Google promises 300,000 jobs in South Africa

Google says its investment in data centre infrastructure in Johannesburg, part of a greater R18 billion investment in Africa, should help create 300,000 jobs and contribute R1.7 trillion to the South African economy by 2030.

The tech powerhouse added that South Africa also has the unique opportunity to rapidly develop its nascent artificial intelligence sector to become an AI leader on the African continent and the global stage, given its youth bulge and high unemployment rate.

This is according to Google’s Europe, Middle East, and Africa President Tara Brady, who spoke during a press conference on Wednesday at the launch of the company’s Johannesburg cloud region.

“I do believe that when you have a large number of organisations willing to invest in training, you could leapfrog many other countries and become an AI leader,” Brady said.

Brady was commenting on the 300,000 jobs Google said their infrastructure investment in Johannesburg would help create by 2030.

He added that Google has identified a unique advantage in South Africa due to its high unemployment rate, which is not seen in other countries around the world.

“When you have such high unemployment, it means that we can put those people to work, which is an opportunity that we don’t have in other regions,” Brady said.

“So if South Africa wants to, we are prepared to invest in AI together here.”

South Africa’s official unemployment rate was last reported at 31.9%, with youth unemployment for those aged between 15 and 35 sitting at 44.6%, according to Statistics South Africa’s labour force survey for Q4 2024.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced in 2021 that the tech giant would invest $1 billion (R18 billion) over five years in digital transformation on the continent.

Brady said that while a “large chunk” of this was dedicated to the cloud region, it also focused on skilling people in Africa and aiding tech startups in the region.

South Africa’s minister of communications and digital technologies, Solly Malatsi, who did not attend the event but delivered a prerecorded address, emphasised the importance of these skilling initiatives in the country’s vision of a digital future.

“We know that infrastructure alone is not enough. True digital transformation requires that all South Africans have access to the tools and, most importantly, the skills to participate meaningfully in the digital economy,” Malatsi said.

“We look forward to working with Google to explore how we can collaborate in advancing digital skills development, thereby ensuring that this investment has both economic and social impact.”

Microsoft is another international company that has announced plans to provide South Africans with the necessary skills to prepare them for a future digital economy.

The tech giant said it would pay for 50,000 South Africans to access AI courses and earn Microsoft certifications in various fields.

This forms part of a R5.4 billion investment in data centre infrastructure and skilling initiatives in the country.

Microsoft President Brad Smith said the AI training Microsoft would provide included three types of skills: AI fluency, AI engineering, and AI systems design.

In addition to AI skills, the initiative includes cloud architecture and cybersecurity skills.

“These are precisely the certificates and the skills that win people’s jobs because you need people with these skills,” Smith stated.

“Frankly, you need people with the credentials so that you know they can do the jobs that you need to have done.”

Smith said the tech giant has the overarching goal of bringing AI skills to one million South Africans by 2026.