Cable News Network (CNN) omits countrys name, opts for sub-Saharan Africa
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook arrived unexpectedly to Nigeria, days before he was due because of security reasons, according to a source for Vanguard. "It was a top secret and nobody was meant to know before his arrival."
However, for some, the tech giant's visit to the Co-Creation Hub, Yaba in Lagos was overshadowed by a report by CNN stating that 'Zuckerberg visits sub-Saharan Africa.' Many were upset with the omittance of the country's name.
The unfortunate news of Zuckerberg's visit overshadowed the true purpose of his visit to the Nigerian capital. Facebook's director of global product partnerships, the local Ime Archibong spoke on their ten-year roadmap to help the Nigerian economy prior to Zuckerberg's arrival at the Facebook for Developers' Workshop. This event was intended for Nigerian engineers, product managers and partners in Lagos on 1 September 2016.
During Zuckerberg's visit to the country, he met, on arrival, with developers and partners and also explored Nollywood.
His first stop was the Summer of Code Camp at Co-Creation Hub (CcHub) in Yaba, which has also been coined as the Silicone Valley of Nigeria. At this camp, young developers learn how to code and develop solutions with the help of mentors and have the chance to meet angel investors.
Zuckerberg was delighted with the level of technological development at CcHub and said, "This is my first trip to sub-Saharan African. I'll be meeting with developers and entrepreneurs, and learning about the startup ecosystem in Nigeria. The energy here is amazing and I'm excited to learn as much as I can."
"The first place I got to visit was the Co-creation Hub Nigeria in Yaba. I got to talk to kids at a summer coding camp and entrepeneurs who come to CcHub to build and launch their apps. I am looking forward to meeting more people in Nigeria."
One app designer that Zuckerberg met was Temi Giwa, who runs Life Bank, a platform that makes blood available when and where it is needed in the country. Life Bank saves lives by mobilizing blood donations, taking inventory of all blood available in the country, and delivering blood in the right condition to where it is needed.
