On 6th October 2021, the inaugural Google for Africa event took place, with the most significant announcement on the day being a $1 billion investment from the big tech company to advance digital transformation across the continent over the coming five years.
Four years into the project, and Google held its first official Cloud event in Johannesburg this week to highlight the impact that region has had since going live in January of 2024.
While much of the focus was on the potential that cloud computing and AI delivered in partnership with Google could unlock on the continent, with a cumulative figure of $90.6 billion in economic output and the creation of 314 900 jobs by 2030 in South Africa alone, we were a little more interested to unpack the progress of the aforementioned $1 billion investment.
Unfortunately, Google could not disclose how much of the investment had been put to use to date, but did share that over 260 startups across 17 African countries have been aided thus far by participating startups in the Accelerator Africa program.
“These startups have achieved remarkable success, collectively raising over $600 million in follow-on funding surpassing funding levels seen by other startups in the African tech sector,” explained Google in a release shared with Hypertext.
“This support has also translated into tangible growth, with a 31% increase in employment and a 25% increase in monthly recurring revenue among the participating startups,” it added.
African potential too important to ignore
During a media session following the keynote for the Google Cloud event, we asked Tara Brady, president of Google Cloud for Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) what happens after October 2026 and the five-year period for the $1 billion investment elapses?
“I think investment always comes down to the opportunity,” emphasised Brady.
He also pointed out that much of Google’s investment is based on how African countries react. Here he highlighted that the current employment rate, and the predicted growth of more than 300 000 jobs in SA alone, means that there is a clear appetite locally to make the most of the investment, and if that is still in place, the same goes for continued investment.
“If the country still has the opportunity, and there’s a commitment from the workforce that they want to be part of what we’re invested in, we will continue to invest,” he stated.
“I see no reason not to,” he concluded.
As such, it looks like next year there will still continue to be sizeable investments made by Google not only into South Africa, but the rest of the African continent too, when October 2026 rolls around.
Whether we will see another formal announcement and a figure attached to a specific time period, as was the case in 2021, remains to be seen, but right now, Google has laid out its commitment with the Johannesburg Cloud region and other investments into connectivity.
These include the new fibre optic cable route from Kenya to Australia called Umoja, which will join the Equiano cable, and now the Johannesburg Google Cloud region, to form an initiative called Africa Connect. The big tech firm said it will, “enhance network access, making it faster, more reliable, and more affordable.”
“These infrastructure investments are crucial for bridging the digital divide and ensuring that everyone, regardless of their location, can benefit from the digital revolution,” it concluded.
