Here’s Why Mark Zuckerberg is in Nigeria + What He has been up to Since his Arrival

Mark Zuckerberg with kids at the ‘Summer of Code Camp’

Earlier this evening, we brought you the report that Facebook‘s Founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg is in Nigeria.

This is Zuckerberg’s first visit to Africa, and his first stop was at Co-Creation Hub (CcHub) in Yaba, Lagos.

He’s also billed to meet with developers and partners, as well as explore Nollywood.

Zuckerberg is in Nigeria to listen and learn and take ideas back to California on how Facebook can better support tech development and entrepreneurship across Africa.

At CcHub, Zuckerberg visited kids at the ‘Summer of Code Camp’.

At CcHub, also known as the Silicon Valley of Nigeria, people can learn how to code, developers can get help launching their first products, and find mentors and funding.

Zuckerberg met with developers like Temi Giwa, who runs a platform called Life Bank that makes blood available when and where it is needed in Nigeria.

Life Bank saves lives by mobilizing blood donations, taking inventory of all blood available in the country, and delivering blood in the right condition to where it is needed.

After visiting CcHub, Zuckerberg, said on his Facebook Page:

This is my first trip to sub-Saharan Africa. I’ll be meeting with developers and entrepreneurs, and learning about the startup ecosystem in Nigeria. The energy here is amazing and I’m excited to learn as much as I can.

The first place I got to visit was the Co-creation Hub Nigeria (CcHUB) in Yaba. I got to talk to kids at a summer coding camp and entrepreneurs who come to CcHub to build and launch their apps. I’m looking forward to meeting more people in Nigeria.

Mark then went to Andela, an engineering organization that is building the next generation of technical leaders in Africa.

Earlier this year, the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative invested in Andela after being impressed by the company’s innovative model of learning and its drive to connect the global technology ecosystem with the most talented developers in Africa.

Seni Sulyman, Director, Andela Lagos, said:

'We are excited and honored to welcome Mark Zuckerberg to Lagos. His visit reinforces not only his support of Andela’s mission, but his belief that indeed the next generation of great technology leaders will come out of Lagos, Nigeria and cities across Africa.'

Andela has created a platform for passionate, driven software developers and engineers to break into the global tech ecosystem, but the barriers to entry are still very high.

Mark’s visit demonstrates to all Nigerian developers and entrepreneurs that they’ve caught the attention of the tech world, and they are capable of succeeding on a truly global level.

At the end of the day Zuckerberg stopped by an Express WiFi stand in Lagos owned by Rosemary Njoku. Facebook’s Express WiFi lets entrepreneurs like Rosemary set up a hot spot to help their community access apps and services built by local developers.

This week, Facebook is launching a satellite into space to enable more entrepreneurs sell Express WiFi across Africa.

Mark Zuckerberg and Rosemary Njoku