Microsoft Spends $200m on ADC initiative

The ADC’s Managing Director in West Africa, Gafar Lawal, says Microsoft has spent $200 million since it introduced its African Development Centre in 2019.

This was revealed at the opening of the office in Lagos. He said the ADC had since grown from 10 employees in 2019 to about 200 in 2022.

“The facility will continue our efforts towards training, equipping and hiring engineering talent in Nigeria and West Africa as a whole to contribute to the development of Microsoft products that are in use by over one billion devices and empowering millions of users and organizations across the world to do more”, Lawal says.

Also Read: NIRA Price Of .ng Domain Reduces By 40%

The ADC office, which is now based at Kings Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos, will house the centre’s product engineering, ecosystem development, and innovation teams.

The company added that its new facility would also house the Microsoft Garage, a new entity launched as part of ongoing efforts to scale innovation in the tech ecosystem.

Speaking at the event, The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, said the launch of the ADC, which is the first in Africa, will strengthen Nigeria’s position as a regional hub for digital innovation.

The Governor, Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, added, “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 7-floor facility, which will improve employment and also contribute significantly to the training and rise of many tech giants in Nigeria.”

Microsoft corporate vice president of the Identity and Network Access Engineering Team and executive sponsor of the ADC, Joy Chik, says the company will hire more engineering talent in the nation.