MainOne Celebrates 10 years of Enabling West Africa’s Digital Revolution

MainOne, West Africa’s leading provider of wholesale and enterprise connectivity and data centre services, celebrates 10 years of delivering innovative, world-class service in West Africa.

Ten years ago, the company launched its operations with the commissioning of the first private submarine cable on the West Coast of Africa. The company has played a critical role in enabling internet access across West Africa where penetration rates have grown from less than 10% in 2010 to close to 40% 10 years later.

Since inception, MainOne has invested over $400 million in infrastructure in West Africa as part of its efforts to bridge the digital divide and enable the digital economy. The investments include submarine cables, terrestrial fibre networks, and Points of Presence (POPs) across the region.

Within this period, the company has delivered services to 10 West African countries and has built Tier III data centres in Nigeria, Ghana, and Cote d’Ivoire hosting the largest institutions and global content in the region, with on-going expansions of its data centre footprint in Nigeria and Ghana.

These investments and contributions to the economy have led the company to numerous awards on both local and global stages. Prominent of these awards are the Datacloud Africa Award for Excellence in Data Centre (Africa) and Africa Cloud Service Provider of the Year, Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) Impact Award, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry Award for Excellence in Broadband Infrastructure, NTITA Telecoms Wholesale Provider of the Year, Frost & Sullivan Best Practices winner for the Nigerian Data Centre Customer Value Leaderships Award, Ghana Telecoms Awards: Telecom Wholesale Carrier of the Year and Nigerian Telecoms Awards: Broadband Company of the Year, among others.

Reflecting on 10 years in business, Funke Opeke, CEO of MainOne, said, “We started on this journey to deploy critical infrastructure to bridge the digital divide in West Africa. While we are pleased that we have made an impact, there is so much more work to be done.

“The recent challenges we have faced with COVID-19 Pandemic highlight the need for additional investment and smarter policies to deploy shared infrastructure required to make access to broadband a reality for more Africans at a price they can afford. MainOne has been leading that charge across West Africa for 10 years and we are even more committed to realising our vision today than we were 10 years ago”.

While it is an accomplishment for any company to reach the 10-year milestone, it is particularly significant for us as we hold on to our vision which is to be West Africa’s communication solutions provider of choice. Through the commitment of our shareholders, hard work and dedication of our employees, and collaboration with partners, we have been able to deliver services that balance innovative solutions with excellent service delivery.

“I thank our valued customers for the opportunity to be of service and remain grateful to our board members and shareholders for their faith in us. Many thanks also to our devoted employees and partners who have enabled us grow and thrive. We are confident that we will witness continued growth over the next 10 years as we continue to provide excellent services to our clients and enable businesses and the digital economy across the region.”