Google has announced that it would open its first-ever Africa product development center in Nairobi, Kenya, as it prepares to service a growing number of internet users on the continent.
According to Suzanne Frey, vice president of products, and Nitin Gajria, head of Google Africa, Google is hiring engineers, product managers, user experience designers, and researchers to staff the new center.
According to Google, the continent will have 800 million internet users and a third of the world’s youth population by the end of this decade, making it an appealing investment destination.
It has already established an artificial intelligence center in Accra, Ghana, focused on solutions to diverse problems.
Microsoft has also invested $100 million in Kenya and Nigeria’s technological development centers, employing hundreds of engineers in both countries.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced in October that the company will invest $1 billion in various projects across the continent over the next five years to help economies accelerate their digital transformation.
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