Many Jobs At Risk As Microsoft Shuts Down Centre in Nigeria

As Microsoft shuts down centre in Nigeria, over 200 jobs will be at risk and many Nigerians will lose their jobs. This will be a significant setback for Nigerians in the tech industry, as the report has indicated that Microsoft is considering the closure of its Africa Development Centre based in Lagos, Nigeria.

This news , if confirm has drastic consequences and profound implications on the countries technological landscape. It will affect job opportunities in the sector.

According to a news reporter, Microsoft informed its staff on Monday of the closing plans. The saddened staff were promised to continue receiving salary until June 2024 and constant health insurance for a lifetime.

According to an unnamed source within Microsoft’s Lagos office who neither confirmed nor denied the closure when questioned by the newspaper reporters on Tuesday.

Many suggestions have it that Nigeria’s challenging economic condition has a hand in the decision of Microsoft decision. 

However, the closure of Microsoft only affects the ADC’s West Africa operations in Nigeria, and not it’s East Africa facility in Nairobi, Kenya.

Recall that, in 2019, Microsoft launched its $100 million Africa Development Centre Initiative, where different facilities were established in Lagos and Nairobi, respectively.

The Microsoft center in Nigeria, employed Over 120 Engineers in 2022 when it was launched and since then has recorded a total of 200 staffs in the facility.

The massive employment scheme was inspired by  Gafar Lawal, Managing Director of Microsoft ADC West Africa, who 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 inauguration of the Lagos centre was done for the development and innovation of technological solutions that will help address problems in Africa and internationally.

 “This also creates opportunities for engineers to do meaningful work from their home countries and be plugged into a global engineering and development organisation.” A Microsoft statement.