Nairobi Garage seeks to become Africa’s largest co-working space

Co-working space Nairobi Garage is set to expand its offering with a new branch opening early December 2015 in Westlands, Nairobi, Kenya. This expansion seeks to make the well-known co-working space the largest for entrepreneurs in Africa.

According to a press release sent to Ventureburn, the expansion is due to the growing demand for a quality work space in the entrepreneurial community. It is set to bring in international tech companies, as well as a greater variety in stages and sectors.

The Westlands branch has a 2 000-plus square meter working area. The space will consist of team rooms, meeting rooms, presentation areas, event space, entertainment area, and 400 desks. Those part of the Nairobi Garage working space will have access to 24/7 office facilities, an in-house cafe, and events and workshops tailored toward entrepreneurs.

Read more: Hong Kong VC firm partners with Nairobi, Cape Town Garage

Around 40% of the total space has already been pre-booked by international companies, such as Uber and Terragon Group, jumping on board.

General manager of Nairobi Garage, Hannah Clifford, says the expansion looks to offer more affordable shared space to entrepreneurs. “We also aim to make it easier for incoming entrepreneurs and investors from overseas who want to get a foothold in Africa,” says Clifford. She goes on to say, “What you get with the Garage is a ready-made and very active community of innovators, looking to learn with and help one another.”

It will also help local businesses connect to international events and investors through the Garage’s international networks.

The Garage concept, which is also situated in Cape Town, South Africa, and Lagos, Nigeria, was born out of 88mph‘s tech accelerator, and was the first of its kind in Africa. Nairobi Garage aims to provide entrepreneurs with local working space to tackle the rising costs of running a business in Africa.