OpenApps is a market intelligence system that aggregates Internet users behavior from multiple high traffic sources to support the development of intuitive digital services in Nigeria. More than 70 Nigerian websites are collecting non-personal data from every recent visitor. The information is being used to turn the Nigerian technology ecosystem into a knowledge driven community.
After 6.5 million visits, the OpenApps program has a healthy amount of data to make well-informed conclusions. Namely, that there is no typical Nigerian web user. PCs are more common than mobile devices, but the difference is still not a landslide (although it is statistically significant). Windows may be the most common operating system, but browsers are even less clear-cut. Nokia, Firefox, and Opera all have between 17% and 20% share.
Devices: 54% mobile, 41% PC, 5.5% tablet
Tablets are still scarce. {OpenApps Nigeria}
OS: 35% Windows, 18% BlackBerry, 6% Apple, 5% Android, 4% Symbian, 1% Linux, 32% Other/Unknown
BlackBerry is hanging onto 2nd place. Apple leads Android. {OpenApps Nigeria}
Browser: 20% Nokia, 18% Firefox, 17% Opera, 14% BlackBerry, 12% Chrome, 6% IE, 5% Safari, 3% Android, 5% Other
Very split, but at least IE is not popular… {OpenApps Nigeria}
The OpenApps initiative is ongoing and is supported by the Co-Creation Hub.
Note: Nearly 35 million mobile subscribers in Nigeria use internet data plans.
Over the past week, we’ve found 91 stories of how ICT is changing Africa. Notable events come from Rwanda (4G service is in the works), and Tunisia (who hosted an online freedom conference), but interesting insights also come to us from The Gambia (Guardian article on the digital divide, Mauritania (Q&A with an activist blogger), and Sierra Leone (mobile computer lab).
Dalberg Global Development Advisors, with support from Google, surveyed more than 1,300 businesses in Senegal, Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria as part of the April 2013 “Impact of the Internet in Africa” report. Interviews with a variety of experts gave further meaning to the data. The hope is that the information contained in this report can give policymakers the tools to build thriving internet ecosystems. The growth trajectory of ICT in Sub-Saharan Africa is on the right path, but countries still need to invest in core infrastructure and good usage conditions.
Four nations represent SSA in this particular report. {Dalberg}
From the Executive Summary we can find the key points of the Dalberg report:
Recommendations focus on cooperation among all parts of society, with the government as the primary driver:
Two key visuals:
The array of ICT solutions is impressive across all sectors:
Selected examples of Internet-enabled solutions driving impact on socioeconomic development. Click to enlarge. {Dalberg}
Conditions for use can only go so high without also strengthening core infrastructure. For example, no African country has a strong ICT core with low conditions for usage.
Mapping of countries based on conditions for use and core infrastructure. {Dalberg}
Read the full 102-page report to find detailed profiles of agriculture, health, education, SMEs, finance, energy, and governance.
Source: “Impact of the Internet in Africa: Establishing conditions for success and catalysing inclusive growth in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal,” Dalberg, April 2013, http://www.impactoftheinternet.com.
A new annual report highlights how undersea fibre optic communication cables (including those reaching African shoes) are important to the global economy.
The eLearning Africa Report 2013 – a survey of the experience and opinions of more than 400 professionals and practitioners from 42 African countries – covers successes and failures in how technology is being used to support African learning.
Smile Communications, with the support of Alcatel-Lucent, launched Tanzanian 4G LTE service in May 2013. Weeks later, Smile launched the same service in Kampala, Uganda.
Like last month, the majority of YouTube videos highlighting ICT progress come from East Africa and Ghana, but this month also includes Namibia and Tunisia.
As of 2013, there is little evidence supporting the notion that computer science courses, let alone computer training is common in Nigerian schools.
Two stories from the past couple of days paint very different pictures about the intentions of MTN Swaziland. One is of a company dedicated to improving primary education. The other is of a company involving itself in a nation’s controversial politics.
oAfrica is a showcase of the dynamic African digital landscape. We addresse a variety of aspects of African Internet connectivity with an understanding that every nation has different tools and ideologies to utilize. Although every African citizen may not have the chance to access the Internet for years to come, African digital opportunities are rapidly expanding. We do our best to objectively share those stories.
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