Marrakech|| In a move to accelerate AI growth in Africa, Microsoft Corporation has signed an MOU to partner with Zindi to train 10,000 young Africans.
The 49-year old Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Redmond, Washington.
Zindi connects organisations with a global community of data scientists. It hosts the largest community of African data scientists, working to solve the world’s most pressing challenges using machine learning and AI.
Both multinational companies signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the sideline of ongoing GITEX AFRICA 2024 holding in Marrakech, Morocco.
The MOU was signed by Lilian Barnard, President Microsoft Africa and Celina Lee, Co-founder and CEO of Zindi.
Barnard noted that the collaboration with Zindi will enhance the future of tech talents across Africa, adding that Microsoft is committed to the continent’s digital transformation journey particularly in Artificial Intelligence (AI) skills.
Zindi connect data scientists with organisations, and provide a place to learn, hone your skills and find a job. “We want to transform the African continent and showcase African data science talent to the world,” said Celina Lee, Co-founder and CEO of Zindi.
“The MoU allows us to really scale the impact that we’re having across the continent. We have young people in 52 African countries, as Lilian said we have to reach not just the youths, the people in the big cities but everyone in every corner because it’s important and AI is serving everybody,” Lee told BusinessDay at the MoU signing event.
Microsoft’s best-known software products are the Windows line of operating systems, the Microsoft 365 suite of productivity applications, and the Edge web browser. Its flagship hardware products are the Xbox video game consoles and the Microsoft Surface lineup of touchscreen personal computers.
Microsoft ranked No. 14 in the 2022 Fortune 500 rankings of the largest United States corporations by total revenue; and it was the world’s largest software maker by revenue in 2022 according to Forbes Global 2000. It is considered one of the Big Five American information technology companies, alongside Alphabet (parent company of Google), Amazon, Apple, and Meta (parent company of Facebook).
