Social network giant, Facebook, was in Lagos last weekend, guys. If you did not know about this or knew and didn’t attend, you definitely missed out on a lot. But don’t worry. We’ve put together an account of what happened while Facebook was here.
The pop-up dubbed It’s Your Facebook, which held on April 12th and 13th, was an avenue for Facebook to feature an interactive showcase of their most loved products (including Stories, Communities, and Watch) and also have an Open Session where visitors can pop-by to ask their most burning questions (including personalizing News Feeds, security settings and setting up business pages).
From left: Kezia Anim-Addo, Communications Manager, Sub Saharan Africa, Facebook; Ink Eze, Founder & CEO, AsoebiBella; Hadiza Lawal, Founder/CEO, Woven Blends; Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, Strategic Media Partnerships Manager, Africa, Facebook, and popular comedian, Bright Okpocha aka Basketmouth at the ‘It’s Your Facebook’ pop-up event.
On April 12th, as part of the activities of the day, there was a Creators Panel made up of popular comedian, Basketmouth, Ink Eze of Asoebi Bella and Hadiza Lawal of Woven Blends. These panelists spoke on how they have used the platforms to grow their brands and businesses including using insights from Facebook and Instagram to better understand the demographics of their target audience which in turn helps create more targeted content.
The event which held at the African Artists Foundation, Victoria Island also featured multiple training workshops for Nigerian entrepreneurs on how to boost their businesses, use Facebook’s platforms to generate more followers and customers, as well as how to maximize their brands, among others.
From Left: Hadiza Lawal, Founder/CEO, Woven Blends; Nkechi ‘Ink’ Eze, Founder & CEO, Asoebi Bella Ltd; Jocelyne Muhutu-Remy, Strategic Media Partnerships Manager, Africa, Facebook, and popular comedian, Bright Okpocha aka Basketmouth at the ‘It’s Your Facebook’ pop-up event.
Giving reasons for the hosting of It’s Your Facebook event in Lagos, Facebook’s Communications Manager for Sub Saharan Africa, Kezia Anim-Addo said that Nigeria is close to the social network’s heart, prompting it to bring its first ever pop-up in Africa to the city of Lagos.
“We know that in Nigeria, small businesses are thriving. Everyone has a second or third business that they are doing. So, this really is a chance to come down and have our experts give them advice and take them through global best practices. So, this event is about making a stamp in Nigeria to say we’re here, and we want to have a long-term impact,” she said.
From Left: Kezia Anim-Addo, Communications Manager, Sub Saharan Africa, Facebook; Sherry Dzinoreva, Head of Policy Programmes, Africa, Facebook; and Adaora Ikenze, Head of Public Policy, West and Central Africa, Facebook.
From Left: Kezia Anim-Addo, Communications Manager, Sub Saharan Africa, Facebook; Sherry Dzinoreva, Head of Policy Programmes, Africa, Facebook; Adaora Ikenze, Head of Public Policy, West and Central Africa, Facebook; Jane Maduegbuna, Co-Founder/Executive Director, Afrinolly Limited and Kiran Yoliswa, Strategic Partner Manager, Communities, Sub-Saharan Africa, Facebook.
While restating Facebook’s commitment to boost Nigerian Creatives, SMBs, and Startups, Kezia further added: “Facebook’s mission is clear: To give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together, and our mission in Nigeria and Africa is no different. Nigeria is full of amazing talents and entrepreneurs, and for us, it is all about looking at opportunities and building on that using the platforms that we have.”
By the way, this was Facebook’s first ever pop-up in Africa – after holding similar events in Dublin, Cologne, and Dubai – and they came to Lagos! Now you understand the excitement around this. Can’t wait for a similar event to take place again.
