Twitter, which is a microblogging and social networking service has disclosed its plan to establish a presence in Africa by situating its Headquarters in Ghana.
Twitter CEO, Jack Dorsey made the announcement in a tweet on Monday, April 12.
He stated, “Twitter is now present on the continent. Thank you Ghana and Nana Akufo-Addo”
President Nana Akufo-Addo in his response, welcomed the news and revealed that he held a virtual meeting with Jack on April 7,
“The choice of Ghana as HQ for Twitter’s Africa operations is EXCELLENT news. Gov’t and Ghanaians welcome very much this announcement and the confidence reposed in our country. 1#TwitterInGhana#TwitterGhana.”
“As I indicated to @Jack in our virtual meeting on 7th April 2021, this is the start of a beautiful partnership between Twitter and Ghana, which is critical for the dev’t of Ghana’s hugely important tech sector. #TwitterInGhana#TwitterGhana.”
“These are exciting times to be in, and to do business in Ghana.”
In a statement, Twitter gave its reasons why it chose Ghana to host Africa’s Head Quarters.
“As a champion for democracy, Ghana is a supporter of free speech, online freedom, and the Open Internet, of which Twitter is also an advocate. Furthermore, Ghana’s recent appointment to host The Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area aligns with our overarching goal to establish a presence in the region that will support our efforts to improve and tailor our service across Africa.”
“Whenever we enter new markets, we work hard to ensure that we are not just investing in the talent that we hire, but also investing in local communities and the social fabric that supports them. We have already laid foundations through partnerships with Amref Health Africa in Kenya, Afrochella in Ghana, Mentally Aware Nigeria Initiative (MANI) in Nigeria, and The HackLab Foundation in Ghana. As part of our long-term commitment to the region, we’ll continue to explore compelling ways we can use the positive power of Twitter to strengthen our communities through employee engagement, platform activation, and corporate giving,” it added.
In reaction to this recent development, Nigerians have aired their opinions on the bird street.
While some were pleased with the new development, others mocked the Nigerian government after Twitter hailed Ghana for being a “supporter of free speech, online freedom, and the Open Internet,” while explaining why Ghana was picked as its African headquarters.
