LAGbook: Africa's Biggest Social Network

Founded in 2010 by twin brothers Chika and Chidi Nwaogu, LAGbook is Africa's largest and fastest-growing social network based in Lagos, Nigeria. Originally created as an exclusive online network for the students of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), LAGbook later opened up to the rest of Nigeria, then Africa, and eventually the world. Following its expansion, the platform stylized its name as LAGbook to mean “Ladies And Gentlemen book.” From 3,000 registered UNILAG students during its second month, LAGbook now boasts over 330,000 members worldwide. According to the Nwaogu brothers, LAGbook is the second most popular social network in its hometown of Yaba, Lagos, right after Facebook. It also has users in Australia, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan, the Philippines, Romania, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

So what makes LAGbook different from other social networks, especially Facebook? “We're focused on expanding the social experience of our users, and not limiting them to connecting and sharing with the people in their life or the people they already know,” says Chidi. On LAGbook, sending friend requests and private messages to members you don't personally know isn't frowned upon. Rather, LAGbook encourages users to reach out to one another to find new friends or potential business partners. “We're the social network for meeting new people. A social discovery network,” Chidi adds.

LAGbook expects to have 700,000 members by the end of the year, over 1 million by March 2013, and more than 10 million in five years' time. The company makes money through online advertising and has generated over 5 million naira in revenue so far. LAGbook recently concluded an eight-week advertising campaign with Blackberry Nigeria and is currently partnered with Dropbox, which is looking to expand its reach in Africa.