In another sign of Africa’s growing importance as a global hub for talent, Microsoft has launched a $100 million Africa Development Centre, ADC, with offices in Kenya and Nigeria.
Aiming to recruit 100 full-time engineers by the end of the year, and 500 engineers by the end of 2023, Microsoft is betting on African innovation in fields like fintech, agritech and offgrid energy and hopes to tap into them.
“The ADC will be unlike any other existing investment on the continent. It will help us better listen to our customers, develop locally and scale for global impact,” Microsoft executive vice president Phil Spencer said in Nairobi.
“Beyond that, it’s an opportunity to engage further with African partners, academia, governments and developers – driving impact and innovation in sectors important to Africa.”
This follows the March launch of its first Azure data centers on the continent, in Cape Town and Johannesburg, in South Africa.
