Facebook and one of Nigeria’s leading tech-oriented space Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB) have jointly launched the first community hub space in Africa. According to Facebook, the space will be officially opened early next year.
The space will host a series of long-term impact training initiatives targeting 50,000 Nigerians. The programs held in the space will be geared towards bringing together the wider tech community to work together on ideas.
The space will also host a startup incubator program that will be “aimed at attracting the best talent and driving innovation in Nigeria’s tech ecosystem.”
Facebook’s Public Policy Director, Ebele Okobi said, “In Nigeria, more than 22 million people use Facebook every month, and 87% of SMEs say that when they hire, digital skills are more important than where an applicant went to school. This demonstrates the power of digital skills to aid economic growth and development has never been more important.
Our investments and commitments announced in Lagos today further reflect our intent to partner with Nigeria’s policymakers and its vibrant tech and entrepreneurial eco-system to create economic opportunity and independence in Nigeria and across Africa.”
Emeka Afigbo, the Head of Facebook Platform Partnership in the Middle East and Africa added: “Nigeria is producing a new generation of exciting startups that have incredible potential. The goal is to train and support over 50,000 students, small businesses and creative entrepreneurs across the country through a series of scaled digital skills training, as well as long-term impact programs.”
Before proceeding to create the space, Facebook did an economic impact study on how SMEs and consumers in Nigeria could leverage on the platform in conjunction with social media to scale their businesses. An excerpt of the research report reads:
“Nearly 1 in 2 small business on Facebook say they built their business on the platform, and 62% stated they have been able to use Facebook to help find employees for their business, whilst over half (58%) of small businesses on the platform say they have been able to hire more employees due to growth since joining Facebook.”