Overview:
Google said the centre will build transformative products and services for the African market and the world.
Google has said it will launch a product development centre in Nairobi, the tech giant’s first on the African continent.
Google said the centre will build transformative products and services for the African market and the world.
“We have 300 million people on the internet in the region [Africa] today. We also know that in the course of the rest of this decade, we’re going to have another half a billion people who will experience internet for the very first time, which is why it is incredibly important that we build products and experiences that are helpful to these people that are going to be experiencing the internet just in Africa,” said Google in Africa managing director Nitin Gajria on Tuesday.
Google’s policy lead for Sub-Saharan Africa Charles Murito added: “Africa has been at the forefront of innovation, and we believe that we are going to continue to develop and innovate right here from the continent.”
Google has already advertised jobs to run the centre, who include software engineers, product managers, UX designers and researchers.
The announcement comes after Google in October 2021 revealed plans to invest $1 billion over the next five years in Africa. The product development centre is Google’s second major research and development investment in Africa, after the tech giant set up an AI and research centre in Ghana in 2019.
This investment focuses on enabling fast, affordable internet access for more Africans, building helpful products, supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses and helping nonprofits to improve lives across Africa.