Institute will work on new technologies that improve productivity and society
In the latest demonstration of its continued commitment to Africa, Microsoft has created a new Microsoft Africa Research Institute (MARI) in Nairobi, Kenya, which will be co-located in Microsoft Africa Development Centre (ADC). MARI will focus on foundational research to improve productivity in three areas: work, health, and society.
MARI’s mission is to understand how innovative technologies, like cloud and AI, are helping to solve local challenges, and how we can then use this understanding to influence product creation and unearth opportunities. MARI endeavours to create a more productive future for work by understanding Africa’s unique business landscape, and use these insights to design products that address these unique, non-traditional organisational structures to enable new ways of working and collaborating.
“We’re seeing some really fantastic momentum in our work at the ADC, and this new research institute will help us partner to solve local and global challenges,” says Jack Ngare, managing director, Microsoft Africa Development Centre in Kenya. “We are very focused on how innovative cloud technology is driving the future development of the continent, and the work this team is seeking to do align closely with our overall goals for the ADC.”
Africa’s growing youth population and emerging computer science talent are key, as MARI couples foundational research with product development by bringing together researchers, engineers, designers, and the community, including local academic institutions.
“I am excited to see what we can achieve with this new project, around new ways of work, social development, financial inclusion, and economic growth in Africa. We hope to not only help solve many challenges Africa is facing, but address global challenges as well,” concludes MARI director, Jacki O’Neill.
