Social Media week in Nigeria kicks off with
Chief Product Officer at Facebook, Chris
Cox, speaking at the event in Nigeria. The
Social Media Week in Lagos will see Nigerian
entrepreneurs and content creators discuss
the future of media with Cox.
Nigeria, where 8.6 million people use
Facebook mobile everyday, is the first stop
on a week-long trip to West Africa where
Chris will visit Nigeria, Ghana and Senegal to
learn about the challenges and opportunities
people in the region face so that Facebook
can better serve the region’s content
creators, entrepreneurs and developers.
Inspiration for content creators at Social
Media Week
During his talk at Social Media Week Cox
will look to provide inspiration for content
creators, the region’s premier new media
and social media conference. Cox
highlighted Nigeria’s status as a hub for
innovation and creativity because of its fast-
growing mobile technology sector and its
vibrant film and music industries. He focused
on how the world is moving to digital video,
with formats such as virtual reality, live video
broadcast and 360 video giving people new
ways to tell their stories.
“Stories matter, whether it’s the stories of
our lives or the story of Africa’s growth and
ascendance” says Cox. “We want Nigeria’s
storytellers — the musicians, the filmmakers,
the novelists — to take their stories to the
rest of the world. The explosion in mobile
video and live video, gives people a new way
to share their story and perspective with the
globe – and this is happening on Facebook.”
Cox talked about how creators like Femi Kuti
are using Facebook to bring fans into their
lives and extend their presence beyond the
stage and recorded media. He also
discussed how innovators like Afrinolly – the
creative hub where technology meets art —
are using virtual reality and 360-degree video
to create exciting and compelling new
storytelling formats.
Building on Mark Zuckerberg’s 2016 visit
Chris Cox is the most senior Facebook
executive to visit Nigeria since Mark
Zuckerberg visited Lagos in September 2016.
He arrived in Nigeria last night (26 February)
and attended New Afrika Shrine to see Femi
Kuti, one of his musical heroes. Femi’s hour
long set was streamed via Facebook live to
the world and Chris was honoured to be
invited to play keyboards for one song.
“I’m looking forward to hearing more about
how Nigerian creatives, developers and
entrepreneurs are using mobile technology,
video and Facebook platforms to create
inspiring applications and services for their
customers and communities,” says Cox.
“The level of innovation we see in this
market is amazing. As Africa’s most
populous country, Nigeria is an important
market for us.”
Facebook accepts local currency payments
in Nigeria
When Mark Zuckerberg visited Nigeria, one
of the requests he heard was for businesses
to be able to pay for advertising and other
services in Naira. In response, Facebook has
started accepting locally issued Nigerian
Naira cards from new advertisers for
payments on its ads platform.
“With 8.6 million people in Nigeria using
Facebook on mobile every day, Facebook is
a great place for businesses to reach their
customers” says Cox. “We’re listening to our
community of partners, developers,
advertisers and content creators to
understand what we can build to best serve
their needs.”
Starting on 8 March, Facebook will kick off
Boost Your Business, a series of free training
sessions designed to help thousands of
Nigerian small business owners understand
how to leverage digital platforms for growth.
The sessions will be facilitated by trainers
led by She Leads Africa in key cities
including Lagos, Kaduna, Abuja, Port
Harcourt and Ibadan.
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