl Toriola, noted that the centre would be Nigeria’s largest pre-fabricated modular data centre, with 96 pre-fabricated containers and a total rack capacity of about 1,500. It is fully modular in power and cooling and occupies three floors.
Toriola added that the data centre would bring significant transformation to Nigeria’s technology ecosystem, since its services will be offered on a pay-as-you-use basis and priced in Naira.
“With the data centre launch, MTN is at the forefront of Nigeria’s digital space and ready to drive Artificial Intelligence (AI) needs across the country as we expand the capacity of the data centre facility.
“In addition, the data centre will enhance Nigeria’s data sovereignty and ensure that local data are hosted in Nigeria and protected from exposure and attacks.
“MTN is working closely with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) to ensure compliance with data policy,” Toriola added.
On the gains of the data centre to Nigerian businesses, both large and small businesses, Toriola noted that it would reduce the cost of doing business, as services would be paid for in Naira.
He stated that the data centre will provide cost-effective solutions that enable businesses to host their data locally, boost quality of service delivery, and comply with NDPC’s policy on data sovereignty.
Shedding more light on the cost element, Chief Enterprise Business Officer, MTN Nigeria, Lynda Saint-Nwafor, said, “It cost MTN the sum of $100 million for the Phase 1 data centre infrastructure, with an additional $20 million for the cloud infrastructure.”
Saint-Nwafor said the data centre would reduce latency and enhance customer experience in data computing and storage, especially during the onboarding process.
“The MTN Data Centre will offer a self-orchestration data platform that allows users to log into the cloud service from any part of the world to develop solutions,” she stated.
She added that MTN Cloud would offer more accessible services than those provided by hyperscalers like Google, Amazon Web Services, and Microsoft Azure.
Hallmarknews.com
At least 12 people have been killed in a plane crash in Missouri in the midwestern United States, according to authorities.
The crash on Sunday was near Butler Memorial Airport in Bates County, south of the state’s largest city, Kansas City.
“Troopers are on scene assisting the Butler Police Department & Bates County Sheriff’s Office of a Fatal Plane Crash near the Butler Memorial Airport,” the Missouri State Highway Patrol posted on X.
“At this time reports indicate all occupants (12 total) have perished,” it said.
Missouri Highway Patrol Sergeant Justin Ewing said the plane was taking people up to skydive.
Emergency responders received a call that a plane was down and engulfed in fire around 11:30 am local time (16:30 GMT) on Sunday, he said.
They were able to extinguish the fire shortly after the crash, he said, describing the scene as “brutal.”
“It landed in a field adjacent to the airport, but I think they’re shutting down the roadway just as a precaution,” Ewing said.
The identities of those killed were not immediately released.
Ewing said the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) was on scene investigating the crash.
The cause was not immediately available.
Kotun daukaka kara da ke zamanta a Kaduna ta soke hukuncin da kotun tarayya ta yanke a wata kara da tsohon gwamna, Nasir El-Rufai, ya shigar a kan majalisar dokokin jihar.
A hukuncin da kotun ta yanke kan ƙorafin daukaka kara mai lamba CA/K/240/2024, kotun ta bayyana cewa an samu kura-kurai a shari’ar da aka gudanar a ranar 18 ga watan Yuli, 2024.
The Sun ta wallafa cewa kotun ta ce ba a mika wa Nasir El-Rufai takardar sanarwar kotu yadda ya kamata ba, kuma hakan ya hana shi damar mayar da martani ga takardun da wadanda ake kara suka gabatar.
New Telegraph ta ruwaito cewa kotun daukaka karar ta bayyana cewa hukuncin da alkalin kotun tarayya, Mai shari’a R.M. Aikawa, ya yanke a ranar 30 ga watan Yuli, 2024, bai inganta ba.
Saboda haka, kotun ta ayyana hukuncin a matsayin maras tushe tare da umartar a mayar da shari’ar zuwa kotun tarayya domin a sake ba wa wani alkalin daban.
Kotun ta jaddada cewa isar da takardun sanarwar shari’a yadda ya kamata na da matukar muhimmanci wajen tabbatar da hurumin kotu.
Ta kuma ce hana Nasir El-Rufai damar kare kansa ya sabawa ka’idojin shari’a da ke karkashin dokar kare hakkin dan Adam.
Tun da farko, El-Rufai ya shigar da karar ne a shekarar 2024 domin neman a kare masa hakkinsa na dan Adam.
Ya zargi majalisar dokokin jihar Kaduna da hana shi cikakken damar kare kansa yayin binciken da ta gudanar a kansa.
Wannan hukunci na kotun daukaka kara ya zama babban nasara ga tsohon gwamnan, domin ya ba shi damar sake gabatar da karar tasa a gaban kotu.
Hakan na nufin za a sake duba dukkanin bayanan shari’ar daga tushe a karkashin sabon alkalin da za a nada don sauraron ƙarar.
A wani labarin, kun ji cewa kotu ta sahalewa hukumar ICPC ta ci gaba da tsare tsohon gwamnan Kaduna, Nasir El-Rufai a binciken da ta ke masa.
Hukumar CPC na zargin El-Rufa’i da almundahana yayin da ta garkame shi na sama da kwanaki 20 bayan ya fito daga ofishin EFCC da ya kai kansa.
Tuni lauyansa ya garzaya kotu yana neman a soke sabon umarnin da hukumar yaki da yi wa tattalin arziki ta’annati ta samu, inda ya ke ganin an saɓa ka’ida.
The National Universities Commission (NUC) has approved more postgraduate programmes for the Atiba University Oyo (AUO), Oyo State.
In a letter addressed to the Vice Chancellor of AUO, Professor Sunday Olawale Okeniyi, signed by the NUC Director Academic Planning, Abubakar M. Girei, the commission approved 11 courses for the institution at the postgraduate, Master’s and PhD levels.
According to the letter, NUC arrived at the decision, following resource verification carried out by panels of experts on some proposed programmes at the Atiba University Oyo.
Part of the letter reads:
“I am directed to inform the Vice Chancellor that the Executive Secretary has considered and approved the establishment of the full-time mode of the following postgraduate programmes to be run in the main campus of the university with effect from 2025/2026 academic session—PGD Accounting, PGD, M.Sc. Business Administration, PGD, M.Sc. & Ph.D. Public Administration, PGD, M.Sc. & Ph.D. Computer Science, MBA Business Administration, M.Sc. & Ph.D. Political Science, M.Sc. & Ph.D. International relations, M.Sc. & Ph.D. Economics M.Sc. & Ph.D. Sociology, M.Sc. & Ph.D. English and M.Sc. Nursing.
The President/ Founder, James Adesokan Ojebode, PhD therefore uses the golden opportunity to congratulate the entire Atiba University Oyo community.
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