Facebook Boasts 170m Users in Africa

• Facebook Boasts 170m Users in Africa

The world’s biggest social network Facebook now has 170 million users in Africa.

This was revealed as Facebook moved its Johannesburg offices into new premises, creating a new home for the company to work with its partners to boost innovation and provide an African home for the Facebook culture.

The new office will continue to provide support to Facebook advertisers, application developers and other key partners across the continent, the company says.

“Since we first established a direct presence in sub-Saharan Africa in 2015, Facebook has grown from strength to strength,” says Nunu Ntshingila, regional director, Africa, Facebook.

“We have enjoyed working closely with entrepreneurs, partners, developers and small businesses as they have used Facebook as a platform for growth. It’s inspiring for us to learn from the continent and to play a role in helping people and organisations connect with the world.”

According to the social network, since 2015, the number of people connected to Facebook across Africa has grown to 42% to over 170 million monthly active users. Of these, 94% come back on mobile.

The Facebook team in Africa has grown alongside the number of people and businesses who use it and its ecosystem of developers, entrepreneurs and business partners.

Facebook executives Carolyn Everson, VP Global Marketing Solutions and Nicola Mendelsohn, VP EMEA, attended the launch of the new office together with Ntshingila.

“Facebook is deeply committed to Africa, a mobile-first continent where seven in 10 of all connected people use the platform,” says Carolyn Everson.

“Many people in Africa are coming online for the first time, unleashing new possibilities for people and businesses alike. We’re also seeing growth of small and medium-sized businesses that are driving economic development, companies that Facebook wants to help grow locally and regionally across the continent. Our new offices are part of our ongoing commitment to invest in the African market and work with innovators across our key target countries.”