How young entrepreneurs apply apps in revolutionising businesses

Economists talk of localisation of industries and its attendant benefits to entrepreneurs. Localisation refers to co-location of businesses that complement one another because of the advantages that come with such co-habitation.

Today, the world has gone digital, so the business world is now conversant with words such as technology, virtual ecosystem and online. It is in vogue for businesses to have online presence to be seen as ready for tomorrow. This new craze in business has further reinforced the import of handheld devices, including cellphone handsets.

Technology (apps) and cohabitation are two prominent commonalities of a class of young Nigerian entrepreneurs including Caban, a property e-market place; JobsInNigeria, an e-job search/recruitment centre; Nearest Locator, an e-map for locating places; iPoliceMobile, an app with specialty on security tips; and Graid Feed Speculator, an app for farmers.

A closer look at these businesses show that their founders started thinking for solutions to personal problems and evolved ideas that the ‘Nokia Growth Academy’, with the objective of accelerating growth of Nigerian mobile software companies, nurtured to become thriving businesses.

Yet another commonality is that these businesses co-habit the Nokia Online Store for Nigerians to download on-the-go on Nokia mobile phones. A quick example is the Caban Property Search app that provides a mobile platform for agents and landlords to advertise their properties and for property seekers to gain access to a searchable database of properties and agents to simplify property search process.

To access Caban, estate agents have to sign up to the platform and upon signing up will be asked to provide pertinent information regarding their businesses, basically business registration information and any association membership information as a verification of legitimacy. Agents are given a rating based on their past interaction with property seekers. This rating will give the property seekers a means of competitively selecting the best agent or property to suit their needs.

Caban has brought the much-desired transparency to property market in Nigeria having been developed because of the desire to eliminate fraud in the property market in Nigeria. The developer of the apps volunteers, “I was unfortunate to have been a victim of fraudulent practice during my property search which led to monetary loss. I decided to develop a solution that will aid in the reduction of these kinds of incidents and provide property seekers with a painless solution for property search in Nigeria.”

Like Caban, Nearest Locator was developed because of a sad experience by the developer. Nearest Locator is a location-based mobile application that helps you find places closest to you anywhere you go; places like banks, eatery, hospitals, pharmacies, petrol station, police station, etc. It also helps people locate places where goods and services can be purchased at a cheaper or discounted price.

However, iPoliceMobile was developed in response to security challenges confronting Nigerians in recent times. As a security and safety solution, the application aims at providing Nigerians and tourists with tools/information to live safely and be security conscious. The mobile application provides users with benefits and functionalities ranging from security tips and education from many security experts from within and outside Nigeria, thereby improving the overall security awareness and consciousness of Nigerians. Using location capability of most phones, the app helps to locate the nearest police stations with contact details and phone numbers of the DPO. Users can also search for any police station given any location.

This unique app also aids access to emergency numbers. It provides users with a quick dial access to national and most state emergency numbers. Also, iPoliceMobile gives users insightful information on efforts by the security agencies to make the community safer, so that users can appreciate the work being done by our security agencies, thus creating a more cordial relationship between the people and the security agencies, which will help them to report or provide more useful information to the security forces that will help them better carry out their duties.

Efforts by young Nigerians at developing apps for modern day businesses can be said to have traversed security, education, location and agriculture. Graid is an app that can aid farmers in managing their livestock and feed to enhance productivity. Developer of Graid Feed Speculator, Oluwatobi Adekanye, loves to describe herself as heiress to G Tadek Service Concepts because the app was developed in response to the challenges confronting her father in his poultry business.

Nokia’s corporate social investment in ICT ideas through the growth academy has given birth to several enterprises that could otherwise not have been, as most of the ideas stemmed from what could be described as the frustration of the now burgeoning entrepreneurs. Olumide Balogun, partner manager, Developer Experience, Nokia West & Central Africa, points out the Academy is the first of its kind on the African continent and is with the objective of “accelerating growth of mobile software companies in Nigeria. It is dedicated to providing intensive continuous hands-on support to help early stage mobile technology start-ups grow into high growth businesses and build world-class mobile applications for the Nokia platform regionally and globally”.

Through this social investment, Nokia seeks start-ups with brilliant ideas to address market needs in finance, education, healthcare, agriculture, small business development, environment, inclusive technology, entertainment. To qualify, though, applicants would need to have developed a working prototype in Java ME (J2ME), have at least two core members, including a lead developer, and show willingness to commit three full months to developing their idea at the Academy.

With the dividends of the investment manifesting in different sectors of the economy, Balogun says Nokia is “pleased to be associated with an initiative such as this because it creates opportunities for young Nigerian companies as part of Nokia’s goals is to make a positive impact on its ecosystem”.

Now spurred by the success of the initiative, Nokia is about holding pitch for these companies on May 29 at the CCHub, Yaba for ideas on angels, venture funds and mobile network operations. 

EDOZIE CHUKWUDUBEM

Send reactions to:

comment@s19080.p615.sites.pressdns.com/en