Meta today
released its ‘2021 Africa Year in Review’, an infographic capturing some of the
company's significant investments and initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa this
year - focused on driving innovation, connecting communities, helping
businesses to grow and supporting the tech and creator ecosystem. The
infographic highlights key Meta successes and milestones across the region,
whilst reinforcing its continued commitment to Africa.
Commenting, Kezia Anim-Addo, Director for
Communications, Sub-Saharan Africa, said: “This year we’ve witnessed an
abundance of talent, growth and resilience from across Africa, despite the many
challenges due to the ongoing COVID pandemic. It's been inspiring to witness
the development of various communities,
from creators to SMBs and tech innovators, many of whom are using Meta
technologies to grow and develop their craft. We believe that Meta sits at the intersection
of innovation, technology, entrepreneurship and social connection, and we’re
excited about the future of the continent, and Meta’s ongoing role in helping
to unlock Africa's potential.”
Some of the key 2021 Meta Africa Year in Review includes:
●
Facebook
Marketplace: Rolled out Facebook Marketplace to 37 countries and territories across
Sub-Saharan Africa, enabling more people to discover, buy and sell items from
others in their local communities
●
Digital Literacy
Trainings:
Undertook digital literacy training, focused on online safety, privacy, news,
media literacy and digital citizenship, across eight countries training over
65,000 people
●
2Africa &
2Africa Pearl: Alongside eight local and global partners, announced the creation of
new branches and a new segment of the subsea cable
called ‘2Africa Pearls’, which now connects three continents — Africa, Europe,
and Asia, making it the longest subsea cable system ever developed at more than
45,000 kilometres
●
Economic Impact
Trainings:
Trained over 80,000 SMBs across 13 countries through our economic impact
programmes, including Meta Boost (formerly Boost with Facebook) and
SheMeansBusiness; and graduated 338 young people through the Digify Pro
programme, with nearly 70% getting jobs
●
Blood Donations
feature:
Now available across 12 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, over 3.9m Facebook
users in these countries have now signed up to receive blood donation
notifications from local blood donation centers
●
Instagram Lite: introduced Instagram Lite for Android and its availability
in Swahili, Oromo and Amharic languages
●
Made
by Africa, Loved by the World: Celebrated Africa’s growing cultural impact on the world through
a global campaign that showcased eight African creatives and businesses from
Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire and Gabon.
●
2021
Facebook Community Accelerator Program: Announced the winners of the 2021
Facebook Community Accelerator Program, featuring 13 community leaders from Nigeria, South Africa, and
Kenya, who will receive training, mentorship and up to $50,000 USD in funds to
invest in their community
●
Instagram
Reel Ads in 25 African countries: Expanded Reels Ads to countries in
Africa with the Reels feature on Instagram - enabling businesses on Instagram
to reach greater audiences, and allowing people to discover inspiring new
content from brands and creators.
●
SMB
WhatsApp Bot: Launched ‘Facebook Business Coach’ on WhatsApp, an
innovative and easily-accessible way for SMBs in English speaking Africa to
learn more about how to grow their business on Facebook, Instagram and
WhatsApp.
● Africa No Filter & Meta Virtual Reality Fund: Announced the opening of the grants and mentoring program “Future Africa: Telling Stories, Building Worlds” aimed at boosting the use of Virtual Reality in Africa’s storytelling and helping to shift negative stereotypes about the continent.
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