Microsoft’s MD for Africa Development Centre in Nairobi, Jack Ngare, has left the tech giant. Ngare confirmed his departure from Microsoft citing that he will now be taking up new opportunities.
Ngare first joined Microsoft in 2016 from Finserve, where he was General Manager and Country Manager of Kenya among other positions. He has since held a number of senior roles at the tech giant including leading projects such as the Microsoft 4Afrika Initiative, which was launched in 2013, to empower youth across Africa through technology and skills development.
Jack’s departure from Microsoft comes barely a month after ADC launched a new office in Nairobi Kenya. The Nairobi office is set to partner with local start-ups, businesses, developers, and students to drive technology innovation on the continent after it opened its doors earlier this year.
Ngare, who shared the news of his departure from Microsoft ADC on his LinkedIn page, did not reveal his next destination. However, unofficial sources say he is headed to Google. Microsoft has not announced Ngare’s replacement. The company will now have to search for someone to run the new office in Nairobi that would help it build solutions that are relevant to local markets.
“It has been a life-changing few years at Microsoft putting Kenya and Africa on the global software engineering map. The future is bright for all… A new adventure begins,” he said.
As global tech companies pitch camp in Kenya, it is expected that IT talent wars will intensify. With the talent gap facing Africa, global tech companies like Google, Microsoft, and Visa that have opened new facilities in Kenya will go out of their way to attract qualified professionals including poaching them from other firms.
While announcing the opening of its first Product Development Engineering Centre in Africa, Google also said it is hiring 100 new personnel to help it propel its future growth.
