Microsoft has launched a new facility in Lagos, Nigeria in furtherance of its mission and strategic value of the Africa Development Centre (ADC) in the region. This is three years after its successful operation and hosting at Microsoft’s Lagos hub.
The ADC will now be based at the Kings Towers on Glover Road in Ikoyi, Nigeria, which is a new, ultra-modern, state-of-the-art facility. It will serve as a premier engineering centre for Microsoft, where world-class African talent can create solutions for local and global impact.
The facility was officially launched by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Ali Pantami, accompanied by the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Inuwa Kashifu Abdullahi and H.E the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, represented by the Commissioner of Science and Technology, Hakeem Fahm, among other key guests.
While commissioning the Microsoft ADC facility on behalf of His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, Prof. Pantami said that citing of the Africa Development Centre in Nigeria shows the confidence that Microsoft has in the country as a leading tech country on the continent and a worthy partner.
In his words: “I congratulate Microsoft Nigeria team and the global Microsoft team on this important achievement and thank you for partnering with Nigeria.” “The choice of Nigeria is very strategic for many reasons, including our location, population, economic status on the continent, our large pool of highly creative youth, and many more.”
Lagos State Governor His Excellency, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, on the other hand, said, “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 seven-floor facility, which will improve employment and also contribute significantly to the training and rise of many tech giants in Nigeria.”
“The ADC,” according to Olatomiwa Williams, Country Manager, Microsoft Nigeria and Ghana, “is a platform that supports Microsoft’s mission of empowering every person and organisation on the planet to achieve more.” He noted that it is the first Global Development Centre in Africa with a combined expected investment of US $100 million over the first five years of operation.
ADC is Microsoft’s project in Africa for an engineering hub to give local solutions with global scalability, as well as to create employment opportunities and further promote technical innovation on the continent. It was launched in May 2019 and is based in Johannesburg. It has engaged 120 engineers and more than 200 overall staff in Nigeria since the company’s establishment.
