Microsoft Corporation and G42, a leading artificial intelligence company in the United Arab Emirates are working together to build a $1 billion geothermal-powered data center in Kenya.

This development follows the decision of Microsoft to close down its African development centre in Lagos Nigeria putting about 200 people out of work.

According to Business Insider Africa, the project marks the first phase of a multiyear initiative aimed at boosting cloud computing capacity and services in East Africa.

The initial investment and construction of the facility will be carried out by G42. They will oversee the construction of the facility in Olkaria, an area in Kenya rich in geothermal resources. This is done to bypass the issue of power outages in the continent as Kenya fits in with Microsoft’s climate goals.

The first phase of the project will have a capacity of 100 megawatts and is expected to be operational in two years.

Microsoft, G42 and Kenyan officials are set to sign a letter of intent tomorrow which was created with the assistance of the US and UAE governments.

Microsoft President Brad Smith who is no stranger to Kenya as a country argued that the new project is a significant step in deepening and embedding digital technology in the country’s history.

He also hailed the alliance with UAE’s G42 citing the significant milestones that could be achieved if both parties work together in promoting digital technology in Africa.

“This shows what G42 and Microsoft have the opportunity to do together that neither one of us could do separately. I frankly think it shows that what the United States and the United Arab Emirates can do together that helps bring technology to new countries, especially across Africa”, Brad smith said.

G42 Chief Executive Officer Peng Xiao explained that the full project would require up to one gigawatt of electricity from the grid.

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TECHDIGEST – The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami has authored another on skill acquisitions.

The Minister who recently released two books: ‘Cybersecurity Initiatives for Securing a Country’ and‘Datafication of Society to Foster an Internet Economy,’ will unveiled “Skills Rather Than Just Degrees” at an event to commence disbursements of funds to deepen broadband penetration in Abuja.

In a statement by Spokesperson, NITDA,
Mrs Hadiza Umar the unveiling of the book is part of programme aimed at signaling the commencement of landmark broadband initiatives to accelerate broadband penetration in Nigeria and advance the course of digital economy for the nation.

The statement stated that “Following the Honourable Minister’s presentation of the programme at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on the 26th October 2022, an approval was given for N16.7 billion to be used to provide broadband access for 20 markets and 18 schools across the 6 geopolitical zones of the country.

READ ALSO: Data Governance will Ensure Maximum Value Derivation from Digital Economy – NITDA Boss

“Furthermore, as part of efforts to implement the Nigeria National Broadband Plan (NNBP, 2020- 2025), the Honourable Minister secured the approval of the Federal Executive Council on the 8th of December 2021 for N1.96 billion to be used to purchase 6,000 e-pad mobile devices for students in tertiary institutions. Both projects are to be implemented by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and supervised by Pantami.

The book focuses on the importance of skills and its potential impact in addressing the problems of unemployability, unemployment, and underemployment. The book is a research and productive work implementing the paradigm shift being advocated by Professor Pantami.

The Foreword to the book was written by US Attorney Brad Smith, the President of Microsoft Corporation. Mr. Smith, who the New York Times described as “a de facto ambassador for the technology industry at large” stated that the book is so important, in part because it addresses critical opportunities for individuals, and also because it points the way towards steps that can unlock the potential for the African continent and the world.

Some Vice-Chancellors also reviewed the book. Prof. M.A. Abdulazeez, Vice Chancellor of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University said the book amplifies the need for the institutionalisation of the triple helix model as a veritable tool to recalibrate our participation in the knowledge-driven global economy. Prof. Owunari Abraham Georgewill, Vice Chancellor of the University of Port-Harcourt, said the book greatly enhances the understanding of how skills can solve challenges like unemployment and underemployment. Prof. Sagir Adamu Abbas, Vice Chancellor of Bayero University Kano, called the book work of an erudite scholar that will serve as reference material for scholars, researchers, students and society at large.

The unveiling of the book on skills and the launch of the programme to support broadband initiatives in the country are all part of efforts to implement the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) for a Digital Nigeria.

The unveiling will take place on Thursday, 24th of November, 2022 at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.

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TECHDIGEST – President Muhammadu Buhari said that Nigeria stands poised to welcome more initiatives and investments in digital technology, while appreciating Microsoft for an engineering hub, African Development Centre, worth $200 million.

Receiving Brad Smith, the President of Microsoft Corporation, at the State House, accompanied by Professor Isa Ali Pantami, the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, the President said:

“I have been informed that the African Development Centre in Nigeria is Microsoft’s first engineering hub in Africa as the current investment stands at about $200 million.

“I have also been informed of Microsoft’s skilling initiative that aims to train five million citizens and provide 27,000 jobs over the next three years. These initiatives are commendable and I urge you to expand them and continue to prioritize Nigeria as you roll out your global initiatives.’’

President Buhari told the visiting Microsoft team that as the largest economy and most populous country in Africa, Nigeria was positioned to play a strategic role in the global technology ecosystem and seek the right partnerships to harness the potentials.

He said one of such key partnerships was in the area of capacity building.

This administration, according to the President, had shown great commitment in providing conducive environment for investors and the massive jump in the Global Ease of Doing Business Ranking was proof that the efforts were yielding positive results.

“Our emphasis on the development of our Digital Economy has also positioned the sector as a prominent factor in the Nigerian economy. As the fastest growing sector of the Nigerian economy in 2020, the Information and Communications Technology sector played a very important role in supporting our country to exit the recession triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are keen to build on the momentum as we continue to implement our National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy, along with other related policies.’’

Apart from partnership in the area of skills building, President Buhari said he looked forward to further partnerships that will support the digital infrastructure and innovation ecosystem, with regard to emerging technologies.

“I believe that this meeting will provide an opportunity to discuss how the Nigerian government can support the growth of your business here and how Microsoft can contribute to the growth of our economy through the active support of our policies and programmes,’’ he added.

READ ALSO : Microsoft, Tech4Dev, Train 18,000 Nigerians Youth On Digital Skills

President Buhari said he launched the Nigerian National Broadband Plan on the 19th of March 2020, with the aim of expanding broadband access across Nigeria and Microsoft’s connectivity initiative aligns with the plan.

“I believe it would be very useful and mutually beneficial to both Microsoft and Nigeria if your connectivity project is expanded beyond the current four locations in this country.

“Emerging technologies play a key role in digital transformation in the Fourth Industrial Revolution and a number of indigenous companies have developed very useful solutions. We are willing to partner with Microsoft to make Nigeria the epicenter for innovative emerging technology in Africa.’’

The President commended the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy and all industry stakeholders for their support for the sector.

“In order to sustain the momentum, I further direct that you and other stakeholders in the technology ecosystem keep government fully informed of your ongoing and proposed activities that support the growth of our digital economy.

“We have the potential of becoming your most lucrative market in Africa. As such, we urge you to continue to support the development of our digital economy. We also urge you to step up your Corporate Social Responsibility programmes and support for Research and Development that will enhance your services in Nigeria and on the African continent,’’ the President said.

In his remarks, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy said he represented President Buhari at the commissioning of the African Development Centre, adding that Microsoft had over 200 Nigerians working for them in the country, and Seattle.

Prof. Pantami noted that 320,000 Nigerians have also been trained on digital skills by the technology company.

The President of Microsoft and Vice Executive Chairman said the company will keep creating jobs to help build technology that will change the world, noting that the “multi-tasking approach’’ also stretches to digital infrastructure.

“We pledge to train five million people in Nigeria in the future,’’ Smith said, noting “60,000 people had already enrolled for courses while 300,000 had completed various courses.’’

The President of Microsoft said the company had gone into partnership with other companies to increase Internet and broadband penetration, while efforts have been advanced in innovating technology that will fight corruption and preserve cultural heritages, like languages.

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TECH DIGEST – Following Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s relentless efforts in attracting tech giants like Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Huawei and others to the country, a cross-section of Nigerians have taken to social media to acknowledge and commend his commitment to issues affecting youths, saying the move will lead to the creation of jobs for them.

They bared their minds via comments posted on different social media channels, expressing their gratitude to the Vice President and urged him not to relent in his efforts to transform the tech space in Nigeria.

Prof. Osinbajo met with the Microsoft Corporation team led by its President, Mr Brad Smith on 8 January in a virtual meeting and the tech giant committed to partnering the Federal Government in its Economic Sustainability Plan.

At the meeting Vice President urged Microsoft to engage young Nigerians, stating that, “It seems to me that there is just a wave of general anger around the world and people are generally impatient. Impatient with government, impatient with practically all of the formal structures there are.”

“But I am open and happy to hear what views there might be on trying to engage and engage even more with young people (and in our case, that is 70% of our population, if not more). So, we are really talking not just about the youth population but the Nigerian populace because that is the majority.”

It would be recalled that Prof. Osinbajo also met with other global technology giants including Google Inc., Huawei, and top social networking company, Facebook, to discuss plans to partner with the Federal Government for the benefit of the Nigerian people, especially young people.

Using the hashtag, MicrosoftNaija, a Twitter user, Bola Daunsi said the Vice President’s impact on the tech sector is profound. “VP Osinbajo’s impact on the tech sector has produced a whole lot of desirable results in terms of attracting tech giants like Facebook, Google, Huawei, Jack Ma and more recently Microsoft to Nigeria for investment purpose. #MicrosoftNaija isn’t just wishful thinking, It is real,” she said.

Doctor Frank in a tweet said for many years Prof. Osinbajo has been pushing tech initiative in Nigeria. “The ease of using Microsoft in achieving many things is only happening because VP Osinbajo has been building and sustaining our economy specifically through technology advancement and establishments since 2017.”

Kate Nnaji explained that the Vice President has a track record of attracting big tech companies. “While a lot of you are busy attacking @ProfOsinbajo, he has been busy building Nigeria’s tech sector by bringing different tech big guns to invest here. Just last week, Microsoft said it will be investing in Naija to build its tech sector & make it the best in Africa.” #MicrosoftNaija

Adelekan Adeoye cited the impact Osinbajo’s meeting with Facebook had on the Nigeria tech sector. “In May 2018, NG_HUB was launched in Yaba, Lagos. The training aspect of Facebook’s Nigeria Initiatives promises to train and support 50,000 students, SMEs and entrepreneurs across Nigeria through a series of digital skills training.” #MicrosoftNaija

Similarly, Adewumi Collins noted that over $350 million was pumped into Nigeria’s tech sector after he met with tech giants. “VP Osinbajo has been at the forefront of Nigeria’s investments in the tech sector. After his visit in 2018/2019, Nigerian got about $377million in investments in the tech sector. Job creation, hubs, training and so on.” #MicrosoftNaija

Mustapha Olatu described Prof. Osinbajo as a big brand that attracts other big brands. “Osinbajo is not only intelligent, he is also a brand. Osinbajo in a meeting with tech CEOs at the Silicon Valley asked them to invest in Nigeria. He also showcased Paystack in 2018 asking foreign and local investors to give it a try. Let’s not forget the role the VP has now played in #MicrosoftNaija,” he said.

Thomas Blessing was pleased that Microsoft obliged the Vice President request. “VP Osinbajo in a virtual meeting with Microsoft Corporation team led by its President, Mr Brad Smith noted that the company’s interest in supporting the efforts of the FG is a welcome development and could be leveraged to address issues affecting the youths.” #MicrosoftNaija

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