Popular social network Facebook has announced plans to launch its Internet.org application in Kenya later this week.

Speaking at the AfricaCom conference in Cape Town, South Africa - Chris Daniels, vice president of product of Internet.org at Facebook, said that the East African nation will be the third country to launch the internet app.

Daniels did not reveal which mobile operator Facebook would partner with to launch the Internet.org app in Kenya.

Through partnerships with operators like Airtel and Tigo, the social network has already launched its Internet.org app in Zambia and Tanzania respectively.

The Internet.org app is Facebook's initiative to connect the two-thirds of the globe that does not have internet access.

Currently 2.7 billion people are connected to the internet.

According to Daniels, after India, Africa has the largest number of unconnected people with 80% of people on the continent not connected to the internet.

However, the social network hopes its Internet.org app will help make online services more accessible across the globe.

The app provides a simple suite of services to be accessed for free, said Daniels.

"When everyone comes online it is better for all of us," he said.

Daniels noted that connectivity can increase Africa's gross domestic product (GDP) by 92% and create some 44 million jobs on the continent.

"As people understand the internet and how they can benefit from it, they will pay for it," he said.

Facebook has 100 million users in Africa, the social network has stated.