Social media giant, Twitter, has announced that it is making its first African presence starting with Ghana, after having shown an interest in expanding its business to Africa in 2019.
In a statement, Twitter said, “In line with our growth strategy, 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 CEO Jack Dorsey, via a tweet, announced that the company would be setting up a presence in Africa. “Twitter is now present on the continent. Thank you, Ghana and Nana Akufo-Addo,” he said.
The company says it is looking for specialists to join several teams including product, design, engineering, marketing and communications for job opportunities in the company.
On why Twitter selected Ghana as the first point of presence in Africa, the company said, “Ghana is a champion for democracy, a supporter of free speech, online freedom, and the Open Internet, of which Twitter is also an advocate.”
Twitter also stated that “The recent appointment of Ghana to host The Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) aligns with our overarching goal to establish a presence in the region that will support our efforts to improve and tailor our service across Africa.”
Also commenting, Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo said, “The choice of Ghana as HQ for Twitter’s Africa operations is excellent news. Government and Ghanaians welcome very much this announcement and the confidence reposed in our country.”
The news comes almost 18 months after Twitter CEO Dorsey’s visit to Africa for the first time in November 2019. He toured Ghana, Ethiopia, Nigeria and South Africa and met with several industry leaders and tech stakeholders.
