Meta shares ‘Africa Year in Review’ highlighting successes on the continent

Meta, formerly Facebook, has unveiled its ‘2021 Africa Year in Review’ Infographic which highlights some of the company’s significant investments and initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa through the ending year.

Meta says the infographic highlights the company’s key successes and milestones across the region, whilst reinforcing its continued commitment to Africa.

Some of the key happenings in the infographic are:

• Facebook Marketplace: This was rolled out to 37 countries and territories across Sub-Saharan Africa
• 2Africa & 2Africa Pearl: Alongside eight local and global partners, Facebook 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
• Blood Donations feature: Facebook unveiled the feature 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
• 2021 Facebook Community Accelerator Program: The company 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: It also expanded Reels Ads to countries in Africa – enabling businesses on Instagram to reach greater audiences and allowing people to discover inspiring new content from brands and creators.
• SMB WhatsApp Bot: The company launched the ‘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:  They also anounced 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.

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.”