Facebook selects 12 African community leaders for accelerator programme


 

Lagos-------------- Facebook has announced the selection of 12 African community leaders to join its accelerator programme aimed at equipping societies with training mentorship and funding needed for growth.

Iin a statement Tuesday, Facebook said that the programme would last six months, adding that the programme was further aimed at bringing people together and building communities.

According to Facebook, the community accelerator programme invested in leaders who were building communities around the world, offering encouragement and driving change.

It stressed that following the call for applications in March, 77 community leaders from around the world were chosen, with 12 selected from the sub-Saharan Africa.

The selected community leaders would receive up to 30,000 dollars in funding just as they would learn from experts and coaches, focussing on developing customised curriculums on growing communities in the first three months of the programme.

“The next three months will then be focused on iterating and executing their plans, with funding and continued support from their network as well as from a dedicated programme team,” it also said.

It said the community accelerator programme would then culminate in an event with community leaders to showcase their communities and progress to external funders and partners.

Commenting on the development, the Head of Communications for sub- Saharan Africa,  Kezia Anim-Addo, said: “We are delighted to be welcoming 12 African community leaders to Facebook’s first Community Accelerator.

“We have seen time and again the power of communities in bringing people closer together.

“We know community leaders can do extraordinary things when they have adequate support from others, tools to get the job done, funding to grow and belief in themselves’’.

Anim-Addo said the Facebook community accelerator programme would enable communities to make an even greater positive impact in the world.

She said that community leaders selected were from three Countries, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa.

Those selected for the Facebook community accelerator programme included: Hauwa Ojeifo, She Writes Woman (Nigeria), Bright Shiitemii, Mental360 (Kenya), Lauren Dallas, Future Females (South Africa) and Tony Onuk, The Root Hub (Nigeria),

Others are, Esther Mwikalii, Metta NBO (Kenya), Refilwe Nkomo, Visual Arts Network South Africa and Eyitayo Ogunmola, Utiva (Nigeria).

Other selected community leaders are, Naadiya Moosajee, WomEng (South Africa), Abiodun Adereni, Helpmum (Nigeria), Dillion Phiri, Creative Nestlings (South Africa), Rufaro Mudimu, Enke (South Africa) and Tariro Bure, MINDS (South Africa).