‘Maybe Jack couldn’t get SIM card in Nigeria’ — reactions to Twitter’s choice of Ghana as Africa HQ

The Nigerian and Ghanian Twittersphere has been set abuzz over the announcement of the choice of Ghana as headquarters of the microblogging platform.

Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s chief executive officer, announced the decvelopment on Monday.

“Twitter is now present on the continent. Thank you Ghana and @NAkufoAddo. #TwitterGhana,” Dorsey tweeted.

The announcement has since generated reactions from some Nigerians on Twitter, as they have taken to the microblogging platform to register different opinions, especially on the choice of Ghana instead of Nigeria.

While some blamed the choice on policies said to negatively affect the ease of doing business in Nigeria, others claimed the government’s clampdown on protesters during the #EndSARS protests contributed to Twitter’s decision to choose Ghana.

“Maybe Jack couldn’t get SIM card,” Nimueh Anacksunamun, tweeted.

Meanwhile, Nana Akufo-Addo, Ghanian president, has welcomed the development.

“The choice of Ghana as HQ for Twitter’s Africa operations is EXCELLENT news. Gov’t and Ghanaians welcome very much this announcement and the confidence reposed in our country,” the president tweeted in reply to Dorsey’s tweet.

Below are reactions from Twitter on the announcement.

However, Tolu Ogunlesi, special assistant on digital/new media to President Muhammadu Buhari, sent a couple of tweets of some technology companies that had set up offices in Nigeria, saying there’s no need to fight over the choice of Ghana as Twitter’s headquarters in Africa.

“Ghana got Twitter, Nigeria got Facebook (operational H2 2021). God be praised. Let’s be happy for each other. Not everything is fight, dears. Ghana, congratulations,” the tweet reads.

His tweet didn’t go down well as some Twitter users argued that the choice of Ghana for Twitter headquarters in Africa shows the harsh anti-business policies of the federal government.