The American technology multinational Microsoft which produces computer software, personal computers and related services, today opened its first African Development Center (ADC) in Lagos, Nigeria.
The center, which is a US$200 million investment by the company, is where software engineering solutions are expected to be delivered to Africa. This disclosure is contained in a tweet post by the President's personal assistant in digital media, Bashir Ahmed, on his official Twitter account on March 21, 2022.
The @Microsoft, an American multinational technology corporation which produces computer software, personal computers, and related services, opens its first African Development Center (ADC) in Lagos, Nigeria. pic.twitter.com/1k0c68eX34
- Bashir Ahmad (@BashirAhmaad) March 21, 2022
The centre, which was set up alongside the one in Nairobi, Kenya, will be the first to open in Africa and is yet another sign of the continent's growing importance as a global talent hub.
O ADC West Africa, which is Microsoft's 7th globally, serves as a key engineering hub for Microsoft in the region where world-class African talent can create solutions for local and global impact.
It launched in May 2019 with the recruitment of 10 world-class African talent to develop innovative solutions spanning AI-enabled cloud services, mixed reality experiences and advanced applications that power the seamless intelligent edge.
In his speech, the Federal Minister of Communications and Digital Economy of Nigeria, Isa Ali Pantami, expressed the federal government's gratitude to Microsoft for the investment and announced that the Nigerian government is willing to support international technology companies that want to invest in the country, introducing regulations and product adoption.
As part of its bid to support the development of core engineering skills, Microsoft has also partnered with local universities to create a modern and intelligent edge and cloud curriculum unique to Africa. Graduates of Nigeria's top engineering universities have had access to ADC to build relevant and meaningful careers in data science, AI, mixed reality, application development and more.
