PODCAST | Google’s progress in promoting African business through investment

Support for small businesses in SA using technology is the focus in this edition of the Business Day Spotlight. 

Our host Mudiwa Gavaza is joined by Asha Patel, head of business-to-business marketing for Sub Saharan Africa and head of marketing for SA at Google. 

The discussion focuses on Google’s investment in the region to support businesses. In 2021, Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet, Google’s parent company, said the group would be investing $1bn (R17.69bn) in Africa.

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Earlier in the month, Africa’s highest capacity subsea internet cable, Equiano, landed in SA. Google is the main funder of the cable, which runs from Portugal and along the west coast of Africa to Cape Town. Its arrival in SA is in partnership with Telkom’s infrastructure unit, Openserve. 

Patel explains how the cable adds to a growing war chest of digital infrastructure that businesses can leverage in their own operations. 

Google estimates the cable will indirectly contribute to the creation of 180,000 jobs in SA and increase GDP up to $7bn by 2025.

Patel then talks about challenges facing small businesses on the continent and ways in which Google is looking to plug the holes. 

As part of the company’s investment on the continent, it is also looking to back tech start-up businesses. 

The company recently announced that 60 black-founded start-ups across Africa have been selected for the second cohort of Google for Startups Black Founders Fund for Africa.

The start-ups joining the programme will receive a total of $4m in funding, mainly intended for growth and scaling their operations. 

Start-ups from SA include Agrikool, Credit AIs, Rekisa and Technovera. Each business will receive support in the form of a six-month training programme that includes access to a network of mentors. 

Topics of discussion include: Google’s investment in Africa; how SA is benefiting from this investment; the development of an undersea cable project; and support for small businesses in the region.