Nigeria’s future role in energy exports and digital trade may rest on the work of one engineer now shaping both industries.
Olaitan Jinad, the youngest Principal Planning Engineer at Shell Nigeria, has taken a place in projects linking the country’s natural gas resources with its emerging data economy. Nigeria holds 206.5 trillion cubic feet of proven natural gas reserves, making gas central to government plans under the Decade of Gas initiative. The policy is aimed at powering homes, industries, and exports.
Jinad has been involved in projects that raised Nigeria’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) capacity, helping the country position itself as demand for cleaner fuel grows worldwide. Speaking on the future, he said: “The same way energy has been the backbone of industry, data infrastructure will become the backbone of economies. Nigeria must align its abundant energy with the demand for scalable, sustainable data centres.”
Nigeria has about 136.7 megawatts of installed data centre capacity. Nearly 100 MW of that was planned and executed under Jinad’s watch, where he oversaw project controls, scheduling, and delivery to meet global standards. Market projections show the sector could grow to 279 MW by 2030 and attract more than $5 billion in investment. Jinad said this expansion would generate thousands of jobs across energy, fibre networks, and cooling systems.
He has argued that the link between energy and data will define Nigeria’s competitive position. “Energy-backed data centres will give Nigeria a real competitive edge,” he said. “It’s how we build a hub for cloud, AI, and big data in Africa.”
The model he proposes is based on linking data centres directly to natural gas supplies. This would allow operators to bypass Nigeria’s unstable national grid, lower operating costs, and offer reliable service to international investors. Analysts note that such a system could make Nigeria more attractive to global cloud and technology firms.
By 2030, data centre capacity could almost double to 300 MW, with cumulative investments surpassing $8 billion, while further exploration could increase proven gas reserves. The expansion would place Nigeria at the centre of both African energy and digital economies.
Industry watchers say Jinad’s career highlights a broader lesson: Nigeria’s resources extend beyond energy reserves to the skills and ambitions of its people. As the global economy shifts towards clean energy and data-driven systems, his path shows how local expertise can create value across sectors.
