American social media giant Facebook has announced the company is willing to open a new office in Lagos, Nigeria, in the coming year.
In what will be its second office on the African continent after its Johannesburg Bureau in South Africa, the Lagos division will host teams specialized in engineering, sales, politics and communications. Facebook hopes to develop products made by Africans, for Africans and the rest of the world, AfricaNews reported on Sept. 20.
In 2016, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg went on his first business in Africa, meeting Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and local businessmen in Lagos, where he now plans to further implement his company.
Buhari said at the time that the various meetings held with Nigerian youths were most timely as the country was already exploring opportunities to spur development through entrepreneurship.
A statement by the president’s spokesperson, Femi Adesina, shared on his Facebook page, quoted Buhari as saying, “Nigeria has always been identified as a country with great potentials for growth, especially with our youthful population, but now we are moving beyond the potentials to reality. I am impressed by your simplicity in sharing your knowledge and wealth with those with less income.”
President Buhari noted that the simplicity and magnanimity of the entrepreneur, who is among the world’s richest men, had also challenged the culture of lavish wealth display and impulsive spending that had become peculiar to Nigerians.
Facebook’s expansion on the African continent will certainly be watched by western African countries.
According to a study commissioned by the Social Media company, Facebook’s investments in infrastructures and connectivity in Sub-Saharan Africa could generate over $57 billion dollars for African economies over the next five years.