Twitter Prefers And Chooses Ghana To Grow Its African Presence
Twitter Opens Office In Ghana
Twitter has opened its first African office in Ghana to expand its presence in the continent. This move can be traced back to 16 months ago after Twitter Co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey, and other senior executives visited Africa in November 2019, visiting Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, and Ethiopia.
Among the highlights of the visit was Dorsey's interest in creating the opportunity for African talents to work remotely. Although the team did not explicitly state that a physical office would be established, Dorsey said he would return to the continent for six months in 2020. He was unable to carry out his plan due to the outbreak of coronavirus.
Ghana was an unexpected and surprising option, given the team's comments about the Nigerian market in 2019. Twitter's chief technology officer, Parag Agrawal, stated that the company saw an opportunity for technological talent in the country. He said there is a massive opportunity for Twitter because Nigeria has a wealth of technical expertise and significant public discourse.
Twitter said in an official statement that it chose Ghana for three reasons:
1. Online freedom,
2. Open Internet, and
3. Freedom of speech.
It is, however, already collaborating with local communities in both Kenya and Nigeria.
Twitter-Ghana Relationship
President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana expressed delight at Twitter's decision to establish an African headquarters in Ghana.
“Ghana's selection as the headquarters for Twitter's Africa operations is fantastic news,” Akufo-Addo tweeted. “The government and Ghanaians warmly welcome this announcement and the renewed trust in our country.”
The Ghanaian president revealed that he met digitally with Dorsey on April 7 and the two reached an agreement about Twitter's activities in Ghana.
Akufo-Addo said that the contract "marks the beginning of a lovely relationship between Twitter and Ghana, which is vital for the growth of Ghana's enormously important technology sector."
“These are exciting times to be in Ghana and to conduct business.”
What Africa Stands to Gain
Twitter's physical presence in Africa can attract many young African minds to the technology sector. Africa currently has over 600 technology centers, ranging from incubators and accelerators to co-working spaces. Although the startup is about the survival of the fittest, it is also a community-driven organization.
AfriLabs and Briter Bridges have identified over 643 technology hubs around the various countries in a joint survey.
Already, Twitter announced that it is actively recruiting for a team in Ghana "to become more immersed in the rich and vibrant cultures that fuel the daily conversations occurring across the continent."
But, Why Ghana and Not Nigeria?
There have been mixed reactions to Twitter's decision to locate its 'African headquarters' in Ghana rather than Nigeria, where the tech sector appears to be ripe for its presence in Africa.
According to global digital intelligence provider Datareportal.com, Nigeria had 85.49 million internet users in January 2020. Between 2019 and 2020, the number of internet users in Nigeria increased by 2.2 million (+2.6 percent). Nigeria had a 42 percent internet penetration rate in January 2020.
According to the same study by Data Reportal, Ghana has 14.76 million internet users. Between 2019 and 2020, the number of internet users in Ghana increased by 1.0 million (+7.5 percent). Ghana had a 48 percent internet penetration rate in January 2020.
While the figures support the 'protesters' arguments, many Nigerians believe Twitter choose Ghana over Nigeria due to allegedly stifling government policies that stifle business development.
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