Twitter shuns Nigeria, picks Ghana as First Africa Office

Twitter has announced it will recruit 11 people in Ghana, the company’s first hires on the African continent, with the intention of making the West African country its headquarters for the continent.

The social media company joins Facebook and other tech companies moving into Africa.

“Today, in line with our growth strategy, we are pleased to announce that we are building a team in Ghana,” the company announced in a statement.

“We need to further immerse ourselves in the rich and vibrant communities that set the tone in day-to-day discussions across the African continent,” it stressed.

“The choice of Ghana as the headquarters for Twitter’s operations in Africa is GREAT news,” tweeted Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo, hailing “the beginning of a beautiful partnership.”

Twitter said its new team would start by working remotely, while exploring “the possibility of opening an office in Ghana in the future.”

The company explained its choice by the freedoms of expression and internet access offered by Ghana, as well as the recent attribution to its capital, Accra, of the secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area.

Facebook already has several offices in Africa, including Nigeria, the most populous country on the continent, also in West Africa.

“Africa will define the future,” Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s founder, said in 2019 after a visit to Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia and South Africa.

Dorsey’s tweet announcing news of the hires on Monday said: “Twitter is now present on the continent.”

The jobs advertised in Ghana include positions for engineering, marketing and communications specialists.

Twitter said its new team members would be working remotely under work-from-home policies while it explored “the opportunity to open an office in Ghana in the future”.

Ghana’s support for free speech and online freedoms made it the company’s choice for its first African location, Twitter said.

It added that the secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area base in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, had played a part in the decision.