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Google promises 300,000 jobs in South Africa

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.

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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.

Mybroadband reports that 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.

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Governor Otti Commissions Ultimum Manufacturing Plant in Aba

Razzle beverages include Razzl Pamplemousse (a unique and special grapefruit flavour), Razzl Cola, Razzl Orange, and Razzl Lemon.

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Ultimum Limited, the manufacturers of Razzl brand of carbonated soft drinks has commissioned its state-of-the-art beverage manufacturing plant in Aba, Abia State.

Razzle beverages include Razzl Pamplemousse (a unique and special grapefruit flavour), Razzl Cola, Razzl Orange, and Razzl Lemon.

Located in the Osisioma Industrial Layout, the new plant was commissioned by the Governor of Abia State, Dr. Alex Chioma Otti.

Otti described the investment as a clear signal of economic revival and growing investor confidence in Abia State.

“This investment confirms that we are creating the right conditions for businesses to grow, thrive, and succeed. Investors will always go where there is clarity, stability, and opportunity.

Our focus has been to build that environment, and today’s commissioning shows that the strategy is working,” he said.

The Chairman of Ultimum Limited and representative of the investor group, Mr. Whalen Kadji, emphasized the company’s long-term commitment to Aba and Nigeria.

“We did not come here by chance. We came because of the energy and entrepreneurial spirit of Aba. This city has always been a center of enterprise, and we believe strongly in its future.

This plant is more than an investment in beverages; it is an investment in people, in jobs, and in the growth of local industry. We are here for the long term, and this is just the beginning of what we intend to build here.”

The Managing Director of Ultimum Limited, Mr. Austin Ufomba, described the plant as a bold step in the company’s journey.

“Ultimum Limited started with a simple idea, to build world-class products right here in Africa,”he said.

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Oil price jumps to $106, stocks drop on uncertainty over US-Iran talks

Crude prices rallied more than three percent on Thursday, with Brent crude above $106 per barrel and WTI around $93.

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Oil prices jumped and equities slid Thursday as hopes for a peace deal between the US and Iran wavered after Tehran rejected Washington’s bid to wind down the nearly four-week war.

Markets had been buoyed this week by US President Donald Trump’s announcement that strikes targeting Iran’s energy infrastructure would be postponed, adding that the two sides were in peace talks.

But uncertainty over the talks and the virtual closure of the Strait of Hormuz — through which around 20 percent of oil and liquefied natural gas passes — have cast a shadow over market sentiment.

“The market rollercoaster continues,” said Joshua Mahony, chief market analyst at Scope Markets.

Crude prices rallied more than three percent on Thursday, with Brent crude above $106 per barrel and WTI around $93.

( VANGUARD)

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Niger Delta Chamber Investment Summit Targets $5bn, 500,000 Jobs

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Photo: Ambassador Idaere Gogo Ogan

‎The Niger Delta Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Trade, Mines and Agriculture (NDCCITMA) has unveiled plans to attract up to five billion dollars structured investments to the oil-producing region in five years.

The Chairman of NDCCITMA, Ambassador Idaere Gogo Ogan, made the disclosure at a pre-summit conference ahead of the Niger Delta Economic and Investment Summit in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

He said that the initiative would catalyse no fewer than 500,000 direct and indirect jobs as well as spur investments and create wealth.

‎He said the summit with the theme, “Driving Investment, Innovation, and Industrial Growth in the Niger Delta”, slated for Port Harcourt, would deliberate on investment mobilisation, enterprise growth, industrial expansion, and regional coordination.

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