Twitter Announces New Office in Ghana to Expand Global Footprint

 

CEO Jack Dorsey's passion for the African region, and the expanding opportunities in the local market, this comes as little surprise.

Today, Twitter has announced that it's opening a new office in Ghana to help expand its presence in the growing African tech sector.

"Whenever we enter new markets, we work hard to ensure that we are not just investing in the talent that we hire, but also investing in local communities and the social fabric that supports them. We have already laid foundations through partnerships with Amref Health Africa in Kenya, Afrochella in Ghana, Mentally Aware Nigeria Initiative (MANI) in Nigeria, and The HackLab Foundation in Ghana. As part of our long-term commitment to the region, we’ll continue to explore compelling ways we can use the positive power of Twitter to strengthen our communities through employee engagement, platform activation, and corporate giving."

 

That, ideally, will help Twitter establish stronger roots in the local market, as it continues to expand and provide new opportunities.

Digital adoption in Africa is at a critical stage. Right now, the continent is the least connected region, globally, with just over a quarter of its 1.3 billion citizens connected to the internet. That will change quickly - in May last year, Facebook committed more than $1 billion to the development of a new sub-sea cable link designed to improve connectivity in the region. 

 

Increased internet access will open up a range of new opportunities, and Twitter's looking to get in on the ground floor of this new shift, which could see it become a more critical connective tool for African users moving forward, especially if it can form partnerships with local users and become more culturally aligned to the needs of the region.

Analyst Day, Twitter noted that it saw 84% growth in mDAUs in Nigeria over the past year.

Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo has welcomed the announcement:

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. 1/3 #TwitterInGhana #TwitterGhana https://t.co/HdCqFgXK0x

— Nana Akufo-Addo (@NAkufoAddo) April 12, 2021

 

As noted, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has a strong affinity for Africa. Back in 2019, Dorsey actually announced plans to move to Africa full time, but the COVID-19 pandemic derailed his eventual shift. Dorsey's announcement had also unsettled Twitter shareholders, who raised concerns about his capacity to act as CEO from another continent - but clearly, Dorsey sees this as an area of great potential, both for Twitter and for his digital payments company Square, as tech adoption in the region expands.

There's no word yet as to whether Dorsey will head-up the new Twitter Ghana branch, but you can bet that he'll be keen to visit as soon as international travel re-opens.

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The continent has always been near and dear to our hearts.

And now, Africa is officially HOME. We’re pulling up to Ghana.

Have the Jollof ready, abeg. #TwitterInGhana

— Twitter Blackbirds (@Blackbirds) April 12, 2021

As explained by Twitter:

"We’re excited to announce that we are now actively building a team in Ghana. To truly serve the public conversation, we must be more immersed in the rich and vibrant communities that drive the conversations taking place every day across the African continent."

Twitter is looking to hire local designers, engineers, marketers and more as part of this new expansion.