On Friday, 22 November 2019, Facebook brought together over 400 developers, startups and businesses from across Sub-Saharan Africa for its newest summit, ‘Facebook iD8 Nairobi’. According to the social media giant, the summit aimed to create a space for developers and startups to showcase and celebrate talent from across the continent while sharing their developer journey.
The summit opened with a keynote speech from Emeka Afigbo, Facebook’s Global Head of Developer Programmes, who revealed Facebook’s plan in partnership with Andela to train and equip thousands of developers from its Developer Circles across 10 countries in Africa with technical and non-technical skills in 2020. This follows Facebook’s successful three-month training programme with Andela across Nigeria and Kenya in 2019.
Facebook iD8 Nairobi also highlighted the latest insights from Facebook, with new technologies and products for attendees to build and experiment with, and programmes to help them at any stage of their journey. There were hands-on demonstrations and discussions with Facebook product experts who provided guidance and help to unlock challenges developers face in their development process.
The conference also provided an opportunity for developers and startups to learn how technology such as AR/VR, Messaging and Open Source can offer tangible solutions for businesses in Africa.
Afigbo says, “We look forward to reconnecting with the ecosystem to share the latest technology, product and program updates. Facebook iD8 is a two-way dialogue where we also have a chance to hear from our developer and startup community’ about their experiences and roadblocks as well as provide an opportunity for members of our community to connect with others who share their challenges and aspirations”.
Here’s a closer look at the 2019 Facebook iD8 Nairobi:
Attended by Jenna Delport
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