Contrary to misleading reports published by many online news blogs and amplified by the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 presidential election, Mr. Peter Obi, technology giant, Microsoft has affirmed that it has not exited Nigeria and has no plan to shut down its operation in Nigeria.
Microsoft said that its restructuring is only going to affect its operation in the Africa Development Centre housed in its Lagos Office. The company said it would continue to operate in Nigeria, while continuing to prioritize and invest in strategic growth areas.
Microsoft therefore described the story that it is shutting down its Nigeria office as untrue. Africa Development Centre is just a department within Microsoft business in Nigeria.
To further debunk the misleading news of Microsoft shutdown amplified by Mr. Peter Obi, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Temitope Ajayi, on Thursday visited Microsoft Office in Lagos and revealed that the company is in full operation.
Microsoft like many tech firms have been restructuring their businesses across the world in recent times. In the US, Microsoft few months ago downsized their workforce by laying off 1,900 employees. This is in addition to the 10,000 workers it had previously disengaged in the US. Across many countries in Europe, Microsoft has also cut down the size of their workforce size.
In total, Microsoft has laid off around 18,000 of its employees worldwide in the last one year. Few days ago the company had shut down many of its locations in America, Europe and Asia as it restructures in face of falling global revenues.
In Nigeria, company is basically re-aligning roles within the business, in this case, in its African Development Center department. Few roles will be affected leading to potential job loss of around 30. However, the affected workers will be asked to apply for new roles within Microsoft – a standard practice within the organisation.