Social media company, Twitter, has announced that it would be opening its office in Ghana, which would make it the first of its kind in Africa.
The company’s Chief Executive Officer, Jack Dorsey, made the announcement on his twitter handle, saying: “Twitter is now present on the continent. Thank you Ghana and Nana Akufo-Addo.”
According to a statement on the company’s website, Ghana was chosen because it is a ‘supporter of free speech, online freedom and the open internet of which Twitter is an advocate.”
“As a champion for democracy, Ghana is a supporter of free speech, online freedom and the open internet, of which twitter is also an advocate. Furthermore, Ghana’s recent appointment to host the secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) aligns with our overarching goal to establish a presence in the region that will support our efforts to improve and tailor our services across Africa,” the company said. Nigeria was in the running to host the headquarters of AfCFTA until President Muhammadu Buhari reconsidered joining the organisation reportedly saying he won’t rush to sign anything that would not be in the nation’s interest. The President subsequently rethought his initial position and Nigeria agreed to join again, but by then, Ghana had already won the rights to host the secretariat of AfCFTA.
The President of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, responded to the news on his twitter page, saying: “The choice of Ghana as the headquarters for Twitter’s Africa operations is excellent news. Government and Ghanaians welcome this announcement and the confidence reposed in our country. As I indicated to Jack in our virtual meeting of April 7, 2021, this is the start of a beautiful partnership between Twitter and Ghana, which is critical for the development of Ghana’s hugely important tech sector.”
Source: The sun
