Akwa Ibom State to be site for technological development and data centers

Akwa Ibom is becoming an emerging technology and innovation hub in Africa. Chairman of the Akwa Ibom State Committee on Foreign Direct Investment Commission, Gabriel Ukpeh, said that the state government is working to ensure that undersea cable lands are in the works in the next 12 to 24 months to secure this vision.

He commented: "The speed will be 20 times faster than the current fastest undersea cable in Nigeria, and related data will be 10 times cheaper than the current cost of data. The state government is also working to ensure that a world class data center is established in Akwa Ibom."

According to Ukpeh, there are a number of different factors that make Akwa Ibom a good location to become a tech hub. It has the longest shoreline in the country at 129 km while also having access to thermal power plants, crude oil, and gas. So, for now, it appears that renewables won't play a significant role in this potential data center boom. It also has the largest free trade zones (64,000 hectares).