Obama engages African youth on popular mobile social networking site prior to Ghana visit

In an effort to better understand the mindset of the African youth, US President Barack Obama has asked young people across the continent to engage with him on MXit, the vastly popular mobile social network and instant messenger that boasts more than 14 million users.  MXit users are asked to send a question or comment to Obama within the next twenty-four hours.  Obama will send a message back to the MXit user base after the campaign closes at 4pm tomorrow (local time), 8 July, 2009. 

 The campaign coincides with his first official visit to the African continent.  The US President and First Lady will be in Accra, Ghana on 10 and 11 July. 

 "We are very proud to have been asked to be part of a campaign to better understand and engage with African youth," says Herman Heunis, MXit's founder and CEO.  "We are simply delighted that such an important and influential president understands and acknowledges the power of social networking."

  MXit has over 14 million users in 254 countries and delivers over 35 000 messages per second, making it one of the largest and most popular global mobile social networks.  It is especially popular in Africa, where it offers users a means to engage with family and friends through chat rooms that offer communication at a fraction of the cost of mobile SMS or voice calls.  

 To send a message to President Obama on MXit, go to www.mxit.com/wap from your mobile phone to download the social network and IM and follow the prompts to leave a comment or question.  The campaign will close at 4pm on Wednesday, 8 July 2009.


About MXit

MXit is a global mobile instant messaging and social network that allows users to chat to one another on their mobile phones or pc anywhere in the world.  It also allows users to send text messages to and from mobile phones and PCs using GPRS or 3G instead of using standard SMS technology, which is expensive. 

MXit delights its users by continuously unveiling social networking, entertainment, communication and lifestyle features that benefit and enrich their lives.  This commitment towards innovation is the cornerstone of its success. 

MXit is a new generation company that boasts almost 14 million global users.  It attracts more than 18 000 users per day.  It is in constant evolution to match the needs of its users and is set on becoming one of the biggest instant messaging mobile networks in the world and the preferred mobile social network for communicating with young people in Africa, South East Asia, South America and the rest of the world.

MXit first introduced mobile instant messaging to South Africa in 2003.  It started as a mobile game developer and evolved into a mobile instant messaging company, allowing its users to send messages at a fraction of the cost of traditional SMS.

To download MXit:  Open your mobile browser, type in www.mxit.com/wap  and simply follow the prompts.