Equinix Expands to the African Market: Acquires MainOne at $320M

America’s digital infrastructure company Equinix acquired West Africa’s leading connectivity and data centre company, MainOne, at the cost of $320 million. In the press release, Equinix announced its intention to expand into the African market through the acquisition of MainOne. The acquisition will be completed by the first quarter (Q1) of 2022. However, the closure of the acquisition is subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including the requisite regulatory approvals.

In the press release, Equinix admitted that acquiring MainOne marked the first step in fulfilling the company’s long-term strategy to become an African leading carrier-neutral digital infrastructure company. The statement said, “With more than 200 million people, Nigeria is Africa’s largest economy and, along with Ghana, has become an established data centre hub. This makes the acquisition a pivotal entry point for Equinix into the continent”.

Charles Meyers, President and CEO, Equinix, “The acquisition of MainOne will represent a critical point of entry for Platform Equinix into the broad and rapidly growing African market. MainOne’s leading interconnection position and experienced management team represent critical assets in our aspirations to be the leading neutral provider of digital infrastructure in Africa.

The growth of data consumption in Africa is amongst the fastest in the world, and our customers are looking for a trusted partner to pursue the opportunities presented by broad mobile adoption and greater connectivity across the region. MainOne’s infrastructure, customer relationships, partner ecosystem and operating capability will extend the reach of the Platform Equinix and bolster opportunities for customers in Africa and throughout the world”, he said.

According to Funke Opeke, the CEO of MainOne, the acquisition will help actualise MainOne’s long-term vision. She said, “Equinix will accelerate our long-term vision to grow digital infrastructure investments across Africa. I thank our founding shareholders led by Mr Fola Adeola, MainStreet Technologies, AFC, PAIDF, FBN, Polaris and AfDB for investing in the MainOne vision to bridge the Digital Divide in Africa.

With similar values and culture to what we have jointly built-in twelve years, Equinix is the preferred partner for our growth journey. The MainOne team is excited about the partnership created through the acquisition, and we look forward to building our next chapter together”, she said.

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