The social network giant Facebook, has been working hard to build its user base in Africa through programs like Internet.org and Facebook Lite app (lightweight versions of its original app). And on Monday, June 29th, 2015, Facebook announced that it's opening a new business office in Johannesburg, South Africa, the company's first permanent office on the continent.
Serving as a sales hub, an office in Africa can help Facebook learn more about people on the continent and attract more small businesses from the region that may want to advertise on Facebook. Its first office in Africa, beside being the company's further attempt to commit in helping business connect with other people, is also to help them grow locally and regionally.
Facebook has hired Nunu Ntshingila, Chairman of WPP Plc’s Ogilvy & Mather agency in South Africa, to be the company’s Head of Africa. She's responsible in overseeing Facebook's business in the region.
Africa is home to more than a billion people. With that massive potential, the social network only have 120 million users. Despite that small percentage, this is already a massive leap from September 2014 where Facebook only had 20 million users.
Africa has a lot of potential users to offer internet companies, if they can get their strategy right and straight.
Facebook will initially focus on growing its business in countries in the major regions of sub-Saharan Africa such as Kenya (East Africa)‚ Nigeria (West Africa)‚ and South Africa (Southern Africa). Other territories such as Senegal‚ Ivory Coast‚ Ghana‚ Tanzania‚ Rwanda‚ Uganda‚ Zambia‚ Mozambique and Ethiopia, are also included.
While mobile usage becoming a norm, Facebook also sees an excess of 80 percent of its African users accessing its service by using mobile devices. Facebook said that it's working on cementing relationship with advertisers and small businesses to support them in the mobile ad space.
In recognition of the fact that in excess of 80% of African Facebook users access the social network on mobile, Facebook said it will work on cementing relationships with advertisers and small businesses to support them in the mobile ad space.
"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," said Nicola Mendelsohn, Facebook VP for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, in the statement. "Facebook is already a central part of people's lives in Africa, and with more than a billion people in Africa, we want to do more to help people and businesses connect."
Facebook's attempt to embrace Africa has been running for quite a while. Targeting countries such as Zambia, Tanzania and Kenya with its Internet.org initiative, Facebook aims to get more people in developing nations by putting them online. With the help of online providers in their respective territories, Facebook has put a number of countries in Africa online.
But despite its success, Facebook's strategy to penetrate the continent has stumbled in problems. For example, In May, digital liberty groups signed an open letter accusing Internet.org of violating principals of net neutrality by creating a "two-tiered" internet. Because of that, a number of Indian internet companies withdrew their support from the project.
Google is also competing in the global connectivity. And while both companies are targeting Africa, Google already has several offices in Africa.
Getting Ready For The 'Two Billion'
Getting the next billion is not an easy task, even for Facebook or Google. Facebook may have succeeded in reaching their popular billion user milestone back in 2012, but since then the progress of growing has slowed significantly.
Getting into the hearts of more people in Africa is a lot tougher than getting people to use Facebook in countries in Europe, for example. Africa still has few fixed internet connections, and for that Facebook is still relatively unknown.
While mobile internet is booming, Facebook's attempt to reach people in Africa is limited.
And to places where data is already available, internet is expensive, and so as smartphones. This has made people seek cheaper phones which are less capable in using Facebook in its full mobile mode.
But then, Facebook is confident. Africa is a continent with more than a billion people. With that alone, it's a potential.
"This is one of the places where our next billion users are coming from," said Nicola Mendelsohn. "It would be a massive missed opportunity. Africa matters."
