Tech giant hosts SMEs in support of entrepreneurship in Africa

folarin okunola

February 5, 2016 3:06 PM

The event was aimed at showing how Facebook can help small businesses reach exactly the right customers – for less money and with greater returns.

Nunu Ntshingila was Chairman of South Africa's largest ad agency before becoming Head of Facebook Africa

Facebook hosted small and medium sized enterprises from Ghana and Nigeria, at a roundtable, as part of its effort to support entrepreneurship in West Africa.

More than 50 million small businesses around the world use Facebook Pages actively because they’re free, easy to use, and work well on mobile. More than 2.5 million SMEs worldwide actively use Facebook every month, a number that’s doubled in the past two years.

A large number of those businesses are in Africa - 54% of people on Facebook in Nigeria are connected to a small or medium business.

“Africa is home to some of the world’s most vibrant and exciting small businesses, and these enterprises are the backbone of the economy. These smaller businesses drive economic growth and create jobs that lift people to prosperity. The number one reason they succeed or fail is their ability to attract customers. As more and more people turn to smartphones and the web to discover and connect with businesses, Facebook is the best platform for African SMEs to promote their brands,” said Nunu Ntshingila, head of Africa for Facebook.

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In her address, Nicola Mendelsohn, EMEA vice-president at Facebook, said, “Technology is driving real progress. When I visit Africa, this comes to life in every conversation and with every story I hear about entrepreneurs creating jobs and solving problems with technology’s help. We’re invigorated by how Ghanaian and Nigerian SMEs are using Facebook to grow brand awareness and boost engagement with their customers. We look forward to doing more to support entrepreneurs as they build their businesses.”

Some examples of small African companies that use Facebook for their online marketing include:

Jayosbie in Nigeria is an online brand and retailer for fashion-forward men. “Facebook is significantly cheaper than other channels. Actually, it’s not even comparable,” said Dejuwon Isola-Osobu, founder and CEO. “One recent campaign delivered 14,000 clicks for just $260.”

Chinenye Umeh, the founder, Fabulosity Hair and Fabulosity Cosmetics, says she loves the flexibility and affordability of Facebook, especially the fact that she can easily turn spending up or down on a monthly basis.

Skin Gourmet Limited in Ghana is a female-led producer of organic, natural and chemical free skin care products that reports a significant return on investment in the form of more engagement and brand awareness after posting and boosting posts on Facebook.

In 2015, Facebook held 225 events across 19 countries, reaching over 200,000 small business owners, training them on how to use its platform effectively to drive sales.

Africa is expected to be a focus region for such events for the rest of 2016.

folarin okunola