San Francisco-based social media giant Twitter has announced plans to build a new team in Ghana. The company is actively recruiting specialists in product, design, engineering, marketing and communications. In line with its current work-from-home policies, the company will be onboarding new staff remotely and plans to open a new office for the team in Ghana in the future.

In a press release, the company stated that it chose Ghana for its first African presence because “Ghana is a supporter of free speech, online freedom, and the Open Internet, of which Twitter is also an advocate”. It was also drawn by the opening of the African Continental Free Trade Area in the capital city Accra, which was officially launched in January 2021.

Twitter also plans to invest in local communities as part of its long-term commitment to Africa. The company has already established partnerships with Amref Health Africa in Kenya, Afrochella in Ghana, the Mentally Aware Nigeria Initiative in Nigeria, and the HackLab Foundation in Ghana.

Ghana’s president, Nana Akufo-Addo, welcomed the news in a series of tweets, posting that: “This is the start of a beautiful partnership between Twitter and Ghana, which is critical for the development of Ghana’s hugely important tech sector.” The president also stated that the country would be the location for Twitter’s African headquarters, although this was not confirmed in the company’s press release.