Google Launches First African Product Development Center in Nairobi

Google has launched its newest product development center in Nairobi, the first in Africa.

The new center is a part of Google’s commitment to invest $1 billion over the next five years and is the company’s second major research and development investment in Africa.

The first significant investment was a tech giant set up an AI and research center in Ghana in 2019.

“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,” said Google’s policy lead for Sub-Saharan Africa, Charles Murito, per TechCrunch.

Last month, the tech giant Google announced over 100 vacancies for the Nairobi office.

The firm was seeking out more than 100 product managers, software engineers, senior UX designers and UX researchers to help solve any technical challenges.

Count down begins ⏳ #GoogleIO Extended Nairobi is back
Get ready to take your tech skills to the next level!
Join developers from around the world for:
✨ Thoughtful discussions
✨ Interactive learning with Amazing Speakers
✨ A first look at google developer product updates
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— GDG Nairobi (@GDG_Nairobi) May 9, 2022

The company aimed to improve the smartphone experience for people in Africa and to develop a more stable internet infrastructure, said Google VP for products, Suzanne Frey.

“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.

Nairobi is somewhat of a tech hub for the continent.

Two years ago, Microsoft launched its first Africa Development Centers (ADC) in Nairobi, Kenya and Lagos, Nigeria, where world-class African talent can create solutions for local and global impact.