Mobile tweeting driving Africa's Twitter growth

By Bizclik Editor

Young people tweeting from mobile devices are driving the growth of Twitter in Africa, according to new research released today.

How Africa Tweets was compiled by Portland Communications and Tweetminster after analysing 11.5 million geo-located tweets originating on the continent during the last three months of 2011.

It is the first ever attempt to map the use of the micro-blogging site on the continent and included survey responses from 500 of Africa’s most active tweeters.

South Africa is the most active country by volume of geo-located tweets, with over twice as many tweets (5,030,226) in the period as the next most active Kenya (2,476,800). Nigeria (1,646,212), Egypt (1,214,062) and Morocco (745,620) make up the remainder of the top five most active countries (see graphic below).


How Africa Tweets

 

READ MORE FROM THE WDM CONTENT NETWORK:

Africa's biggest brands: MTN's recipe for success

The most prestigious cards on the planet

iOS vs Android vs BlackBerry OS

Read the latest edition of African Business Review here

 

More than half of tweets from Africa (57 percent) are sent from mobile devices and 60 percent of Africa’s most active tweeters are aged between 20 and 29.

Communicating with friends was the main reason given by 81 percent of respondents for using the site, but it is also an important news source, with 68 percent saying they used Twitter to monitor news and 22 percent to search for employment opportunities.

Mark Flanagan, Portland’s Partner for Digital Communications, said: “One of the more surprising findings of this research is that more public figures have not joined Africa’s burgeoning Twittersphere.

“With some notable exceptions, we found that business and political leaders were largely absent from the debates playing out on Twitter across the continent. As Twitter lifts off in Africa, governments, businesses and development agencies can really no longer afford to stay out of a new space where dialogue will increasingly be taking place.”

African Business Review is now available on the iPad. Click here to download it.

Share

Featured Articles

Abu Dhabi Airports prepares for Terminal A opening

A decade in the making, Abu Dhabi International Airport welcomes 6,000 volunteers to test operational readiness of stunning new Terminal A building

Business Chief expands portfolio with new look and coverage

Business Chief Middle East & Africa launches with fresh new look and extended coverage of the region, with exclusive executive interviews and insights

How Octopus Energy grew to become an industry giant

Octopus Energy continues to grow after a deal was agreed to acquire Shell Energy in the UK and Germany, taking its customer base to almost seven million

Perkbox CEO: How to support employees through tough times

Human Capital

How Middle East is embracing the future of digital finance

Corporate Finance

UAE Lulu Group shifts business for global growth and IPO

Corporate Finance