President Obama scores first with MXit

US President Barack Obama, has scored another first, by becoming the first head of state to engage African youths through social network and instant messenger MXit, which boasts of more than 14 million users.

MXit users have been asked to send a question or comment to Obama within the next twenty-four hours. Obama will send a message back to the MXit user base after the campaign closes at 4pm (local time), 8 July, 2009.

The campaign coincides with his first official visit to the African continent. The US President and First Lady will be in Accra, Ghana on 10 and 11 July.

The latest move comes after the President of the United States of America -, Barack Obama, had used technology to clobber Republican candidate, John McCain, in an election that helped him become the first ever black president of the US.
Barack Obama’s incredible online presence turned into a grassroots movement culminating in his election as the 44th President of the United States. He was all over YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and the blogosphere.
Herman Heunis, MXit’s founder and CEO commented on the development saying, “We are very proud to have been asked to be part of a campaign to better understand and engage with African youth.”
“We are simply delighted that such an important and influential president understands and acknowledges the power of social networking.”

MXit has over 14 million users in 254 countries and delivers over 35 000 messages per second, making it one of the largest and most popular global mobile social networks. It is especially popular in Africa, where it offers users a means to engage with family and friends through chat rooms that offer communication at a fraction of the cost of mobile SMS or voice calls.

To send a message to President Obama on MXit, go to www.mxit.com/wap from your mobile phone to download the social network and IM and follow the prompts to leave a comment or question. The campaign will close at 4pm on Wednesday, 8 July 2009.

Samuel Mungadze