Business
How Kenya’s Mobile Apps Are Changing the Face of Africa
App developers at work in Nairobi, Kenya. PHOTO/File
Nairobi, the Kenyan capital – now nicknamed “Silicon Savannah” has spurred a stream of mobile apps that tackle basic problems with simple solutions.
As 3G mobile Internet connections become the norm and phones become smarter, apps emerge that improve healthcare, banking, and livelihood for those who need it most. It is here in Nairobi – east Africa’s tech hub that innovation is occurring in its rawest form: out of necessity.
In a little over a decade, Africa has witnessed the fastest growth in mobile subscribers in the world. Last year, 1.9 billion people were using smartphones, a figure that’s estimated to reach 5.6 billion by 2019.
In Nairobi, the foundation of the mobile ecosystem has been laid mostly by NGO funding. In 2010, Omidyar Network and Hivos were among the first organisations to take this leap of faith, launching iHub as the city’s first local nexus of all things tech. Today, the community hosts 14,805 members, 152 companies and employs 1128 people.
Read more: Huffington Post