Facebook to Open a Content Review Centre in Nairobi

Social media giant Facebook has announced that it will open its first Content Review Centre in the Sub Saharan region in Nairobi, this week.

“As part of our continued investment across Sub-Saharan Africa and commitment to safety and security on our platform, we are opening a new content review centre in Nairobi, Kenya.” read an official statement by Facebook. “In partnership with Samasource – one of the largest digital employers in East Africa and a leading social enterprise — the site in Nairobi will be Facebook’s first content review centre in Sub-Saharan Africa.” it continued.

The said centre will employ approximately 100 reviewers by the end of the year, who will support a number of languages, including Somali, Oromo, Swahili and Hausa. 

Fazdai Madzingira, Public Policy Associate for content said: “Over the years, we have made significant investments globally, and locally in ensuring that people see the content they want to see, and are aware of what is and isn’t allowed on the platform. That’s why we have a set of Community Standards, and last year published the more detailed internal guidelines around these rules. We want Facebook to be a place where people can express themselves and freely discuss different points of view, whilst ensuring that it remains safe for everyone.”

Commenting on the forthcoming opening of the centre, Ebele Okobi, Facebook’s Public Policy Director, Africa added: “This further highlights our commitment to serving the community of people using our platforms across Africa, as well as our commitment to continuing to invest and partner locally across the continent. I am delighted that through our partnership with Samasource we will be opening our first content review centre here in Africa.”

Carolyn Komen, Samasource Program Director said, “At Samasource we believe that giving work is the most powerful solution to ending global poverty. We use technology and private sector methods to measurably improve access to work and job training. As one of the largest digital employers in East Africa, we’re excited to partner with Facebook in Nairobi to help keep people on Facebook safe and continue our mission. Our team will receive extensive training and support, benefit from industry-leading facilities, and have the opportunity to advance their careers in tech through this partnership.”

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Facebook.