Amazon Web vice president talks about expansion plans in Kenya

Justin Brindley-Koonce, Vice President, AWS Support and Amazon Support Managed Services. [Courtesy]

Why does Nairobi matter to AWS?

As an organization, we are keen to grow and scale up our AWS services in Kenya, a country in a strategic location in Africa. I remember before we set up, several different locations were presented to me, and Nairobi came out on top. I have consulted widely with local teams, including customers and banks, and all conversations were about the growth, curiosity, and innovation that our new center in Nairobi will bring. Everyone is excited about doing new things and taking advantage of AWS cloud services to grow talent around the country.

You have been part of the cloud computing growth. How has the journey been?

I have many stories about cloud computing. When I joined in 2006, cloud computing was a small field. We only had three services: EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud), designed to make web-scale cloud computing easier; S3, an object storage service capable of storing and retrieving any amount of data from anywhere; and SQS, a fully managed queue service. We were trying to popularize cloud computing. At that time, nobody knew it would become so significant until around 2009. Some people outside AWS even wondered why we were investing so much in cloud computing services. Today, I am excited to see where we are with the cloud.

What progress is being made at the development center in Kenya?

Nairobi is a key technological hub in Africa, and our development center will offer training opportunities to young people, allowing them to secure skilled jobs in various industries, including the financial and engineering sectors. In Nairobi, we have a tech support team for AWS services. The typical experience we are getting from Nairobi is that we believe we can hire great talent, and when that happens, other support teams generally show up. We are frontrunners in the development perspective. We have hired and developed thousands of people worldwide, and I would not be surprised if that happens here in Kenya as well.

How is your organisation preparing local youth for the job market?

The AWS re/Start program in Kenya is a cloud skills training program launched in 2021 in collaboration with Ajira Digital, a government initiative driven by Kenya's Ministry of ICT to empower over one million young people to access digital job opportunities. This is AWS's key investment to grow and develop young skills in Kenya. Re/Start is a free, 12-week programme with about 30-80 cohorts designed to support unemployed or underemployed people with little technological experience, preparing them for careers in cloud computing. It provides participants with new cloud computing skills, career or resume coaching, and interview preparation with prospective employers. Through the program, we hope to connect over 90 percent of graduates with job interview opportunities. It is part of AWS's commitment to helping 29 million people globally grow their technology skills in cloud computing by 2025.

What is the progress of that training programme so far?

We have trained people from underserved and marginalised communities who now have entry-level cloud computing skills. We have even trained some from Dadaab Refugee Camp despite the challenges that come with such an undertaking. These individuals then get global-level certification, with some cohorts now working with international organizations outside Kenya.

What more can we expect from AWS in Kenya?

After doing a quick check-in here, I have yet to see any reason why we should not do more in the country. The engagements with key stakeholders such as universities and our customers have pointed out the right areas for growth. At AWS, we want to hasten this process of growth given the crucial role Kenya plays as a country and a technology hub.