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icrosoft is deepening its commitment to accelerating customer transformation in Africa with two key leadership appointments . Lillian Barnard has been named President for Microsoft Africa , dedicated to unlocking opportunities for African organisations by providing them with the technology they need to elevate and expand their businesses . Kalane Rampai will succeed Barnard as Managing Director of South Africa , helping strengthen the country ’ s role as a key contributor to Africa ’ s growth through broadscale digital innovation .

The new appointments are an important milestone in Microsoft ’ s on-going effort to drive impact in Africa at scale . The company was the first hyperscale cloud provider to launch an enterprise-grade data centre region on the continent and continues to invest in a robust technology ecosystem to promote economic growth . According to an IDC study , Microsoft , its partners and cloudusing customers will together generate around US $ 45.4 billion in new revenues through cloud services by 2026 – creating in the region of over 170,000 direct and indirect jobs . The study also estimated that Microsoft and its partner ecosystem will spend about US $ 3.7 billion in Africa for services and products over the next three years , supporting local business .

During the past three decades , Microsoft has invested heavily in skilling and capacity-building to catapult African digital economies into the future . More than four million young people across Africa have been upskilled over the last five years through various skilling and

employability programmes , with a further commitment from Microsoft to train and certify at least one million women across Africa by June 2025 .

In 2019 , the company opened its first Africa Development Centre in Kenya and Nigeria to nurture world-class African tech talent by providing a platform for engineers to create solutions for local and global impact .

More recently , Microsoft has embarked on a five-year plan in Africa to build digital assets and capabilities in 10 million small- and medium-sized enterprises ( SMEs ), support 10,000 start-ups with the capacity needed to scale , provide digital skills to 30 million Africans and create essential infrastructure projects to build a truly connected continent .

Barnard has held leadership positions locally and abroad at companies such as IBM and Vodacom before her appointment as Managing Director of Microsoft South Africa in 2019 .

“ As African organisations of all sizes , and across every sector , pivot and adapt to changing business and customer needs , they are looking for partners that can accelerate their agility , flexibility and competitiveness , while also cutting costs and driving efficiencies . I am deeply passionate about unlocking the potential for growth using technology to deliver real impact for businesses , communities and economies across the continent ,” says Barnard .

Rampai said : “ It ’ s an exciting time to step into this role , and I look forward to advancing the competitiveness of customers and businesses of all sizes and across industries in South Africa and the broader continent , enabling them to benefit from our strong partner ecosystem and best practices in ongoing Digital Transformation .” �