Equinix, Inc. has announced the appointment of Wole Abu as its Managing Director in West Africa to lead the integration and expansion of the business.
This follows the completion of its acquisition of MainOne in Nigeria, in a $320 million deal first announced in 2022.
According to Equinix, in his role, Wole will oversee the Equinix business in Nigeria, Ghana and Cote D’Ivoire and will work closely with both local businesses and multinational companies to build on the strong foundations for connectivity and growth in the region bringing the opportunity of Equinix to the West African region.
Opeke is still with Equinix as a strategic advisor
While Wole takes over the reins of Equinix’s West Africa business from MainOne’s founder and CEO, Funke Opeke, Equinix said Opeke remains with the company as a strategic advisor in the West African region through March 2026.
- The company described Wole, the new CEO as a seasoned professional with over 20 years’ experience in the Nigerian Telecoms Industry.
- He joins Equinix from Liquid Intelligent Technologies where he held the position of CEO for Nigeria and Africa Data Centre (ADC).
- As well as driving business success, Wole is said to be passionate about driving societal and social change through technology and is focused on driving a successful strategy for connectivity and digital access in West Africa.
- He will also lead Equinix’s key local engagements to make a meaningful impact to society through the support of initiatives focused on education, sustainability, and the betterment of society as well as driving the vital environmental and community initiatives so crucial to the sustainable goals and vision of Equinix.
What they are saying
Commenting on his appointment, Wole Abu, said:
“I’m excited to be joining Equinix, as we share a common vision for expanding digital infrastructure across Africa.
“This mission is crucial for bringing life-enhancing services to the region and bridging the digital divide.
“By empowering both enterprises and individuals, we’re enabling broader participation in the global digital economy.
“I’m eager to contribute to this transformative work and help create a more connected, accessible digital landscape throughout Africa.”
Also commenting on the appointment, Judith Gardiner, Vice President for Growth and Emerging Markets at Equinix said:
“We are delighted to have Wole join Equinix as the leader driving our operations in West Africa. With his expertise, we will support local businesses and multinational companies in expanding into Africa and beyond through Equinix.
“This marks a significant milestone for Equinix as we continue to develop our presence in Africa, establishing crucial strategic data hubs, accelerating digital technology development, supporting our customers, and contributing to the continent’s immense growth potential through robust digital infrastructure.”
What you should know
- In April 2022, MainOne was acquired by Equinix, the world’s largest global data centre and colocation provider, in one of the largest exits in Africa’s tech ecosystem.
- Before the acquisition, Funke Opeke had been the company’s CEO for over a decade and had led its growth since 2010 when it landed the first private submarine cable on the West Coast of Africa.
- In 2013, Main One began laying a 27-kilometer fibre optic cable to cover the Yaba area of Lagos, known as Nigeria’s Silicon Valley. That led to several startups choosing to have offices in Yaba and midwifed the Nigerian tech ecosystem.
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