Facebook, Afrinolly set up programme creators’ training as Mark Zuckerberg emerges world’s third richest man

Aimed at empowering creative communities across Nigeria, Facebook and Afrinolly said they have started new ‘Facebook for Creators’ training programme – designed to equip the next generation of content creators with the skills to thrive in a digital world. Focused on creative entrepreneurs and journalism students, the multi-city creative training also aims to help artists, photographers, designers, filmmakers and other creatives leverage digital tools to gain more visibility around their work, engage with and grow their audiences.

Meanwhile Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is now the third richest man in the world, overtaking Warren Buffett on Bloomberg’s list of the world’s richest people. Zuckerberg passed Buffett Friday as Facebook shares rose 2.4 per cent, Bloomberg reported. Above Zuckerberg were Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, in the No. 1 spot, and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. The daily rankings of the world’s 500 richest people listed in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index showed the top 3 remained the same Saturday. Zuckerberg is now worth $81.6 billion, nearly $400 million more than Buffett, chairman of the Berkshire Hathaway investment group, rankings show.

Zuckerberg’s California-based social network business has more than 2 billion active monthly users. The company’s stock has reached a record high despite ongoing scrutiny over its Cambridge Analytica data breach that leaked personal information of up to 87 million people, MarketWatch reported. Zuckerberg has pledged to give away 99 per cent of his Facebook stock in his lifetime, his Bloomberg profile shows. Further, Zuckerberg has given $3.58 billion in stock sales away this year alone to a charity initiative he set up with his wife, Priscilla Chan, in 2015. Buffett has donated about 290 million of his shares in Berkshire Hathaway to charities — an equivalent of about $50 billion.

Sherry Dzinoreva, Policy Programs Manager, EMEA at Facebook said, “We know that the future of Africa is young, and that the creative community here in Nigeria is amongst the most exciting and very best in the world. Our partnership with Afrinolly and the curation of this bespoke training reinforces our commitment to the continent, and Nigeria. Our goal is to continue to support and invest in young and diverse creative talent, and this is just another step.” Providing a specially adapted ‘Facebook Journalism Project’ training for journalism students, the focus will be on preparing participants for jobs in a digital age. This interactive module will explore and discuss tips and best practices, ways to discover information and distribute work using social media, and how to engage and build audiences around their reporting.

Commenting on the partnership and Facebook Journalism Project, Sarah Brown, News Training and Literacy, Media Partnerships, EMEA at Facebook said: “We regularly visit newsrooms to learn and share, and host journalists from around the world to discuss best practices so the skills learned will become an invaluable resource. This adapted training for the future journalists of Nigeria will provide the valuable skills needed in this digital age.” The Facebook for Creators programme is set to rollout in cities across Nigeria, including Abuja, Lagos, Jos and Kaduna and will be free for participants. Chike Maduegbuna, CEO, Afrinolly added: “We are very excited at the opportunity Facebook is providing media and creative entrepreneurs in Nigeria to increase both engagement and monetization. We are happy that Facebook is partnering with a multimedia content creation hub, like Afrinolly Creative Hub for this initiative.”