Facebook says small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Africa use Facebook in a "sophisticated" way, and its move to Africa aims to strengthen that.
Facebook announced in June it would open its first African office in Johannesburg. Ogilvy SA CEO Nunu Ntshingila-Njeke will join the office as the new South African lead in September.
At an event yesterday, Facebook head of European operations, Nicola Mendelsohn, said the company chose Johannesburg first because of the advertising and agency "ecosystem" that already exists here.
Facebook says there are 120 million people on Facebook in Africa, with more than 80% using the service on mobile. This is 60% of the Internet population across the continent.
Mendelsohn noted 61% of people on Facebook in South Africa are connected to an SME.
"SMEs discover Facebook for their business because they know how to use it personally: setting up a page is just as easy as setting up a profile. And Facebook is where their customers already are.
"SMEs are the backbone of economies all over the world. In many African countries, SMEs account for 50% or more of job creation," said Mendelsohn, explaining why the social media giant's Africa office will focus on this sector.
Mendelsohn said in addition to South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya have been singled out as important markets on the continent for Facebook.
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