Meta Unveils its ‘Africa Year in Review’ for 2021

Meta today released its ‘2021 Africa Year in Review’, an infographic capturing some of the company’s significant investments and initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa this year – focused on driving innovation, connecting communities, helping businesses to grow and supporting the tech and creator ecosystem. The infographic highlights key Meta successes and milestones across the region, whilst reinforcing its continued commitment to Africa.

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.”

Some of the key 2021 Meta Africa Year in Review includes:

• Facebook Marketplace: Rolled out Facebook Marketplace to 37 countries and territories across Sub-Saharan Africa, enabling more people to discover, buy and sell items from others in their local communities
• Digital Literacy Trainings: Undertook digital literacy training, focused on online safety, privacy, news, media literacy and digital citizenship, across eight countries training over 65,000 people
• 2Africa & 2Africa Pearl: Alongside eight local and global partners, 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
• Economic Impact Trainings: Trained over 80,000 SMBs across 13 countries through our economic impact programmes, including Meta Boost (formerly Boost with Facebook) and SheMeansBusiness; and graduated 338 young people through the Digify Pro programme, with nearly 70% getting jobs
• Blood Donations feature: Now available 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
• Instagram Lite: introduced Instagram Lite for Android and its availability in Swahili, Oromo and Amharic languages
• Made by Africa, Loved by the World: Celebrated Africa’s growing cultural impact on the world through a global campaign that showcased eight African creatives and businesses from Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire and Gabon.
• 2021 Facebook Community Accelerator Program: 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: Expanded Reels Ads to countries in Africa with the Reels feature on Instagram – enabling businesses on Instagram to reach greater audiences, and allowing people to discover inspiring new content from brands and creators.
• SMB WhatsApp Bot: Launched ‘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: Announced 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.

To learn more about Meta’s investments and activities in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2021, view the infographics