Google today announced its first product development centre in Africa, to be located in Nairobi, Kenya.
In a statement, the internet search giant says the new product development centre will help to create transformative products and services for people in Africa and around the world, and will be hiring visionary engineers, product managers, UX designers and researchers to lay the foundation for significant growth in the coming years.
The centre is looking for talented, creative people who can help solve difficult and important technical challenges, such as improving the smartphone experience for people in Africa, or building a more reliable internet infrastructure.
In October, at a Google for Africa event, CEO Sundar Pichai announced a plan to invest $1 billion (R15 billion) over the next five years to support Africa’s digital transformation.
The company says this investment focuses on enabling fast, affordable internet access for more Africans, building helpful products, supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses, and helping non-profits to improve lives across Africa.
In 2018, Google opened an AI research centre in Accra, Ghana, to help drive useful innovations.
Google says the new product development centre is a continuation of that commitment and will be working for Africa and the world.
“Google’s mission in Africa is to make the Internet helpful to Africans and partner with African governments, policymakers, educators, entrepreneurs and business to shape the next wave of innovation in Africa,” says Suzanne Frey, Google VP for products.
“Today I am excited to welcome all Africans passionate about improving the digital experience of African users by building better products to apply for the open roles at our first product development centre in Africa.”
Nitin Gajria, managing director of Google in Africa, adds: “There are 300 million internet users in Africa who are young, mobile-first and have similar patterns to mobile youth globally.
“By 2030, Africa will have 800 million internet users and a third of the world’s under-35 population. The potential for Africa to become a leading digital economy is right on the horizon and Google is committed to accelerating Africa’s digital transformation through human capital and enabling ‘African-led solutions to African and global problems’ through better products.”
All the roles announced today can be viewed at careers.google.com.
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