Amazon has decided to establish its African Headquarters in South Africa with a real estate investment of over R4 billion.
Authorities in Cape Town said Amazon would be occupying a new development in River Club, a prime section of the city, local media reported.
The 15-hectare parcel of land will cost R4 billion and include two precincts. Authorities said the first precinct of 60,000sqm will occupy different layers of development; while the second section of 70,000 will hold Amazon headquarters in Africa.
Cape Town city officials said in a statement: “US retail giant, Amazon, will be the anchor tenant, opening a base of operations on the African continent.
“The development is envisaged to take place in phases, with construction set to take place over three to five years,”
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According to Business Tech, Over 5,000 direct construction jobs and 19,000 indirect jobs are expected to be created as a result of the move.
The announcement comes a week after Twitter chose Ghana as the location for its first African office and headquarters.
CEO Jack Dorsey started it all when he took to his verified handle to make the announcement, congratulating Ghana and its President, Nana Akufo-Addo.
Explaining the choice of Ghana, the company said in a blog post on Monday: “As a champion for democracy, Ghana is a supporter of free speech, online freedom, and the Open Internet, of which Twitter is also an advocate.
“Furthermore, Ghana’s recent appointment to host The Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area aligns with our overarching goal to establish a presence in the region that will support our efforts to improve and tailor our service across Africa. ”