Why is Facebook opening an office in Africa?

Facebook has announced that it is opening its first office in Africa, located in Johannesburg, South Africa, in a move that it hopes will strengthen its presence in developing markets.

Mobile advertising revenue represented approximately 73pc of Facebook's ad revenue in Q1 2015

The purpose of the office will be to encourage businesses across the continent to advertise on Facebook. The company is enlisting the help of governments, telecom operators, agencies and other stakeholders to help drive the effort.

Given that more than 80pc of Facebook users in Africa access the social network from a mobile phone, it is important that ads are optimised for this format, and the type of network connection being used, if they are to be effective.

Facebook claims that the new African sales team, led by Nunu Ntshingila-Njeke, who previously helped build Ogilvy’s network in Sub Saharan Africa, will help advertisers create and deliver ads that will appeal to customers across the continent.

The sales team in Africa will focus initially on countries in Sub Saharan Africa, including Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.