Alex Okosi, a native of Nigeria, has been selected to serve as Google‘s new Managing Director (MD) for Africa, the company stated.
Alex Okosi has served as the Managing Director for YouTube in EMEA Emerging Markets up until this point. However, it is anticipated that he will step down from this job in order to take on the responsibility of leading the company’s activities in Africa.
Alex, when asked about his new position, stated that he feels technology has the potential to significantly enhance the lives of those living in Africa. As a result, he is ecstatic about the opportunity to steer Google’s efforts in that direction.
“I am excited at the prospect of leading Google’s team in Africa and the opportunity to be an even closer part of this diverse and dynamic region, which is so close to my heart. I’m a firm believer in the potential for technology and, in particular, the internet to improve people’s lives and to help individuals and businesses in Africa to thrive,” he said.
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Okosi’s new role at Google
Okosi is an experienced leader in the fields of media, entertainment, and technology. Before he started working for YouTube, he was an Executive Vice President at Viacom International Media Networks Africa and the Managing Director of BET International. Both of these positions report to the CEO.
Okosi’s most recent work at YouTube required him to oversee the growth and expansion of the platform across Africa, the Middle East, and Turkey. In this capacity, he was instrumental in this growth and expansion.
Okosi will be responsible for Google’s activities in Africa as part of his new post. These operations include growing access to the internet and delivering tools that enable the next billion users to get more out of the web. Other programmes that will fall under Okosi’s purview include those that assist African businesses and economies in expanding.
Meir Brand regards Alex Okosi as a proven leader who has a passion for technology. Okosi was recently promoted to the position of Vice President, EMEA Emerging Markets at Google. Brand was speaking about Okosi’s capacity to perform in his new post.
Google’s presence in Africa dates back more than a decade, and the company currently maintains offices in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. Every single day, millions of individuals across Africa make use of the goods and services that are provided by the company.
“Alex is a proven leader with a wealth of experience in the media and technology industries. He has a deep understanding of African countries and a passion for using technology to empower people and businesses,” said Meir Brand.
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How Google impacts Africa
Although there is still a long way to go, Google fulfils its $1 billion plan to boost Africa’s digital economy. Overall, the investment in Africa is focused on four key areas: providing affordable access and helpful (Google) products for Africans; supporting businesses with digital transformation; investing in entrepreneurs to spur the development of next-generation technologies; and supporting nonprofits working on some of the continent’s most pressing issues.
According to some estimates, the Internet economy in Africa might reach $180 billion by the year 2025, which would represent 5.2% of the continent’s GDP. Subsea cables are an essential component of this expansion because they reduce the costs of data transfer and boost data transfer speeds as more people in Africa participate in the Internet economy.
Equiano, Google’s undersea cable that connects Africa and Europe that was first announced in February of this year, is now operating and can be found running via Togo, Nigeria, Namibia, and South Africa. According to Nitin Gajria, Google’s managing director for Africa, the undersea cable is anticipated to be completely operational by the end of the year 2022.
Project Taara is another one of Google’s initiatives geared toward lowering the cost of using the Internet and expanding its reach. Taara eliminates the requirement for expensive infrastructure, such as cables, by using light to convey data instead of using cables. Even though the development of the technology is still ongoing, the company has already conducted successful pilot projects in six different nations in Africa, including the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Additionally, Gajria provided an update on the many Google initiatives geared at the African technology landscape. More than 96 firms, ranging from seed to Series A stages of development, have received help from the Google for firms Accelerator Africa programme since its inception in 2018.
These startups have together raised $230 million in venture funding. In 2021, Google announced the launch of its Africa Investment Fund, a fund with a capitalization of fifty million dollars that will be used to invest in growth-stage companies across the continent. Through the fund, it has provided financial assistance to three different businesses. These are the Ugandan mobility platform-turned-super app SafeBoda, the South African mobile gaming company Carry1st, and the Kenyan online logistics and haulage company Lori Systems.
