Statistics released by Facebook on Thursday reveals the Social Network has about 15 million users in Nigeria. South Africa has about 12 million users and Kenya about 4.5 million users. This data is as at June 2015.
The data also reveals majority of the users use a mobile device to access their profiles, share and upload content on the network.
Despite this data, Facebook went ahead to open an office in Johannesburg in June this year rather than in Nigeria where it has a potentially larger market and more active user base.
Facebook believe Nigeria and Kenya are its main entry points to reach out to a continent with nearly one billion people.
The numbers, the first Facebook has published for Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation and Kenya, East Africa’s most developed, show the two nations as important entry points on a continent of nearly one billion people.
The data also reveals Facebook’s active user population in Africa grew 20 percent to 120 million in June from 100 million in September last year. A large portion of these users were however, in North Africa.
Facebook sees this numbers as a huge advertising asset which it can monetize by selling ads to advertisers via its mobile platform. Mobile ads now forms over 70% of its revenue.
