Amazon opens office in Nigeria

An Information Technology firm, Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS) says it has opened its first office in Lagos, Nigeria.

A statement on Tuesday by Ms Amrote Abdella, the firm’s Regional Manager, Sub-Saharan Africa, said the office was to reinforce its commitment to Africa.

Abdella said that the new Lagos office was part of AWS’s support for the growing number of customers and partners in Nigeria.

AWS, a subsidiary of Amazon, offers website hosting, backup, digital marketing, analytics, application integration, blockchain, networking, and other related services to clients worldwide.

“With a local presence, AWS will support new and existing customers looking to use AWS products and services to innovate, lower their information technology (IT) costs, and grow their organizations in the cloud.

“We are excited to open our first AWS office in Nigeria, Lagos offers a highly skilled and creative talent pool, and the area is home to many fast-growing startups and notable Nigerian enterprises leading the way in digital innovation.

“We look forward to fostering the country’s pioneering spirit and helping our customers accelerate their digital transformation as they deliver innovative new products and services to the Nigerian community,’’ Abdella said.

Abdella said AWS Activate provides startups with the resources they need to get started on AWS, including up to $100,000 in credits, training, support, and contact with incubators, accelerators, and venture capital firms.

According to her, AWS Academy helps university students and educators develop knowledge and skills about AWS Cloud computing, to accelerate cloud-related learning.

The regional manager said that AWS Academy member institutions in Nigeria included the University of Benin, University of Jos, and Igbinedion University.