MainOne, led by Funke Opeke, sets up fiber infrastructure in Nigeria’s first private free zone

MainOne, a leading communications services and network solutions provider led by Nigerian business executive Funke Opeke, has announced the deployment of fiber optic network infrastructure at the Lekki Free Trade Zone in Lagos, Nigeria, in line with its strategic expansion plans.

MainOne is the leading provider of communications services and network solutions in West Africa. Main Street Technologies, a technology group founded by Opeke, owns and operates a submarine communications cable stretching from Portugal to South Africa.

The latest move comes nearly four months after Equinix, a multinational digital infrastructure company led by U.S. businessman Charles Meyers, acquired MainOne in a deal worth $320 million.

The management revealed that the strategic partnership will provide businesses in the zone with increased speed, security and connectivity.

Customers will also have access to local data centers, as well as other local and global service providers via the MainOne data center, which will be accessible directly from the zone.

The LFTZ covers an area of 850 hectares and is fully equipped with world-class infrastructure. The zone was established to reduce the difficulty of doing business, create more than 26,000 jobs, and accommodate more than 150 industries.

The addition of MainOne to the list of companies with active operations in the zone comes nearly a week after Africa’s wealthiest man, Aliko Dangote, launched what is described as the continent’s largest granulated urea fertilizer complex at the Lekki Free Trade Zone in Lagos.

The $2.5-billion urea fertilizer plant was built to meet Nigeria’s 1.5 million tonnes of fertilizer use per year, lower fertilizer prices and address the country’s food insecurity.