Facebook has opened its first office in Africa at Johannesburg, as part of its efforts to help businesses connect with people and grow locally and regionally.

The office will be headed by Nunu Ntshingila, a former executive at the advertising agency Ogilvy, according to a statement from Facebook.

The new office will support the significant growth in businesses and people using Facebook – its active user population in Africa has grown 20 per cent to 120 million in June 2015, from 100 million in September 2014, it added.

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

More than 80 per cent of these users access Facebook from their mobile phones.

Initially, the office will focus on solidifying Facebook’s place in the major regions of Sub Saharan Africa:  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, will also receive support.

Facebook will partner with governments, telecom operators, agencies and other stakeholders to deliver localised solutions to advertisers and users continent-wide, it stated.

Nicola Mendelsohn, the vice president for Facebook – Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), said: “This new office is a significant milestone for Facebook and our teams want to partner with businesses across the continent.”

“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,” she added.

Ari Kesisoglu, the regional director for Facebook – Middle East and Africa (MEA), said: “Our new African office will support our customers across the continent.”

“We know that a one-size-fits-all approach won't work when it comes to building products and solutions that address diverse needs of the continent, which is why we are committed to creating solutions tailored for people and businesses, specifically in the African markets,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service