Technology is rapidly changing Africa for the better. The proliferation of internet enabled devices, smartphone technology is rapidly increasing progress and infrastructure for a continent that has desperately needed it. Microsoft has played a pivotal role in Africa’s tech advancement potential, building strong partnerships to accelerate digital transformation and create sustained societal impact. The corporation has yet taken another bold step towards growing local talent with the launch of the Microsoft Africa development center (ADC).
About three decades ago, Microsoft opened their first offices in the continent. They realized that Africa has the potential to lead the technology revolution. They have been empowering those with the right ideas to drive economic development, inclusive growth and digital transformation. Their efforts have translated to an increase internet connectivity, more digital capability and innovations. They have helped Africans expand their technology, changing the way communities’ bank, communicate, farm and even access critical health care services in the continent.
Microsoft is now fully committing its resources on software engineering talent and intends to spend over US $100 million on a software development center initiative. In an event held on 14th May 2019, the tech company announced that it will be opening a Microsoft Africa development center in Nairobi, Kenya and Lagos, Nigeria this year and will employ 100 full time developers to work across the fields of artificial intelligence, mixed reality innovation and machine learning.
The Microsoft Africa development center, which is the seventh globally will be Microsoft’s gateway to the African continent and promises to provide huge opportunities for the tech savvy individuals in the various ICT specializations. The corporation is actually currently seeking 100 engineering talents from across the continent and expects to soon absorb the engineers by the end of the year, in vacancies that were announced in March this year. They expect to expand to 500 engineers across the two centers by 2023. Interested parties can visit the ADC website for more application details.
The Microsoft Africa development center will be the premier hub for engineering for the tech giant and its affiliates. The development center aims to leverage on the diversity of the regional landscape to build world class talent capable of creating innovative solutions with global impact. The Microsoft ADC is also expected to establish a collaborative engineering springboard that launches new technology investments in Kenya and Nigeria.
“The Microsoft Africa Development center is a big and bold step towards our commitment to empower people and organizations across Africa”, Sebuh Haileleul, Microsoft Country Manager.
On the Local front, the Microsoft Africa development center comes with a major upside for local engineering talent. Microsoft ADC centers are looking to build solutions for Kenyan local business communities focusing on talents, identity, currency, technology in general and improving access to local languages.
Most of the Job openings in Kenya, will be focused on engineering and research. It is a great opportunity for Kenyans to showcase their skills and expertise, especially for data scientists, game developers and information architects.
Under the leadership of, Michael Fortin, the corporate vice president at Microsoft, and the lead in establishing the first Microsoft Africa development center engineering team in Nairobi, Microsoft will partner with Local universities to create a modern intelligent edge and cloud curriculum uniquely customized to Africa. Graduates from the program will have access to the ADC centers to build relevant and meaningful careers in Data science, AI, application development, mixed reality and many more.
In addition, the Microsoft Africa development center will help prevent talent erosion by allowing local developers access to global opportunities through training and outsourcing. Over the years we have been witnessing talent shortages in the country as local tech developers have been seeking higher-paying opportunities, skill advancement and professional growth abroad.
With companies like Microsoft setting up shop, employing and advancing local talent in the continent with their ADC initiative, the trend of engineering and developer talent erosion in Kenya could soon be reversed. Tech engineers will be able to do meaningful work from their home countries and be plugged into a global engineering and development organization.
The Microsoft Africa development center initiative is in line with their mission to empower every individual and organization on the planet to achieve more. It is already empowering many innovations at the edge with partners like Interswitch, SunCulture and M-Kopa to come up with scalable solutions suitable for African countries as well as the rest of the world.
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