The new center will assist in the development of revolutionary products and services for people in Africa and throughout the world and will employ innovative engineers, product managers, UX designers, and researchers to establish the groundwork for considerable growth in the future years. “To help realize Google’s mission, we will be hiring visionary engineers, product managers, UX designers, and researchers to lay the foundation for significant growth in the coming years,” Google said in a statement. Sundar Pichai, the CEO of Google, announced a $1 billion (KSh 100 billion) investment in Africa over five years in October 2021, to cover a variety of projects ranging from enhanced connectivity to startup financing. Google made the investments to help Africa’s digital transformation in four areas: enabling affordable access, building products for every type of African user, and assisting businesses with their digital transformation. Google’s launch comes weeks after Microsoft made a similar announcement. Microsoft opened a KSh 3 billion engineering center in Kenya at Dunhill Towers in Westlands on March 25, 2022. President Uhuru Kenyatta announced the establishment of the Africa Development Centre (ADC), which he said will help the government achieve its objective of providing high-tech opportunities for Kenya’s youth. It is looking for brilliant, creative individuals who can help solve difficult and significant technical challenges, such as improving the smartphone experience for Africans or constructing a more reliable internet infrastructure. The new product development center will carry on that commitment by focusing on building for Africa and the rest of the world. “Google’s mission in Africa is to make the Internet helpful to Africans and partner with African governments, policymakers, educators, entrepreneurs and businesses to shape the next wave of innovation in Africa,”stated Google’s VP for Products, Suzanne Frey.
