The Energy in Nigerian Startups is Amazing, Says Facebook Boss, Zuckerberg

The founder of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, yesterday commended efforts of rising startups in Nigeria.

Zuckerberg who made the commendation on his verified Facebook page, during a visit to Co-creation Hub Nigeria (CcHUB) in Yaba, Lagos, said he his excited to learn as much as he can in Nigeria which is his first trip to sub-Saharan Africa.

He said: “Next stop: Lagos! This is my first trip to sub-Saharan Africa. I’ll be meeting with developers and entrepreneurs, and learning about the startup ecosystem in Nigeria. The energy here is amazing and I’m excited to learn as much as I can.

“Our first stop is the Cocreation Hub Nigeria (CcHUB) in Yaba. I got to talk to kids at a summer coding camp and entrepreneurs who come to CcHub to build and launch their apps. I’m looking forward to meeting more people here!”

Zuckerberg made a surprise visit to Nigeria, which has turned out to become Facebook’s largest African market.

During the visit, he met with developers and entrepreneurs, including the Nigerian startup ecosystem in Lagos.

Over the years, Cc Hub has served as a start-up incubator and accelerator, housing successful start-ups such as BudgIT, a civic enterprise which focuses on accountability and transparency in government budgets. While at Cc Hub, Zuckerberg also met with young kids attending a summer coding camp.

Zuckerberg is likely to meet with Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari or Vice President Osinbajo before he leaves Nigeria.

The arrangements for Zuckerberg’s visit to Nigeria were successfully kept under wraps till he appeared in Lagos yesterday after a visit to Rome with his wife, Priscilla Chan, where he is reported to have met the Pope.

Tomorrow, Zuckerberg is expected to meet with technology journalists, where he is expected to share Facebook’s strategic plans for Nigeria. Though the visit is part of a series of global town hall meetings, Facebook’s strong ties with Nigeria cannot be ignored.

With 16 million people visiting the social media platform monthly, Nigeria remains Facebook’s biggest market in Africa.

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In a bid to further grow the market, Facebook launched its FreeBasics service in Nigeria in May, targeting a bulk of the population who cannot afford internet access.

The service will allow users to access Facebook as well as other listed websites at no cost.

For his part, Zuckerberg has also given several nods to Nigeria over the past year, acknowledging the work of start-ups like BudgIT and job listing service, Jobberman. Most recently, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), founded by Zuckerberg and his wife, led a $24 million investment round in Andela, a Lagos start-up that trains and outsources local software developers.

The first major investment by the foundation, it was heralded as a big bet on the future of African tech.

Zuckerberg is in Nigeria to listen and learn and take ideas back to California on how Facebook can better support tech development and entrepreneurship across Africa.

CcHub, which was the first place Zuckerberg visited yesterday, opened in 2011 without an office space. Five years later it occupies three floors and the roof of a building.