Amazon To Invest $280m in Africa Headquarters
Amazon To Invest $280m in Africa Headquarters
Amazon, the world's largest retailer, announced last week that it would open its first African office in South Africa, investing more than 4 billion rand ($280 million) in real estate. The headquarters would be located on 17.3 acres (70,000 square meters) of land on the city's outskirts.
The construction project is expected to unfold in phases, with construction taking place over a three- to five-year period.
Amazon's presence in South Africa began in 2004, with establishing a customer service unit in 2010.
Amazon has also expanded its customer service capacity in South Africa over the last decade. Amazon announced in 2020 that it would hire an additional 3,000 people in South Africa, nearly tripling its current local workforce to 7,000, to provide 24-hour support to customers in North America and Europe.
Likewise, Amazon has expanded its local listings over the years. Amazon Web Services (AWS) advertised only 50 jobs in South Africa in 2019. This figure will have increased to approximately 118 web service positions and an additional 38 customer service, corporate development, human resources, and Kindle content positions.
Amazon's Career Portal in South Africa
Amazon's South African career portal listed 156 positions at the time of publication, most of which are full-time and based in Cape Town.
Approximately 80% of job openings are in AWS operations, with the remainder in customer service, the Kindle program, human resources, business development, and the students' program.
A bachelor's degree in information science or information technology, engineering science, computer science, or a related field, or equivalent experience in a technical position, is required for AWS operations positions.
Amazon's customer service positions are entry-level positions that require applicants to possess a matric certificate (NQF Level 4), at least one year of experience in the service industry, a reliable internet connection at home, and strong communication skills. Almost all of these positions are referred to as Virtual Customer Service (VCS) positions, which accept applications from candidates located anywhere in South Africa.
Additionally, Amazon offers various internship opportunities for students and recent graduates studying computer science, computer engineering, or related fields.
Amazon serves 200+ countries and territories with its 200 million paid prime members and over 300 million customers, but its eCommerce services are not available in Africa. Could Amazon's announcement of an African headquarters and the expansion of its job listings sign that the company is reconsidering its eCommerce presence in Africa?
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