Microsoft : Garage opens new locations in East and West Africa

The Microsoft Garage celebrated the opening of new locations in Nairobi, Kenya and Lagos, Nigeria, as part of the growth of the Microsoft Africa Development Center (ADC).

"These new Garage locations are the culmination of several years of planning with the ADC," says Jeff Ramos, GM of the Microsoft Garage. "We are pleased to bring to life our commitment to support innovation at the individual and regional level across Microsoft - and now in ADC campuses. In The Garage, we believe that great ideas can come from anywhere, and we enable people to cultivate their ideas in an environment where they can collaborate, experiment, and learn new things."

The Garage provides employees the space, tools, and programming for creative collaboration along with opportunities to engage customers and the local ecosystem in digital transformation. The Garage programs include the Garage Growth Framework with team coaching, new employee hackathon sessions, student innovation workshops, and the annual Microsoft Global Hackathon - the largest of its kind in the world.

"The Garage is meant to spread the values of openness and collaboration throughout the Microsoft ADC, where people come to The Garage to work with interdisciplinary teams on passion projects that sometimes make their way into Microsoft products - this should ultimately allow Microsoft ADC to become a more prominent shaper of Africa's tech culture," Lydiah Karanja of The Garage East Africa explained.

Linda Thackeray, Senior Director of The Garage EMEA, adds, "We are pleased to add Garage sites in Africa to join the network of our culture and innovation programs in Europe, North America, the Middle East, and Asia."

At the ADC launches, President Uhuru Kenyatta was among other key guests welcomed by The Garage East Africa at the Nairobi facility at the Dunhill Towers. The Executive Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, joined the opening festivities in Lagos at The Garage West Africa located at Kings Tower, Ikoyi.

President of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta (center) visits The Garage East Africa in Nairobi, with Linda Thackeray, Senior Director of The Garage EMEA (left), and Lydiah Karanja, Program Manager of The Garage East Africa (right).

With these strategic investments in Africa, The Garage is ready to support Microsoft's mission of empowering every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.

The Garage West Africa in Lagos welcoming Executive Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

Read more about the Microsoft ADC launch and The Garage:

Inside 'The Microsoft Garage' Lagos - TechEconomy.ng

How Microsoft plans to scale Africa's home-grown talent - CNBC Africa

A creative space to bring new ideas to life, Microsoft opens The Garage in Africa - MCGH (microsoftcaregh.com)

Microsoft launches new office for ADC software engineers in Kenya - MCGH (microsoftcaregh.com)

Follow @MicrosoftADC on Twitter