With 120 Million Facebook Users in Africa, Facebook Officially Opens For Business

Facebook has opened its first office in Africa to further the company’s commitment to help businesses connect with people and grow locally and regionally, according to a company statement made available to TechLoy.

The company’s Africa approach will see it partnering with governments, telecom operators, agencies and other stakeholders to deliver localised solutions to advertisers and users continent-wide.

Most especially, it will continue to focus on tailoring solutions, metrics and ad formats to the needs of customers and advertisers in the mobile-first, mobile-only African environment.

Based in Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, Facebook’s newest business office will be headed by Ogilvy veteran, Nunu Ntshingila, the company’s new Head of Africa.

The office is expected to support the significant growth of businesses and people using Facebook, with the social network’s active user population in Africa growing 20% from 100 million in September 2014 to 120 million in June 2015.

More than 80% of these people access Facebook from their mobile phones.

Facebook will initially focus on growing its business in anchor countries in the major regions of Sub Saharan Africa, including Kenya (East Africa), Nigeria (West Africa), and South Africa (Southern Africa).

The company would also be looking to grow its business in other supported territories such as Senegal, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia, Mozambique and Ethiopia.