Social media giant opens first African office in South Africa

Sources have revealed that 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.

Based in MelroseArch, Johannesburg, Facebook's newest business office will be headed by Ogilvy veteran, NunuNtshingila, the company's new Head of Africa, according to various reports.

Facebook is already an important part of how people and business connect in Africa.

Sources further reveal that this office will support the significant growth in businesses and people using Facebook - Facebook’s active user population in Africa has grown 20% to 120 million in June 2015 from 100 million in September 2014. More than 80% of these people access Facebook from their mobile phones.

“We are inspired by the incredible ways people and businesses in Africa use Facebook to connect. This momentum in Africa comes on top of strong advertiser partnerships and excellent adoption of our products across all regions. In Q1 2015, 52% of our total ad revenue came from outside the US and Canada. But we’re just getting started,” said NicolaMendelsohn, VP, EMEA, Facebook.

“Mobile is not a trend; it’s the fastest development in communications we’ve ever seen. This couldn’t be more true in Africa – where so many people are mobile-only. This new office is a significant milestone for Facebook and our teams want to partner with businesses across the continent,” Mendelsohn added.