In
a world that has gone Virtual, Africa and Africans albeit late to the
party are making sure they are not left out. Innovative Africans are
everyday developing applications that can help improve the life of the
increasing tech savvy Africans.
Some of the Apps that caught our fancy are,
1. Find-a-med
– Developed in Nigeria, Emeka Onyekwe’s Find-a-med allows its users
find the closest medical centres to them with complete turn by turn
directions. It also allows them store and track their basic health
information, search based on proximity and filter through specific
healthcare providers; pharmacies, eye care centres, dental clinics and
the like and, write reviews about any centre they have visited, helping
other users identify highly rated health centres in their areas. The app
is available on the IOS and Android plaforms at no cost.
2. M-farm
– Founded in 2010 by a Kenyan Computer scientist, Jamila Abass after
she read up on the ways Kenyan farmers are being cheated by middle men
and buyers because of their ignorance on market prices. M-farm is
available as a mobile app for internet enabled phones and via text,
cutting away the cheating middlemen, and allowing buyers purchase
produce from farmers who are aware of the worth directly. Over time
because the company discovered that many small scale farmers don’t make
enough sales as most buyers purchase in large scale, they developed a
platform that allows farmers drop off the little produce when buyers
show up and are being paid in mfarm credits that can be cashed or
transferred to their bank accounts directly. Mfarm farmers have
testified to have doubled their sales with the help of the application
3. Kidsfirstaid
– An idea that was born in Capetown, South-Africa by Steve Morris and
Paul le Roux. The application provides people and parents with quality
first aid tips anywhere and anytime they need it, from step-by-step
instructions on how to administer first aid, a voice guided walk-through
for CPR, provision of the nearest health care centres with the help of
the GPS and also the South-African emergency numbers that can be called
directly from the app, this is definitely a life saver.
4. Okadabooks
– with over 71,000 users signed up on this platform, Founder Okechukwu
Ofilli’s aim, to improve the writing and reading culture of Nigerians,
has sure been achieved to an extent. The app provides solutions to the
publishing problems faced by African authors as well as piracy, authors
can now publish their books on the application and sell for a set price,
guaranteeing them returns on each purchase. It also provides readers
with Over 10,000 African books and classics.
5. Afrinolly
– the innovation behind Afrinolly that earned it the $25,000 cash prize
for the Entertainment category of the 2011 Google Android Developers
Challenge – Sub-Saharan Africa has also earned it over 4 million
downloads in 2015. Founded in Nigeria by Fans Connect Online, a digital
marketing agency headed by Chike Maduegbuna, it enables users watch
African movie trailers, music videos, online comedy, celebrity gist and
gossip, the latest entertainment news and other content. Afrinolly is
available on virtually all internet connected platforms.
6. M-Pedigree
– Moving from Ghana to over 12 countries including India and
Bangladesh, Bright Simons’ M-pedigree was founded with the sole purpose
of fighting counterfeit drugs in the market. Manufacturers can now label
their products using m-pedigree software’s, which can be verified by
final consumers when they purchase by texting the random code that
appears under a scratch to a toll free number.
7. IrokoTv
– Although Headquartered in London, what has been dubbed The Netflix of
Africa allows its users stream paid for Nigeria’s Nollywood movies –
the world’s third largest movie producing industry. An idea that came
when Founder Jason Njoku found it hard getting Nollywood movies for his
mother outside the Country, IrokoTv has so far raised over $25million in
investment.
8. Wumdrop – Founded in 2014 when
founders, Simon Hartley and Roy Mathieu Borole were looking for a
reliable and affordable Courier service for their diaper delivering
company. The South-African Uber of delivery uses freelance drivers, who
take 70% of the delivery charge, to deliver products to buyers in no
time. It’s available on smartphones for both drivers and buyers,
allowing buyers pick up the closest drivers to them for speed.
Source : http://www.untoldafrique.com/2016/02/08/apps-for-africans-by-africans/
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