Ghana: Twitter interviewing first batch of employees as it gears to open office next month

Officials at the Presidency have confirmed the commencement of operations of microblogging site, Twitter, in the country starting September this year.

The Deputy Director for the Diaspora Affairs, Office of the President, Dr Nadia Adongo Musah, the company is currently interviewing its first batch of employees.

“Twitter is here because of what we did in 2018. A Nigerian who was part of the team that attended the full circle event we organised in 2018 helped us to get this tech giant. He is currently in the country helping to conduct interviews for the first batch of employees Twitter will be working with. If things go as scheduled, they will be opening their office here in Ghana next month [September],” she said.

Twitter’s choice of Ghana as its African headquarters came as a surprise for many, triggering heated debate about the business environment for technology start-ups across the continent.

However, for the social media giant, its decision was based on Ghana’s support for free speech and the fact that it is the host of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement.

“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 aligns with our overarching goal to establish a presence in the region that will support our efforts to improve and tailor our service across Africa,” Twitter said in a statement.

Already, Ghana is home to the first Artificial Intelligence research laboratory of one of the world’s leading internet companies, Google.

Talks between government officials and Amazon are also said to be currently ongoing, and it is expected that the e-commerce giant will also select Ghana as its African headquarters.

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