Rack Centre

What Rack Centre does

Rack Centre is a privately held, carrier-neutral Tier III data centre operator headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria, founded in 2013 by Maher Jarmakani of the Jagal conglomerate and operating under a 2020 joint venture with Actis. The company runs a two-facility Lagos campus (LGS1 at 1.5MW and LGS2 at 12MW, commissioned April 2025) totaling 13.5MW of IT capacity and 7,200 sqm of white space, with AI-ready data halls supporting up to 70kW rack density, gas-fired captive power plus solar delivering a 1.35 PUE, and the lowest emissions profile in the region (IFC EDGE certified). Its core products are colocation, CloudOnGround (a vendor-neutral cloud marketplace), an interconnect ecosystem aggregating 73+ carriers and 8 undersea cables, dual-IXP peering (IXPN and AF-CIX), cross-connect, and 24/7 remote-hands managed services. The platform serves telecom operators (MTN, MainOne, Vodacom, ipNX, Angola Cables), cloud and CDN providers (AWS Direct Connect, EdgeNext, Microsoft Azure Stack via Wragby), Nigerian banks requiring CBN-compliant Tier III hosting, media and content networks, and government/enterprise clients, monetizing primarily through recurring colocation subscriptions, cross-connect and peering fees, and remote-hands service contracts. Rack Centre is the first Uptime Institute Tier III Constructed Facility Certified data centre in Nigeria/West/North Africa, holds ISO 27001, PCI-DSS, SOC 2, and NDPR/GDPR compliance, and has maintained 100% uptime since inception.

Name

Rack Centre

Legal name

Rack Centre

Website

https://rack-centre.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rack Centre is Nigeria's first carrier-neutral Tier III data centre operator, providing colocation, cloud aggregation, interconnect, and peering services from its 13.5MW Lagos campus to telecom carriers, banks, cloud providers, and enterprises across West Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Data Centre Colocation and Interconnection Services

NAICS

Computer Facilities Management Services (541513), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)

SIC

Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

Retail Colocation (Multi-Tenant Data Centers) (HDABACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interconnection-Focused Colocation (IX / Meet-Me-Room Ecosystems) (HDABACAF), Carrier Hotels & Network-Dense Colocation (HDABACAE), Managed Colocation & Remote Hands Services (HDABACAD)

Keywords

• Tier iii colocation
• Carrier neutral interconnect
• Cloud marketplace services
• Data centre peering
• Remote hands support

Headquarters

HQ city

Lagos

HQ country

Nigeria

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Colocation Services: Tier III certified colocation services providing rack space, power, cooling, and physical security for customer hardware. Revenue generated from recurring colocation fees based on power consumption and space requirements. Includes both retail (individual racks/cages) and hyperscale solutions (dedicated data halls).
2. Cloud Services: CloudOnGround marketplace offering access to local and international cloud providers. Revenue from cloud interconnection and access services, potentially including referral or partnership arrangements with cloud vendors.
3. Interconnect and Peering Services: Cross-connect, peering, and interconnect services enabling direct physical connections between carriers, cloud providers, and enterprises. Revenue from cross-connect fees and peering arrangements.
4. Remote Hands Services: 24/7 on-site technical support including hardware installations, reboots, monitoring, troubleshooting, and maintenance. Revenue from technical support service contracts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Rack Centre provides Tier III Constructed Facility Certified colocation services from its Lagos campus, offering rack space, power, cooling, and physical security within high-density and AI-ready data halls. Around this colocation platform, it operates CloudOnGround, an independent cloud marketplace for local and international IaaS/PaaS/SaaS/DRaaS providers, alongside a carrier-neutral Interconnect Ecosystem with 73+ carriers and 8 undersea cables, multi-IXP peering via IXPN and AF-CIX, direct Cross Connects, and 24/7 Remote Hands managed support.

Product overview

Rack Centre operates as a carrier-neutral Tier III data centre provider offering a unified platform of infrastructure services centred around colocation, cloud, and connectivity. The core offering consists of Colocation Services and CloudOnGround marketplace for IaaS/PaaS/SaaS/DRaaS delivery, supplemented by an Interconnect Ecosystem providing access to 73+ carriers and Peering Services through dual-IXP connectivity (IXPN and AF-CIX). Add-on services include Remote Hands support and Cross Connect solutions. The platform spans two facility phases (LGS 1 at 1.5MW and LGS 2 at 12MW) within a single Lagos Campus totalling 13.5MW capacity, with a Marketplace for vendor-neutral partnerships and a Rack Centre Academy for talent development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CloudOnGround™: Rack Centre's independent cloud marketplace offering local and international cloud providers (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, DRaaS) hosted within their carrier-neutral Tier III facility in Lagos, Nigeria.

Products and services

• Colocation Services Tier III Constructed Facility Certified high-density colocation services for mission-critical hardware, scalable from single rack deployments to private cages and full hyperscale data halls, with 100% uptime SLA.
• CloudOnGround Independent vendor-neutral cloud marketplace aggregating local and international cloud providers (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, DRaaS), enabling multi-cloud deployments without vendor lock-in and sub-5ms latency to Nigerian end users.
• Interconnect Ecosystem Carrier-neutral connectivity hub providing customers unrestricted access to 73+ carriers, ISPs, content networks, and 8 undersea cables (including Equiano and 2Africa), enabling flexible provider switching.
• Peering Services Multi-IXP peering hub accessing both IXPN (Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria) and AF-CIX (West Africa's first carrier-neutral IXP), enabling direct peering and localised traffic exchange.
• Cross Connect Direct, low-latency physical point-to-point connections within the Meet-Me-Room linking customers to carriers, cloud providers and content networks, with free cross-connect to hosted IXPs.
• Remote Hands 24/7/365 on-site technical support provided by expert engineers handling hardware installations, reboots, troubleshooting, and infrastructure monitoring with a 15-minute average response time.
• Marketplace Vendor-neutral marketplace connecting carriers, cloud providers, MSPs, ISPs and enterprises operating within the Lagos data centre campus, enabling ecosystem partnerships and business growth.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% uptime since 2013
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• IBTCminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 May 2026Training partner for Rack Centre Academy, a five-month fully sponsored program for graduates in engineering and computer science. IBTC assists in developing the next generation of technical talent within Nigeria's data centre ecosystem.
• Schneider ElectricminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 May 2026Provides internationally recognized certifications for Rack Centre Academy participants. Schneider Electric credentials are part of the program's structured learning curriculum.
• EpiminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 May 2026Provides internationally recognized certifications for Rack Centre Academy participants. Epi credentials are part of the program's structured learning curriculum.
• African Data Centres Association (ADCA)minorOthers · 1 May 2026Industry body supporting the Rack Centre Academy initiative. ADCA represents African data centres and promotes the development of digital infrastructure across the continent.
• EdgeNextcoreTechnology or Integration · 27 October 2025Strategic collaboration to accelerate Nigeria's digital transformation through CDN and cloud hosting services. EdgeNext hosts its CDN and cloud hosting platforms at Rack Centre's LGS2 facility in Lagos. Partnership aims to deliver high-speed content delivery, low-latency cloud hosting, and edge computing solutions for Nigeria's digital economy. Addresses demand from e-commerce, fintech, gaming, and social media platforms.
• Confinity Group (also referred to as Cofinity Group)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 August 2024Channel partnership agreement for distribution of services. Confinity Group/Cofinity Group serves as a channel partner for Rack Centre's data centre services.
• AWS (Amazon Web Services)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2023AWS Direct Connect location established at Rack Centre in Lagos. Provides secure, private connections to AWS services, reducing data transfer costs and improving performance with dedicated connectivity to Amazon Web Services.
• Vodacom Business NigeriaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2023Partnership with Vodacom Business Nigeria to provide neutral data facility infrastructure in the Nigerian market. Vodacom leverages Rack Centre's carrier-neutral infrastructure for their enterprise connectivity services.
• AF-CIX (West Africa's first carrier-neutral IXP)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2023AF-CIX operates from Rack Centre as West Africa's first carrier-neutral Internet Exchange Point. Provides peering services alongside IXPN, offering unparalleled resilience and path diversity for networks.
• IXPN (Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2013IXPN is hosted at Rack Centre facility. The Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria enables local traffic exchange, reducing latency and costs for networks peering at Rack Centre.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Digital Realty: Global hyperscale and interconnection data centre platform and parent of Teraco. Relevant as the scaled global incumbent whose African expansion (via Teraco) sets the competitive ceiling for Rack Centre's growth and exit optionality.
• NTT Global Data Centers: Global data centre operator with Tier III/IV facilities and an emerging Africa presence. Comparable for enterprise and hyperscaler colocation contracts, particularly African-headquartered multinationals.

Direct peers

• MainOne (Equinix): MainOne, now Equinix-owned, operates the MDXi data centre brand across West Africa with submarine cable landing stations. Both MainOne and Rack Centre run carrier-neutral Lagos facilities and host major undersea cables.
• Africa Data Centres (Cassava Technologies): Cassava Technologies' data centre business and Rack Centre are the two leading carrier-neutral colocation operators in sub-Saharan Africa, both targeting enterprises, telcos, and hyperscalers. They share ~70%+ of Nigerian active IT capacity.
• MDX-I (Equinix JV): Equinix's MDX-I joint venture in Lagos is a direct same-market competitor offering interconnection-rich colocation. As part of Equinix's global platform, it competes for the same hyperscaler and enterprise customers Rack Centre serves.
• Teraco Data Environments: Africa's largest carrier-neutral data centre operator, based in South Africa and now part of Digital Realty. Comparable business model (carrier-neutral, IXP-hosted, multi-tenant) and the closest African peer in scale and ecosystem maturity.

Emerging players

• IXAfrica: East Africa's largest carrier-neutral hyperscale-ready data centre based in Nairobi. Directly comparable carrier-neutral model, Tier III+ design, and hyperscaler-tenant focus, though operating in a different geography.
• Open Access Data Centres (OADC): African-focused carrier-neutral data centre operator rolling out Tier III facilities across multiple African countries. Comparable carrier-neutral model targeting telcos and cloud providers, though earlier-stage than Rack Centre.

Regional players

• Angola Cables: West African submarine cable operator with data centre and interconnection services, including presence at Rack Centre. Comparable as a regional network-and-colocation operator serving the same West African carrier ecosystem.
• WIOCC: Africa's largest carriers' carrier and subsea cable operator with proprietary data centre infrastructure. Comparable as an interconnected, Africa-wide network operator, though more cable/fibre-led than Rack Centre's colocation-led model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rackcentre
• Xx.com/RackCentre
• Facebookfacebook.com/rack-centre-1456069471374939

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rack Centre