Facebook opens first African office in Joburg

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. The office‚ located in Melrose Arch near Rosebank‚ will be headed by Ogilvy veteran‚ Nunu Ntshingila‚ the company's new Head of Africa.“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‚” says Nicola Mendelsohn‚ VP‚ EMEA‚ Facebook.“Africa is important to Facebook‚ and this office is a key part of our strategy to expand our investment and presence across EMEA. 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 will initially focus on growing its business in anchor countries in the major regions of Sub Saharan Africa: Kenya (East Africa)‚ Nigeria (West Africa)‚ and South Africa (Southern Africa). Other supported territories include Senegal‚ Ivory Coast‚ Ghana‚ Tanzania‚ Rwanda‚ Uganda‚ Zambia‚ Mozambique and Ethiopia.