MTN Nigeria to Establish Local Data Hosting Infrastructure

MTN Nigeria Plc is preparing to set up local infrastructure to aid Nigerian financial institutions in meeting the Central Bank of Nigeria's (CBN) deadline of January 1, 2027, for hosting data domestically. Ms. Lynda Saint-Nwafor, Chief Enterprise Business Officer at MTN Nigeria, stated that local hosting will result in lower latency, faster response times, and compliance with national data regulations.

This initiative is crucial for maintaining control over sensitive financial, health, and government data within Nigeria. MTN aims to mitigate operational risks by mobilizing domestic capacity and technical insights tailored for the financial sector.

The company will provide sovereign cloud solutions and collaborative engineering frameworks to support Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and startups during the migration process. The CBN directive mandates that all licensed banks, fintechs, mobile money operators, and payment processors store transaction data generated in Nigeria within the country, potentially saving an estimated $850 million currently spent on foreign cloud services.