Many Nigerians see Twitter’s decision as an obstacle to the continent’s largest economy, which is seeing rapid growth and investment in its technology scene.
Now it looks like his business will make that move first.
The social networking giant also cited Ghana’s hosting of the African Free Trade Area Secretariat (AfCFTA) as another reason for its move, saying it was in line with “its ambition to establish a presence in the region that would allow us to support improvement efforts adapt our service throughout Africa. “
Without the ease of doing business
Some Nigerians have blamed a “unscrupulous business environment “for Twitter choosing Ghana over Nigeria.
Another commenter, Onye Ajuju, said the Twitter decision was justified and that Nigerians had a “bloated sense of law”.
“It’s incredible to see Nigerians getting angry because Twitter has gone to Ghana. The lack of awareness of how bad things are in the country, the inflated sense of law, the unfeeling expectations that everyone will accept Nigeria’s dysfunction … is incredible!” she said.
In 2018, Facebook opened its first community space in Africa in the commercial city of Nigeria, Lagos, while last year it announced plans to open an operational office in Lagos, but for technology investors such as Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, there are lessons to be learned. whether Nigeria will continue to attract much-needed foreign investment.
“We need to think carefully about why Twitter chose Ghana – not necessarily in the context of whether we want to bring Twitter to Nigeria or not, but in the context of what it will take for us to remain a competitive destination for investors. Aboyeji told CNN on Tuesday.
“We need to start thinking very carefully about strengthening democracy and the rule of law, freedom of expression and, most importantly, our role in enabling the African Free Trade Agreement. It’s not enough for us to be just a big market … we have a very competitive neighbor by our side, who is doing everything right to become the center of West Africa, “he added.
“A more productive market”
Another Nigerian entrepreneur and technology investor, Bosun Tijani, told CNN that Twitter has simply chosen a more productive market to conduct its operations in Africa.
“While Nigeria has a huge market that Twitter would like to target, the business environment here is quite demanding … It’s tiring … the cost of running a business here is high. But with the AfCFTA single market agreement signed up to Africa, a company like Twitter may choose to set up a store in a small market such as Ghana – which offers the best opportunity to operate – and continue to serve the Nigerian market, “said Tijani, who leads a technological innovation laboratory, CcHUB.
Ghana also ranked as the 43rd most peaceful country in the world in the 2020 Global Peace Index, ranking 104 ahead of Nigeria – facing the Boko Haram insurgency and regular outbreaks of violence.