A major set back has hit Nigeria’s growing tech industry as Microsoft is allegedly planning to shut down its African Development Centre based in Lagos.
This decision, if it is confirmed to be true, would have serious negative impact on the country’s technological landscape,that seems to be impacting on job opportunities and innovation in the sector.
The reliable source, who spoke to a Journalist on Tuesday, said Microsoft informed staff yesterday of the closure plans.
The reports said the affected workers are allowed to receive salary payments up until June and will continue to be covered by health insurance.
An unnamed staff within Microsoft’s Lagos office neither confirmed nor denied the shutting down when contacted by a news correspondent.
While the real reason for the decision remains unknown sources suggested that Nigeria’s terrible economic conditions may be responsible for the situation, the closure seems to affect only the ADC’s West Africa operations in Nigeria, not its East Africa office in Nairobi, Kenya.
Recall that Microsoft had launched its $100 million African Development Centers initiative in 2019, establishing facilities in both Lagos and Nairobi.
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The Nigeria centre employed over 120 engineers upon launch in 2022, growing to more than 200 total staff members.
During the launch, Managing Director of Microsoft ADC West Africa, Gafar Lawal said, “We intended to recruit 500 full-time engineers by the end of the year or by 2023. However, currently, we have exceeded 500. This is to tell you about the abundance of talents we have in Africa.”
The Lagos Centre was established to develop innovative technology solutions to address challenges across Africa and the rest of the world. As at then, the Microsoft statement went thus, “This also creates opportunities for engineers to do meaningful work from their home countries and be plugged into a global engineering and development organisation.”
