TheCable

Facebook has announced plans to open a new office in Lagos, its second office in Africa.

In a statement on Friday, the social media company said the new office is expected to become operational in the second quarter of 2021 and will be the first on the continent to house a team of expert engineers building for the future of Africa and beyond.

This comes after it opened the NGHub, its first community hub in Africa in partnership with CcHub, and a small business group (SBG) operations centre in partnership with Teleperformance Nigeria.

Commenting on the development, Ime Archibong, Facebook’s head of new product experimentation said: “The opening of our new office in Lagos presents new and exciting opportunities in digital innovations to be developed from the continent and taken to the rest of the world”.

“All across Africa we’re seeing immense talent in the tech ecosystem, and I’m proud that with the upcoming opening of our new office, we’ll be building products for the future of Africa, and the rest of the world, with Africans at the helm. We look forward to contributing further to the African tech ecosystem.”

Kojo Boakye, Facebook’s director of public policy, Africa, said: “Our new office in Nigeria presents an important milestone which further reinforces our ongoing commitment to the region.”

“Our mission in Africa is no different to elsewhere in the world-to build community and bring the world closer together, and I’m excited about the possibilities that this will create, not just in Nigeria, but across Africa.”

Also commenting on the new office, Nunu Ntshingila, regional director, Facebook Africa, said: “We’re delighted to be announcing our new office in Nigeria. Five years on from opening our first office on the continent in Johannesburg, South Africa, we’re continuing to invest in and support local talent, as well as the various communities that use our platforms.

“The office in Lagos will also be key in helping to expand how we service our clients across the continent.”

Facebook said it has made a number of investments across Africa aimed at growing the tech ecosystem, expanding and providing reliable connectivity infrastructures and helping businesses grow since it opened its first office in 2015.