Facebook outgrows JHB office as African userbase tops 170m

Facebook South Africa has outgrown its original Johannesburg office and has expanded to a new location, the company announced Wednesday.

“Facebook has moved its Johannesburg offices into new premises, creating a new home for the company to work with its partners to boost innovation and provide an African home for the Facebook culture,” the company reveals in a press release.

The new pad located in Bryanston “will continue to provide support to Facebook advertisers, application developers and other key partners across the continent”.

The social giant originally occupied an office in Melrose Arch, Johannesburg, which it held since its arrival in South Africa in 2015.

But in those few months, the company has experienced massive growth globally and in the continent itself.

Facebook relocates to larger Jozi office as its African userbase grows

The company announced that its African user base now stands at 170-million — that’s a growth spurt of 42%. The company also revealed that 94% of these users access its services via a mobile device.

Globally, around 1.8-billion people access the social network monthly.

“Facebook is deeply committed to Africa, a mobile-first continent where seven in 10 of all connected people use the platform,” notes Carolyn Everson, the company’s VP of global marketing..

“Many people in Africa are coming online for the first time, unleashing new possibilities for people and businesses alike. We’re also seeing growth of small and medium-sized businesses that are driving economic development, companies that Facebook wants to help grow locally and regionally across the continent.

“Our new offices are part of our ongoing commitment to invest in the African market and work with innovators across our key target countries.”

Update: clarified the location details of the company’s new Johannesburg office.