Business

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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1 year ago

March 24, 2025

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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.

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.

Related Topics:Featured Google jobs Google Jobs South Africa

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Business

Meta set to charge WhatsApp Business messages from October 1

For example, a Nigerian fintech company sending 500,000 chargeable utility messages could incur about $5,050 in fees from Meta alone, excluding charges that may come from third-party providers or software platforms used to manage the messaging service.

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1 day ago

August 28, 2026

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Businesses using Meta’s WhatsApp Business Platform will begin paying for certain messages sent to customers from October 1, 2026, under a new pricing structure announced by the company.

The change applies to organisations that use the WhatsApp Business Platform, formerly known as the WhatsApp Business API, to manage customer communication on a large scale.

Regular WhatsApp users and small businesses using the standard WhatsApp Business app are not the main targets of the new charges.

Under the revised system, the amount businesses pay will depend on the type of message being sent.

Utility messages, including payment alerts, order confirmations and other service-related updates, will cost about $0.0101 per message, while marketing messages will attract a higher fee of approximately $0.062 each.

Although the individual charges appear relatively small, companies that send large volumes of messages could see their communication expenses rise significantly.

Business

Dangote Refinery Suspends Petrol Sales To Lagos Depots

Dangote Refinery is prioritising markets where imported products are either unavailable or less dominant, rather than adding more supply to Lagos, which receives substantial volumes of imported petrol.

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1 day ago

August 28, 2026

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Dangote Petroleum Refinery has suspended coastal sales of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to depot owners and importers in Lagos.

People familiar with the refinery’s operations said that the move is deliberate, aimed at redirecting locally refined petrol to areas where imported supply is scarce.

The suspension is ongoing. A source said: “The suspension of coastal sales to Lagos is still ongoing. It is aimed at redirecting products to locations where imported products are unavailable. Lagos has quite some imported petrol.”

The strategy is intended to ensure locally refined petrol reaches areas where it is most needed.

The decision comes amid concerns at the refinery over the volume of imported petrol entering Nigeria.

According to data available to the refinery, imported PMS accounted for about 43 per cent of total petrol supplied into Nigeria in July

Business

Naira Exchange Rates Friday, August 28

Today, the Naira Black Market exchange rate for 1 Great British Pound (GBP) is 1900 Naira. This means that you can get 1900 Naira for every 1 Pound that you exchange.

How much is 100 pounds in naira today?
At the current black market rate of 1900 per pound, 100 British Pounds = 190,000 Naira.