Tech giants set sights on Africa

Microsoft Corporation has become the latest company joining the rush to tap into the software engineering talent in Africa. The tech giant has announced plans to spend $100 million on a development center with offices in Kenya and Nigeria.

Two offices of the Africa Development Center will be located in Nairobi and Lagos. The center will hire 100 full-time developers who will work on artificial intelligence, machine learning and mixed reality innovation, according to a statement from the company. This number will increase to 500 across the two sites over the first five years of operation.

The US company is keen to partner with local universities to create a modern, intelligent edge and cloud curriculum. Graduates will have access to resources provided by the center.