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Microsoft Shuts Nigeria Engineering Center Within Two Years - BLOOMBERG
BY , Bloomberg News
(Bloomberg) -- Microsoft Corp. shut the engineering section of its Africa Development Center in Nigeria, two years after it was opened in the West African nation.
The Lagos center, one of two on the continent - the other being in Kenya - was opened in 2022 to deliver high-end engineering solutions for Microsoft. The Nairobi center has not been affected, the US company said in a response to queries.
Microsoft’s exit adds to the list of multinational firms including Procter & Gamble Co., GSK Plc and Bayer AG that have been forced to either revamp their business or leave Africa’s most populous nation since the pandemic. Nigeria battled with a currency crisis, dollar shortages and high inflation that have crimped business growth and eroded the purchasing power of consumers.
“Organizational and workforce adjustments are a necessary and regular part of managing our business,” a Microsoft spokesperson said in the email response. “We will continue to prioritize and invest in strategic growth areas for our future and in support of our customers and partners.”
Nigeria’s The Guardian newspaper, which first reported the story, said more than 100 engineers will be affected by the closure, without saying how it got the information.
