Facebook releases Nigeria, Kenya numbers

Facebook has released new statistics showing how many users it has in three key African countries. According to a press release sent by the social networking giant, some 2.2-million Kenyans use Facebook every day and 4.5-million each month, while 7.1-million Nigerians use Facebook daily and 15-million are active every month.

That puts Nigeria just behind South Africa, which has 7.3-million daily active users. Interestingly, Nigeria beats out its Southern neighbour when it comes to monthly active users, suggesting that data may be just that little more precious in the West African country.

In both Kenya and Nigeria most people come to Facebook on a mobile device: 100% of Nigerian monthly users are active on mobile as are 95% of Kenya’s monthly users.

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The announcement of the numbers follows the recent announcement that Facebook’s active user population in Africa has grown 20% to 120 million in June 2015 from 100 million in September 2014. More than 80% of these people access Facebook from their mobile phones. Now, 60% of all Internet users in Africa are active on Facebook.

“At Facebook, we have a saying that we’re only one percent done, and this couldn’t be truer for Facebook in Africa,” Nunu Ntshingila, newly appointed Head of Africa at Facebook, said. “I’m only beginning this journey, and I’m already incredibly inspired by the power of connection – from the smallest moments to fostering global conversations. Everyone on Facebook has a story, and I can’t wait to hear the stories from Kenya and Nigeria firsthand.”

“Mobile is not a trend; it’s the fastest adoption of disruptive technology in history of communication,” she added. “It’s also an incredibly personal device regardless of where a person lives or how they connect, and businesses need to reach people where they are, not where they were, in an authentic, personal and relevant way. I look forward to spending time with businesses across Africa to understand how we can work together.”

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Facebook recently opened its first office in Africa to further the company’s commitment to help businesses connect with people and grow locally and regionally. The new office is the next step in furthering Facebook’s investment in Africa and its people. The team in Africa will focus initially on Kenya (East Africa), Nigeria (West Africa), and South Africa (Southern Africa).

Ari Kesisoglu, Facebook’s Regional Director for MEA, said: “We are committed to creating solutions tailored to people and businesses in Africa. We continue to spend time with businesses to learn about how we can work together to create better, more flexible and less fragmented ways for businesses to reach people in Africa.”

You can find a more in-depth look at the numbers below:

Kenya: Q2 2015

• 2.2 million total daily active users (DAUs)
• 2.1 million mobile DAU
• 4.5 million total monthly active users (MAUs)
• 4.3 million mobile MAU (95% of MAUs)

Nigeria: Q2 2015

• 7.1 million total daily active users (DAUs)
• 6.9 million mobile DAU
• 15 million total monthly active users (MAUs)
• 15 million mobile MAU (100% of MAUs)

South Africa: Q2 2015

• 7.3 million total daily active users (DAUs)
• 7 million mobile DAU
• 12 million total monthly active users (MAUs)
• 12 million mobile MAU (100% of MAUs)