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Facebook's reach in Africa may have been extended today.  A Swahili version of the social networking site was formally released, and there's word that alternatives in both Hausa and Zulu are liable to appear in the near future, as well. 

Swahili is spoken in at least seven countries, including Kenya, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Uganda.  A BBC report notes that, following Afrikaans, it's the second African language in which a version of Facebook's been released.

As for how this development came about, the BBC states, "A group of Swahili scholars launched the new version with the permission of the California-based internet firm."  And because testing has been underway for some time, "Facebook's Simon Wanda says they have been monitoring the take-up and says more than 60% of Facebook users in East Africa are already using the Swahili version."

Impressive, right?  This leaves Facebook extremely well-positioned to attract new users as more Africans come online.

Then there's the detail about possible Hausa and Zulu versions for West Africa and southern Africa, respectively.  Facebook seems to be on its way to establishing a solid user base on the continent.