Johannesburg, South Africa - Social networking site Facebook opens its first and only office in the country. It is aiming to get small local businesses in the region to advertise online. The new ad and sales office will be headed by Nunu Ntshingila, the chairman of Ogilvy South Africa.
The new office is an effort of the social media giant to win the region over, following a string of initiatives in the last couple of years. Facebook has recently launched the Facebook Lite App, a more basic version of the app which is made to work on lower-end mobile phones.
Facebook regional director in Middle East North Africa Ari Kesisoglu cited that the company aims to make solutions accessible and specifically for the continent. "We know that a one-size-fits-all approach won't work when it comes to building products and solutions that address diverse needs on the continent," he was quoted saying in CNBC.
Another Facebook's initiative for the region is Internet.org. One of its projects is an app that allows developing countries free access to certain websites. There is no need to pay for data, as Facebook's partner telecom service companies pay the bills. These efforts let Facebook and its partners reach a wider demographic, from the middle-class South Africans, to natives in villages.
South Africa has 200 million internet users. Eighty percent of the number uses mobile features to access the internet. The continent has 120 million Facebook users.
The company is said to be looking into hiring 25 African natives for its Johannesburg office.
The office's opening is seen by some as an attempt for Facebook to promote diversity in its workplace and services. The company's diversity report showed it hired only 7 African Americans. Creator Mark Zuckerberg has been vocal in diversifying the social media platform.
