MainOne, an Equinix-owned digital infrastructure company, experienced a one-hour power outage at its MDXi II data center in Lekki, Lagos, on October 9, 2024, causing significant disruptions across Nigerian banks. The outage, triggered by a faulty circuit breaker, left millions of customers unable to access banking services, underscoring the growing interdependence between banks and data infrastructure providers.
Impact on Banks and Customers
At least three major tier-1 banks were affected by the disruption, highlighting the critical role MainOne plays as a primary internet and data service provider. With many banks already navigating complex digital transformations, the timing of the outage amplified operational challenges and further dented customer trust in an already low-confidence banking environment.
In a broader context, banks rely on providers like MainOne for uninterrupted connectivity to ensure smooth transactions. Downtime in online banking systems not only frustrates customers but also creates reputational risks and operational backlogs. CTOs from the affected banks visited the data center on the day of the outage to investigate the issue, demonstrating the gravity of the incident.
Data Center and Power Setup
MDXi Lagos, with a capacity of 600 kW and power density of 3.5 kW per rack, employs multiple power sources, including utility grids and diesel generators, to ensure operational continuity. Despite these redundancies, the incident highlights the limitations of power infrastructure in Nigeria’s tech ecosystem, where even advanced systems are susceptible to failures.
Previous Disruptions and Response
This is not the first significant disruption linked to MainOne’s infrastructure. In March 2024, a fibre cut in Ghana impacted Nigerian banks and internet services, underscoring the vulnerability of regional infrastructure to outages. These incidents have raised concerns about the reliability of existing systems, even as MainOne works on adding redundancies to mitigate future disruptions.
While MainOne has not commented on the recent outage, sources indicate that efforts are underway to improve system resilience. Redundancy measures typically include duplicate power and network components to ensure smooth operations during unexpected failures and maintenance tasks.
Looking Ahead: Mitigating Risks in a Digital Economy
For Nigeria’s commercial banks, minimizing reliance on a single service provider and developing internal redundancies are critical next steps. As customers demand seamless digital services, banks must also rethink their business continuity plans to prevent recurring disruptions. Meanwhile, providers like MainOne face increasing pressure to ensure higher standards of service delivery and operational resilience in a growing digital economy.