...Nigerians can
download apps at zero data cost
Ben Uzor
Mobile Telecommunications Network (MTN), the country's
largest mobile operator by subscriber base, is building a robust distribution
platform to enable the vast majority of Nigerians access locally-relevant
mobile software applications at zero data cost. Benuzorreports.com had
exclusively reported that local app developers were struggling to generate
revenue due to the massive difficulties experienced by prospective users in
discovering their innovative solutions in the deluge of global content
available in the most popular distribution platforms like App store, Blackberry
World, Google Play, and Windows store. In view of this, MTN says it is opening
up its network, with over 60 million mobile subscribers to the local software
applications development community, as part of its one-week apps awareness
campaign strategically designed to support free software application downloads.
Speaking at the MTN APPtitude Conference held in Lagos,
weekend, Adebayo Adekanmbi, chief marketing officer, MTN, said the rationale
behind the initiative is to get more apps in the hands of Nigerians. "We
have organised all Nigerian-centric apps in a portal and through our special
gateway Nigerians can access digital content at no cost. We are making it open
for all developers in the country to join MTN by bringing the APK for their
apps so that we can put it in the hands of Nigerians", said Adekanmbi.
Market observers say that Nigerians have indeed succeeded in building
problem-solving and life-enhancing mobile apps. Some of the prevailing concerns
being addressed by these apps include: traffic, healthcare, education,
transportation, e-commerce, tourism and hospitality related issues, among many
others.
According to them, the huge strides being recorded in
mobile applications development is going unnoticed because Nigerians are unable
to quickly find relevant apps, without the distractions of applications that
are only useful to people in North America and Europe. "Every Nigerian can
now download any app relevant to them free of charge for the next month.",
Adekanmbi added. The MTN CMO said that the company would also assist Small
Medium Enterprises (SMEs) convert their websites into apps. According to him,
there is an urgent need to simplify access in order to grow uptake and consumption
of digital services. "99 percent of
Nigerian- centric websites have long URLs (Uniform Resource Identifier), which
are difficult to remember, hence, customers hardly visit these pages more than
once", he further explained.
Through the new initiative, Adekanmbi said the company is
playing a critical in democratising the internet as it looks to allow the
generality of the Nigerian populace access relevant digital content. Femi
Longe, co-founder, Co-Creation Hub (CC-HUB), a social innovation centre dedicated
to accelerating the application of social capital and technology for economic
prosperity, has challenged local developers to build apps that fits in
seamlessly with the daily lives of Nigerians. Speaking with BusinessDay, Longe
said, "When i look at how i consume apps, I consume things that are
necessary to get my everyday work done. One the apps I use a lot is the GTBank
app. I dont need a platform to get the app because it is relevant to my daily
life." According to him, developers need to start thinking local instead
of duplicating foreign apps. "They need to build apps that are relevant
within the context of Nigeria", he added.
Today, there are multiplicities of apps that have been
developed for the convenience of Nigerians. Apps like BudgIT, Traclist, Efiko,
Jobs In Nigeria, Genii Games, Nigeria News, Easy Taxi, Ready Cash, Mobile
Money, Nigerian Movies and Nigerian Constitution are gaining significant
traction in terms of usage and adoption in Nigeria, Africa's largest economy by
GDP. Moreover, the mobile software applications industry will be worth US$25
billion this year, according to MarketsandMarkets, a global market research
company. While the annual compound growth rate was 29.9 percent between 2009
and 2014, this figure is however expected to rise as emerging markets like
Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, create access for millions of people to be connected to
the internet and join the race to launch relevant, locally developed apps.
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