Facebook has announced plans to open a Content Review Centre in Nairobi, Kenya.
In an official statement, the social media giant stated that the centre, which will be its first in Sub-Saharan Africa, is part of its continued investment in the continent.
“As part of our continued investment across Sub-Saharan Africa and commitment to safety and security on our platform, we are opening a new content review centre in Nairobi, Kenya.
"In partnership with Samasource – one of the largest digital employers in East Africa and a leading social enterprise — the site in Nairobi will be Facebook’s first content review centre in Sub-Saharan Africa.” it continued.
The centre will employ approximately 100 reviewers by the end of the year, who will support a number of languages, including Somali, Oromo, Swahili and Hausa.
Commenting on the announcement, Public Policy Associate Fazdai Madzingira stated that the site, which has over 1 Billion users worldwide, had made significant investments globally, and locally, in ensuring that people see the content they want to see, and are aware of what is and isn’t allowed on the platform.
"That’s why we have a set of community standards, and last year published the more detailed internal guidelines around these rules. We want Facebook to be a place where people can express themselves and freely discuss different points of view, whilst ensuring that it remains safe for everyone," Madzingira explained.
Echoing the sentiments, Facebook’s Public Policy Director, Africa Ebele Okobi assured that they were committed to serving all communities across Africa
“This further highlights our commitment to serving the community of people using our platforms across Africa, as well as our commitment to continuing to invest and partner locally across the continent. I am delighted that through our partnership with Samasource we will be opening our first content review centre here in Africa,” she conveyed.
On their part, Samasource expressed optimism with the partnership adding that that opening up markets with job opportunities was the most powerful solution to ending global poverty.
"As one of the largest digital employers in East Africa, we’re excited to partner with Facebook in Nairobi to help keep people on Facebook safe and continue our mission. Our team will receive extensive training and support, benefit from industry-leading facilities, and have the opportunity to advance their careers in tech through this partnership," Samasource Program Director Carolyn Komen stated.
