MainOne Africa is one of the latest additions to the Equinix West portfolio. It was founded by Funke Opeke, who moved back to Nigeria after working at Verizon. His company serves customers in the US and across the continent. He plans on expanding its footprint in Q1 2022.
Founder Funke Opeke moved back to Nigeria after working at Verizon
Funke Opeke is the founder and CEO of MainOne. MainOne provides network solutions and telecom services in West Africa. Its main branching units are in Nigeria, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire and Morocco.
Founder Funke Opeke was born in Ile-Oluji, Ondo state in Nigeria. She studied electrical and electronics engineering at Obafemi Awolowo University and Columbia University in New York.
After graduating, Funke pursued a career in telecommunications and information technology in the United States. While in the US, she worked for Verizon Communications as an executive director of wholesales. Then she went to work for MTN as Chief Technical Officer. In 2005, she decided to return to her home country of Nigeria.
Funke was inspired by the lack of reliable Internet access in her native country. She wanted to provide better internet services to the Nigerian people. This prompted her to launch MainOne.
MainOne is a leading communication service provider in West Africa. It operates in 10 African countries including Ghana, Senegal, Ivory Coast and Cote d’Ivoire.
As MainOne develops and expands, it has acquired branches in Morocco, Portugal and the Canary Islands. It has over 200 million USD invested in equity and debt.
MainOne provides broadband infrastructure to businesses in West Africa. The company has built West Africa’s first privately owned submarine cable system. The cable spans over 7,000 kilometers along the West African coastline.
Customers served by MainOne
MainOne is one of the largest providers of connectivity solutions in West Africa, providing services for over 800 business-to-business (B2B) customers and international telecom operators. The company has a strong footprint in Nigeria and has built a solid data center hub in the country.
MainOne has also expanded its reach to the Francophone region of West Africa with its recent entry into Senegal and Cote d’Ivoire. This move will enhance the availability of MainOne’s network, allowing more businesses to connect to the West African continent.
MainOne has a deep understanding of the local markets and its management team includes experienced industry experts. In addition to providing dependable connectivity solutions, the company delivers digital transformation technologies to businesses throughout the continent.
The company operates a network of more than 65 Points of Presence (PoPs) in Ghana and a terrestrial fiber network of more than 1200 kilometers in southern Nigeria. These facilities generate $60 million in annual revenue.
Equinix, a global digital infrastructure company, has acquired MainOne in a transaction valued at $320 million. Equinix expects the deal to close in the first quarter of 2022.
MainOne is headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. It owns an extensive submarine cable system, as well as a terrestrial fiber network connecting key Internet exchanges in the region. Additionally, it has three operational data centers in the region.
Plans for expansion in Q1 2022
One of the latest entries in the carrier neutral data center space is the West African equivalent of Equinix. According to Equinix, the company serves more than 50 percent of the Fortune 500. The company is also looking to expand into South Africa. With its existing submarine communications cables, the country is already a major digital network hub.
Equinix’s plan is a logical extension of its grand vision to become Africa’s premier carrier neutral digital infrastructure provider. Founded in 2010, the company boasts a well-trained and experienced management team and a track record of success. Its products and services are used by over 800 business-to-business customers. Some of these include social media and cloud service providers, financial service firms, and major international technology enterprises.
While the acquisition of MainOne is a big deal, the real story is the company’s ability to deliver on its promises. To this end, it recently announced a partnership with AMSIX to deploy a global internet exchange (GIX) presence in Lagos. In addition, it plans to add hundreds of racks to its Nigerian facility in the next few years. A key advantage is its geographic location, with over 70 percent of the country’s population within reach of its 7,000-kilometre fiber optic subsea network.
According to Equinix, the company’s latest ventures are the result of an aggressive business development strategy aimed at ensuring the company is on the cutting edge of the digital infrastructure industry.
