The low Internet penetration in Africa is now seen as an opportunity rather than weakness, because it reveals the potential of the continent.
Facebook has released the second quarter figures of its active users in Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria.
What is happening in African in terms of technology adoption is exciting and Facebook is impressed. Ninety five per cent of users access Facebook through mobile devices.
Facebook said with its strong advertising partnerships in Africa it would use the new office in Johannesburg to expand its business across the continent. Both Facebook and Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) are pushing hard for larger mobile share, with most of Facebook’s revenue now coming from mobile.
The index reflects that 2.2 million Kenyans use Facebook daily and 4.5 million each month, 7.3 million daily active users and 12 million monthly active users in South Africa and 7.1 million Nigerians use Facebook daily and 15 million are active monthly. Now, 60 percent of all Internet users in Africa are active on Facebook.
In June the company said it saw a 20% increase in the numbers of Africans signing up for the platform, rising from 100 million to 120 million. Ari Kesisoglu, Facebook’s Regional Director for MEA, said: “We are committed to creating solutions tailored to people and businesses in Africa”. Most of the users access their profiles on the social networking site through their phones and tablets.
Facebook recently opened its first office in Africa, focusing initially on Kenya (east Africa), Nigeria (west Africa), and South Africa (southern Africa). A large portion of these users were in North Africa. Perhaps that aligns perfectly with the Facebook’s desire to be the go-to-place for information about local businesses.
A phone vendor stands beside his ware at Computer Village in Lagos
