Microsoft says since the introduction of its African Development Centre in 2019, it has spent $200m on the initiative.
The ADC West Africa Managing Director, Gafar Lawal, disclosed this during the launch of the ADC’s office on Monday.
He said the ADC had since grown from 10 employees in 2019 to about 200 four years after.
Lawal said, “The facility will continue our efforts towards training, equipping and hiring engineering talent in Nigeria and West Africa as a whole to contribute to the development of Microsoft products that are in use by over one billion devices and empowering millions of users and organizations across the world to do more.”
The office, which is based at Kings Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos, will house the centre’s product engineering, ecosystem development, and innovation teams.
It would also house the Microsoft Garage, a new entity launched as part of ongoing efforts to scale innovation in the tech ecosystem.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, said the launch of the ADC, which is the first in Africa, would strengthen the nation’s position as a leading regional digital innovation hub.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State added, “I join several Nigerians and Lagosians today in applauding Microsoft’s commitment to developing the tech in our state and country through this state-of-the-art 7-floor facility, which will improve employment and also contribute significantly to the training and rise of many tech giants in Nigeria.”
