Facebook will be setting up shop in South Africa.
“Yes, we are definitely increasing our focus. The team is currently based in Dubai, but we hope to have an office soon,” said Iain MacKenzie, spokesperson for Facebook in Africa.
The social media giant also considers this new addition in order to better match traffic to advertisers. Facebook’s director for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, Diego Oliva said Facebook is in discussions with cellphone network operators across Africa to offer its site for free.
MacKenzie added that across Sub Sahara, Facebook has 52 million monthly active users – up 23 percent in the last six months.
The social media site has 11 million active users in South Africa and it aims to capture all cellphones capable of accessing its site.
Facebook commissioned Ipsos to study South Africa. Out of 1 000 people surveyed in SA it found that 40 percent of South Africans check Facebook before getting out of bed, while 36 percent check Facebook just before going to sleep.
“Facebook has become a service that South Africans access throughout their day, wherever they are; from bed time to prime time. That is largely thanks to the growth of mobile which means people can stay constantly connected with everyone and everything that matters to them,” said Oliva.
The global market research Ipsos also puts daily active users at 6.7 million in SA, with mobile active users at 6.2 million.
Eight in 10 South Africans surveyed said that Facebook is widely used for “second screen” activity while watching television.
