Microsoft may be shuttering its innovation centre in Nigeria

A Microsoft-owned innovation centre called African Development Centre based in Lagos, Nigeria established in 2019 to facilitate the creation of technology solutions to solve local and global problems is being closed, a report from local media The Guardian suggests.

Although there is no official statement from Microsoft and Techloy cannot authoritatively confirm this story, the report stated that the management of Microsoft had on Monday informed the staff of the sudden development, citing unnamed industry sources.

It is unclear how many employees of the centre would be affected, but the centre is reported to have hired 120 engineers and more than 200 total employees in Nigeria since its official launch in 2022.

Last year, Microsoft laid off an unknown number of employees from its Africa Development Centre in Nairobi, which was believed to be part of a global restructuring strategy. It is uncertain if the latest shakeup is linked with a restructuring strategy or it is due to the current harsh economic situation in Nigeria.

The ADC was established as part of Microsoft’s $100 million investment for two development centres in Africa, with the other located in Nairobi.