BBC revamps African web presence

Dmitry Shishkin

BBC World Service has launched a new African edition of the BBC.com website, designed to deliver more relevant news and content to those living on the continent.

The BBC said that the new site means that English-speaking internet users in Africa will see more African news stories, features and video on the BBC.com front page, while the BBC.com/Africa section, dedicated to African news, will also see “significant enhancements.”

“The Africa edition will provide more expert analysis from the BBC reporters to explain the issues behind the headlines and in-depth features on a broad range of topics, to give a balanced portrayal of the vibrant African continent,” said the BBC.

The corporation added that the update will also be accessible to the growing number of people accessing news on the continent via mobile devices.

“We have had consistent and impressive growth of the traffic to BBC.com from Africa over the past two years. This growth is especially significant among audiences using mobile devices to access our content – 40% year on year,” said BBC World Service group digital development editor, Dmitry Shishkin.

“Over half of African browsers coming to bbc.com are using mobile devices. The new Africa edition, available on mobile, tablet and desktop versions, takes advantage of this strong presence and growth, and is editorially tailored for these audiences, making sure we serve them best with our multiplatform content.”

The BBC said it will also continue to give a voice to Africa’s online audience via dedicated space on social media services such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, SoundCloud and YouTube.