Sources reveal that at least 35 employees, including the entire local engineering team at Meta, were let go as part of these global reductions. The company’s engineering needs for the region will now be managed from various global hubs outside Nigeria.

The company is working to optimize real estate usage and transition to a desk-sharing model for employees who predominantly work remotely.

This office downsizing involves renegotiating its lease in the Kings Tower building in Ikoyi, Lagos, where rental rates stand at $800 per square meter annually.

Nick Clegg, Meta’s President of Global Affairs, visited Nigeria in March 2024 to announce new monetization features for creators, set to launch in the third quarter of 2024. Nigeria remains an essential market for Meta, with an estimated 43 million Facebook users, according to Statista.

Tech giants are currently reassessing their operations in Africa. Microsoft recently closed its African Development Centre, eliminating over 100 engineering positions in May 2024. The company has moved its focus to Kenya, where it plans investments in data centers.

Meta’s initial expansion into Nigeria included the 2022 opening of its Lagos office, which housed teams across various functions including Sales, Partnerships, Policy, and Communications. This followed the launch of NG_Hub, a community hub in partnership with CcHub in 2018, and a Small Business Group Operations Centre in 2019.

“I want to share an update on our company leadership as we begin our next chapter to help build the metaverse,” CEO of Meta wrote.

“This will be an exciting period of innovation, but at the same time, the landscape around regulation for our industry is changing quickly. We need a senior leader at the level of myself (for our products) and Sheryl (for our business) who can lead and represent us for all of our policy issues globally.”

Nick Clegg has now been appointed as the President, Global Affairs, Meta.

Speaking of his experience in the company, Zuckerberg said that Nick has managed some of the most complex issues the company faces for three years now. This includes content policy, elections, the establishment of the Oversight Board, and more.

In his new position, Nick will lead the company on all policy matters, including interactions with governments as they consider adopting new policies and regulations, as well as how the company makes the case publicly for its products and work.

Given the expanded scope of this new role, Nick will now report directly to Zuckerberg as well as Sheryl. “As Nick takes on this new leadership role, it will enable me to focus more of my energy on leading the company as we build new products for the future, and it will support Sheryl as she continues to focus on the success of our business,” Zuckerberg explained.

“The work we do at Meta matters to a lot of people around the world. We’re at the center of a lot of debates about technology and society. I can’t think of anyone better placed to represent us and help shape the future of internet policy than Nick. I hope you’ll join me in congratulating him on this new role.”