Microsoft has reportedly informed employees at its Africa Development Centre in Nairobi, Kenya, of plans to close the engineering facility as part of wider organisational changes, raising concerns about jobs and the country’s technology sector.
According to a report by CIO Africa, employees were notified of the proposed closure on Monday, October 12.
Microsoft described the move as part of broader global changes affecting its engineering operations in Kenya. However, the company has not explicitly confirmed that the Nairobi centre will shut down.
The company said it would continue operating in Kenya, retaining employees and serving customers across the region. It added that discussions with affected employees were ongoing but declined to disclose details of the process.
The development comes amid a wider restructuring exercise at Microsoft that has led to workforce reductions across different parts of its business, including its African operations.
The proposed closure was also discussed during a meeting between Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications and the Digital Economy, William Kabogo, and a Microsoft delegation led by Jeff Bullwinkel, the company’s Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for Corporate, External and Legal Affairs in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
The delegation included Microsoft’s East Africa team, headed by Angela Ng’ang’a.
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Kabogo said he had stressed the importance of protecting jobs, retaining local technology talent and sustaining investor confidence in Kenya’s technology industry.
He added that Microsoft had reaffirmed its long-term commitment to the country.
Both parties are expected to develop a joint action plan covering artificial intelligence adoption in government, digital public services, cybersecurity, digital infrastructure and skills development.
Microsoft established its Africa Development Centre to strengthen its engineering capacity on the continent and enable African professionals to contribute to products and services used worldwide.
The Nairobi facility became one of the company’s major engineering hubs in Africa, alongside its centre in Lagos, Nigeria. The centres have supported work in software development, cloud computing, cybersecurity and other areas of Microsoft’s global technology operations.
The potential closure comes as Kenya seeks to strengthen its position as a regional technology hub through investments in artificial intelligence, cloud computing and software development.
If confirmed, the move could affect Kenya’s technology workforce and raise questions about the future of large-scale engineering investment in the country.
About the Author
Cecilia Attah is a tech analyst with a degree from Benue State University. She covers tech news and startups at TechRegard with a focus on how technology is transforming Africa and shaping the global landscape.
