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North America has a population of about 500 million, and two-fifths of them are on Facebook. In Africa, with more than 1 billion people, just 120 million use the social network. That’s an opportunity Facebook can’t ignore, though the region poses challenges unlike those the company has faced in more developed markets.

To spur growth on the continent, Facebook next month is opening an office in an affluent suburb of Johannesburg. The sales office will be headed by Nunu Ntshingila, 51, chairman of WPP’s Ogilvy & Mather agency in South Africa, who will oversee Facebook’s business in the region.

The company will find that winning customers in Nigeria or Kenya is tougher than in Nebraska or Kansas. Africa has few fixed internet connections, so Facebook’s original website isn’t well known. And while mobile internet is booming, data is expensive and smartphones are rare, with most people using cheaper — and less capable — devices called feature phones that can’t run Facebook’s full mobile application.

Continue reading at AdAge.com