Google Cloud has projected that its Johannesburg Cloud Region could contribute an additional $90.6 billion to Africa’s economy and support nearly 315,000 jobs by 2030 as the company expands its artificial intelligence and cloud infrastructure investments across the continent.
The projection was announced by Maureen Costello, Vice President for UK, Ireland, and Sub-Saharan Africa at Google Cloud, during Google Cloud’s inaugural Africa Cloud Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, where the company also unveiled five new AI initiatives aimed at accelerating digital transformation across Africa.
The event brought together about 3,000 business leaders, developers, government officials and technology partners.
Maureen Costello said the latest initiatives build on Google’s existing $1 billion investment commitment to Africa.
She noted that African businesses are increasingly moving beyond AI experimentation and are now deploying practical AI solutions to improve operations and drive business growth.
As part of the announcement, Google revealed plans to establish a Digital Exchange Port in South Africa’s Eastern Cape to improve internet resilience and strengthen international connectivity.
The facility, which will be the first of four planned African connectivity hubs, will link the continent directly to Australia through the Umoja subsea cable and provide a new subsea connection to India.
Google also announced the launch of Africa’s first Applied AI Lab in Accra, Ghana.
The facility will connect African startup founders with Google researchers while providing early access to the company’s latest AI models to support the development of locally relevant solutions in sectors including business, education, software development and the creative industry.
Google’s Senior Vice President for Research, Labs, Technology and Society, James Manyika, said the investments demonstrate the company’s long-term commitment to advancing African-led AI innovation.
According to him, the initiatives will expand digital infrastructure, strengthen partnerships and equip innovators with the tools needed to build AI solutions tailored to Africa’s unique challenges.
Google also announced that applications for the 2026 South African Google for Startups Accelerator will open on July 21.
The programme will admit 15 startups for AI-focused training, mentorship and equity-free funding as part of Google’s commitment to support 50 African startups by 2028.
To strengthen digital skills development, Google will partner with WeThinkCode to establish a three-million-rand Digital Innovation Centre at South West Gauteng TVET College in Soweto.
In addition, Google.org committed more than $1 million to support The Akuna Group’s AI education programme for underrepresented African creators, expanding access to AI education and digital skills across the continent.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Africa is becoming an increasingly important growth market for the global cloud ecosystem, driven by sustained investments in artificial intelligence, cloud computing and digital infrastructure.
Google said the latest investments are designed to strengthen Africa’s digital economy while enabling businesses, startups and developers to take advantage of emerging AI opportunities across the continent.