What comes to your mind when someone mentions Google? Or might you think of YouTube? Or could you think of content? The answer will change depending on who you are and what you do.
In advertising? You’ll be more concerned with Adwords and how to ensure that your ads are getting in front of the right audience, at the right time. If you are a musician, you’ll gravitate towards YouTube and making sure that your video is viewed and shared numerous times. But one thing is sure: whoever you are, and whatever you do, you have used Google at one point or another.
With over 100 billion monthly searches, Google has become synonymous with search. As a result of its popularity and dominance, ‘Google’ has became a verb and was even chosen as the most useful word of 2002. So who is behind the growth of such a goliath?
It's a big question, but if anyone has some answers about Africa's growth, it's Charles Murito, Manager of Google-Kenya.
20-year-old Google has enjoyed massive growth in developed and developing markets, partly due to increased internet connectivity. What else has contributed to the continuing rise of Google? Is it the user experience of their platform? Is it the other services that the company offers? Or is it the abundance of content?
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In Africa, more people are becoming comfortable with technology, and they have access to more internet enabled devices. In South Africa alone, internet usage will grow from 710 MB a month to 7.2 GB in 2019. And where South Africa goes, the larger African economies follow.
These internet enabled devices are portable and deliver more personalized information. They also have a wider reach compared to traditional media - like TV, radio and print. This, coupled with declining data costs, spells a bright and lucrative future for digital content creators.
If Content is King, The Internet is the Kingdom Bill Gates said as much himself over 20 years ago.
As more Kenyans get easier and faster internet access, digital content creators need to deliver information and entertainment that’s relevant to the Kenyan audience - and they are. For Kenyan digital content creators, this means that despite the proliferation of western media, Kenyans are still interested in local content that’s relevant to their lifestyle and culture. Increased internet access enables them to access more information, while at the same time controlling what they engage with, and what they ignore.
Kenyan businesses are leveraging increased internet access to market their services. To get in front of the 26 million internet users in Kenya, businesses need to have quality content that’s relevant to their audience. They are employing strategies such as SEO and AdWords to not only improve their online visibility, but to also make sure that their content is actionable.
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How Did Google Grow in Africa?
Google is nurturing and encouraging this trend by forming partnerships such as Strathmore Digital Advertising Academy with Kenya’s Strathmore University and iLab Africa. The Academy offers world-class training in Digital Advertising to enable local businesses, institutions, organizations, startups and Ad agencies maximize their presence in the Kenyan digital space.
According to the Google-Kenya Manager, digital content should fulfill a need and more importantly, it should engage or connect with the audience. Charles has great pointers for digital content creators. For instance, he puts great emphasis on the user experience. How easy, or difficult, is it for your audience to navigate your content? Are you making it easy for them to read your blog, view your video, share it, like it, tweet it, forward it?
Content creators also need to consider the scalability of their platform. Can you expand on it? What’ll happen when you start producing more content? The Google-Kenya Manager has quite a lot to share on best practices for creating and publishing quality digital content and the best strategy for online growth.
Google's AI Advancements in Kenya
Search giant Google has announced the launch of new artificial intelligence functionality called "AI Mode" which has been rolled out for users in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.
It called the feature "a new era of AI-powered search" which it claims is more intuitive, comprehensive and helpful.
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AI Mode helps users tackle complex, multi-part questions with more intuitive responses, multimodal inputs and deeper ways to explore topics, Google said.
"We're incredibly excited to bring AI Mode to our users in the region. We know that people in this region are curious and have complex questions about everything from planning a trip to understanding a new concept," Google Africa MD Alex Okosi said in a statement.
"With AI Mode, we are reimagining the Search experience. Users will not only find the information they need more easily but will also be empowered to explore a wider range of content from across the web," Okosi added.
Powered by a custom version of Google's latest Gemini 2.5 model, AI Mode brings advanced reasoning and context understanding to search functionality.
Google said AI Mode will begin rolling out on Thursday, August 21, 2025, across the three countries and will appear as a tab on the search results page and within the Google app for Android and iOS users.
Revolutionizing Finance: Google Search’s AI Mode Unveils Interactive Charts!
Google has been advancing its investments into AI in Africa and last month pledged $37 million in funding and partnerships on the continent to strengthen AI research, support African languages, improve food systems and expand digital skills.
Enabling more detailed queries
Google said that AI Mode will change the way people interact with search by allowing them to ask nuanced and exploratory questions that would previously require multiple searches.
"AI Mode is especially useful for longer, more detailed queries. A key feature of AI Mode is its advanced reasoning, which uses a query fan-out technique to break down a user's question into subtopics and simultaneously search a multitude of queries on their behalf," Google said in a statement.
AI Mode is designed to be multimodal, allowing users to interact via text, voice or even images. By clicking the microphone icon or uploading a photo users can ask questions using their voice or camera.
The AI-powered response includes prominent links to web sources, which Google believes will expand the types of questions people can ask and opens up new opportunities for content discovery.
"Google remains committed to supporting the open web and ensuring that its AI-powered features are rooted in its core quality and ranking systems.
The Digital Opportunity of Kenya Report
The Ministry of ICT, Google, and other stakeholders unveiled the findings of The Digital Opportunity of Kenya, an independent report conducted by Public First. The report explores the transformative impact of digital technology on Kenya’s economy, revealing that Google’s products and services helped provide an estimated $900 million of economic activity for businesses, nonprofits, publishers, creators, and developers in Kenya during 2023.
Agnes Gathaiya, Google Kenya Country Director, said: “Kenya’s digital transformation is a testament to the resilience, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit of its people. At Google, we are deeply committed to building on this momentum by continuing to provide tools, skills, and infrastructure that enable individuals and businesses to innovate, thrive, and compete on a global scale.
Kenya’s digital economy is poised for accelerated growth through initiatives that prioritise connectivity, cloud-first policies, and digital infrastructure.
Stanley Kamanguya, CEO of ICT Authority, Kenya, said: Google’s significant contributions to Kenya’s digital economy demonstrate the power of technology to drive economic prosperity. Artificial intelligence holds immense potential to transform Kenya’s economy. The report highlights its capability to drive innovation, optimise processes, and create opportunities for businesses and individuals.
In 2021, Google committed $1 billion to accelerate Africa’s digital economy through initiatives that enhance internet access, support entrepreneurs, and foster innovation. This investment has already made a tangible difference in Kenya, as illustrated by the report’s findings.
Kenya’s position as a digital leader in Africa is reinforced by this report, which offers strategic recommendations to unlock the country’s full potential.
Google Kenya Limited, is a importer based in Kenya. The data fields provide comprehensive information, including a product description, its HSN code, shipment date, price, quantity, countries of destination and origin, ports of destination/origin, details of exporters and buyers, and top decision-makers contact information.
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