Microsoft is planning to wind down its Africa Development Centre (ADC) in Nairobi, Kenya, putting nearly 400 jobs at risk, seven years after opening the facility to develop African engineers for its global technology operations.
The reported shutdown follows the closure of the company’s Lagos engineering centre in 2024.
Employees at the Nairobi centre were informed of the proposed changes on Monday, October 12, 2026, and asked to meet their managers by Friday, October 16, to discuss exit options, including severance terms, according to TechCabal, which cited employees familiar with the matter.
Microsoft has acknowledged changes to its Kenyan engineering operations but has not explicitly confirmed that the entire centre will close or disclosed the final number of employees who will be affected.
“We are communicating directly with employees in Kenya about proposed changes to our engineering operations,” a Microsoft spokesperson told TechCabal.
The spokesperson added that the company recognized the uncertainty the changes would bring and was keeping discussions with employees private.
“Microsoft remains committed to Kenya and will continue to have employees in the country while supporting the country’s ongoing digital transformation and innovation ambitions,” the spokesperson said.
On the same day, Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications and the Digital Economy, William Kabogo, met a Microsoft delegation to discuss the company’s changing operations and the need to protect jobs at the Nairobi engineering centre.
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Microsoft’s Nairobi plans follow the closure of its Lagos centre
Microsoft launched its Africa Development Centre in May 2019, selecting Nairobi and Lagos as its first two engineering hubs on the continent. The company pledged more than $100 million over five years to develop African technology talent and build products for global markets.
At the launch, Michael Fortin, then a Microsoft corporate vice president, said the centre would allow engineers to do “meaningful work from their home countries” while being part of a global engineering organization.
Microsoft planned to recruit 100 engineers by the end of 2019 and grow its combined workforce across Nairobi and Lagos to 500 by 2023.
The Nairobi operation grew beyond its original recruitment target. By 2022, Microsoft President Brad Smith said the centre employed more than 450 engineers, working across areas including software development, machine learning and data science.
However, Microsoft’s engineering presence in Nigeria began shrinking in 2024.
In May that year, Microsoft confirmed that it had decided to close its Africa Development Centre in Lagos, affecting some employees. The company said the decision was part of its normal business adjustments, without specifying the number of workers affected.
“Organisational and workforce adjustments are a necessary and regular part of managing our business,” a Microsoft spokesperson said at the time, according to Reuters.
The Lagos development did not mean Microsoft was leaving Nigeria. Its wider business operations continued, including activities supporting customers and partners.
The reported Nairobi shutdown would affect the other original engineering hub established under the same initiative. However, Microsoft has not said that the Lagos closure caused or directly influenced its latest decision in Kenya.
The Nairobi development also comes amid Microsoft’s wider global restructuring. In July 2026, the company announced approximately 4,800 job cuts, following about 15,000 cuts in 2025, according to reports cited by TechCabal.
Microsoft has also increased its spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure, prompting questions about how it will distribute resources across its businesses. However, the company has not publicly linked its AI investments or global job cuts to the proposed changes in Nairobi.
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