Mark Zuckerberg's visit gives Nigerian startups much-needed boost

By Stephanie Busari

Updated 2325 GMT (0725 HKT) September 1, 2016

In Nairobi, Kenya, Zuckerberg met with entrepreneurs and developers. "It's inspiring to see how engineers here are using mobile money to build businesses and help their community," he said in a Facebook post on September 1.
Photos: Mark Zuckerberg's African tour
In Nairobi, Kenya, Zuckerberg met with entrepreneurs and developers. "It's inspiring to see how engineers here are using mobile money to build businesses and help their community," he said in a Facebook post on September 1.
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Zuckerberg has lunch in Nairobi with Joseph Mucheru, the Kenyan Cabinet Secretary of Information and Communications. "We talked about internet access and his ambitious plans for connecting everyone in Kenya," Zuckerberg posted on his Facebook page alongside the image on September 1.
Photos: Mark Zuckerberg's African tour
Zuckerberg has lunch in Nairobi with Joseph Mucheru, the Kenyan Cabinet Secretary of Information and Communications. "We talked about internet access and his ambitious plans for connecting everyone in Kenya," Zuckerberg posted on his Facebook page alongside the image on September 1.
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Mark Zuckerberg and members of his team at Facebook go on safari at Lake Naivasha in Kenya on September 1.
Photos: Mark Zuckerberg's African tour
Mark Zuckerberg and members of his team at Facebook go on safari at Lake Naivasha in Kenya on September 1.
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Young impalas graze in the Crescent Island Game Park on Lake Naivasha in the Great Rift Valley.
Photos: Mark Zuckerberg's African tour
Young impalas graze in the Crescent Island Game Park on Lake Naivasha in the Great Rift Valley.
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Hippo's swim in Lake Naivasha.
Photos: Mark Zuckerberg's African tour
Hippo's swim in Lake Naivasha.
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A small herd of giraffes on the Kenyan plain on the Crescent Island Game Park.
Photos: Mark Zuckerberg's African tour
A small herd of giraffes on the Kenyan plain on the Crescent Island Game Park.
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Zuckerberg and friends watch a giraffe from the safety of safari truck.
Photos: Mark Zuckerberg's African tour
Zuckerberg and friends watch a giraffe from the safety of safari truck.
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A vervet in the Crescent Island Game Park.
Photos: Mark Zuckerberg's African tour
A vervet in the Crescent Island Game Park.
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The Kenyan landscape.
Photos: Mark Zuckerberg's African tour
The Kenyan landscape.
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Zuckerberg meets Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in Abuja, Nigeria, on September 2.
Photos: Mark Zuckerberg's African tour
Zuckerberg meets Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in Abuja, Nigeria, on September 2.
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Story highlights

  • Zuckerberg causes a stir with surprise visit to Nigeria on Tuesday
  • Entrepreneurs say it will give country's startup industry a boost

Lagos, Nigeria (CNN)Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's visit to Nigeria, his first to sub-Saharan Africa, has put the country's tech businesses firmly in the world's spotlight.

Zuckerberg staged a surprise visit to the country's economic capital Lagos on Tuesday and his first stop was a local innovation center and tech hub in Yaba, an area on the mainland of Lagos known as Nigeria's Silicon Valley.
    There was no fanfare amid tight security and some of those working at the Co-Creation Hub, called CcHUB, didn't even know Zuckberg was coming.
      He appeared nervous, a little startled even, as he launched into an impromptu speech about why he was there.
      Watch video of Zuckerberg's visit