Mark Zuckerberg was in Lagos for two days and somehow, the novelty still hasn’t worn off. He came like a thief in the night, but in broad daylight (that right there is stealth goals).
We were wondering what Mark’s visit to Nigeria was about and I even made a few speculations. I suspected he was here to visit Jobberman, meet the Andela team he’s invested in, attend the developer workshop, launch ExpressWifi, and have policy-centred conversations with the Nigerian government. The fact that two out of five of these speculations are correct shows you really shouldn’t rely on me for any fortune-telling – just news.
Here’s what The Zuck did during his visit (trust Nigerians to show him a good time).
1. He visited CcHub
The Co-Creation Hub in Yaba was Zuckerberg’s first stop. He surprised all the folks there and checked up on the kids at the Summer of Code Camp that’s currently going on.
2. Then took a stroll to Andela
Mark Zuckerberg walked from CcHub to the Andela office like a mere mortal and nearly broke Nigerian twitter while doing so. I admit, Andela isn’t that far from CcHub, but that’s not the point.
3. And stopped by an ExpressWifi stand
That’s Mark with Rosemary Njoku who runs an ExpressWifi stand. As you already know, ExpressWifi is a Facebook project and they’ve partnered with Cool Link to set up hotspots in Lagos.
4. Mark ate Jollof rice, pounded yam and snails
Mark Zuckerberg shares his experience with Jollof Rice, Pounded Yam, Goat Meat at Nigeria’s FB Developers’ Workshop pic.twitter.com/gSg6v1kklC
— Newsroom (@NewsroomDaily) August 31, 2016
Okay, there’s no picture of Mark Zuckerberg actually eating these things BUT there’s a video of him attesting to the awesomeness that is Nigerian food at the town hall Q&A he held with Nigerian tech entrepreneurs. He had jollof rice and shrimp, and pounded yam and snails. In his words, “It was delicious. It was good. I love it.”
5. Then went for a quick run on the Lekki-Ikoyi bridge
Anyone who’s had Nigerian food knows they contain lots (and lots) of carbs. What better way to burn off said carbs than a jog? And what better place to jog than the ever-famous Lekki-Ikoyi bridge? Mark acted like a true Island big boy.
6. And had a Q&A session with technology leaders in Nigeria
Yesterday, at the Landmark Event Centre, V.I, Mark hosted a town hall Q&A session with Nigerian software developers and tech entrepreneurs. Questions were asked, answers were given, and learning happened.
Pretty eventful trip, yes? Yes. Right now, Mark’s in Nairobi and he’s already having a good time there.
