Revolutionary Apps Made for Africans by Africans

Innovation should be constantly prioritized in an economy to achieve rapid economic growth. A trend that we’re witnessing all around the world is a rise in technology companies that are creating a large amount of jobs in their respective industries.

With application marketplaces such as Google Play continuously growing, application developers have to constantly be innovating in order to stand out from the crowd.

Despite all the world wide recognition going to famous developers such as Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, not much recognition is given to the innovative application developers, building great technology companies within Africa.

Below we’ll take a look at five technology companies, built by Africans, that revolutionized their respective industries.

Sayu Abend: PointePay

The first application we’ll take a look at is Nigerian made PointePay. PointePay is the subsidiary of SpacePointe. SpacePointe is a company founded by Sayu Abend, that focuses on developing applications for small to medium sized businesses.

The mobile application offers multiple payment options such as cash, ewallet, and debit or credit card. These features make it easier for retailers to manage their products and inventory. In addition to these services, the application also offers wireless top ups and wallet loads.

Tayo Oviosu: PAGA

The second application that we’ll look at is Paga. This application, created by Nigerian entrepreneur Tayo Oviosu, is Nigeria’s leading mobile money service. The application was the first of its kind to acquire a full mobile money license from the central bank of Nigeria, and has since become the fastest growing mobile payment service in Africa.

Paga has been revolutionary in assisting over a million Nigerians with financial services, with the bulk of them being from impoverished areas.

Steve Mutinda: MedAfrica

The first application that we’ll cover in the health sector is that of MedAfrica. Med Africa is an application made by a Kenyan developer that assists users with diagnosing their symptoms as well as providing a directory of hospitals and doctors that are available in the designated areas.

This accessibility of information is pivotal in a country like Kenya where it’s said that on average, 14 physicians treat around 100 000 people. The aim of this application is to revolutionize the way that people within developing continents access health information.

Priscilla Hazel, Esther Olatunde, Cassandra Sarfo: Tress

With the emergence and growth of hair and beauty products, it was inevitable that the industry would become digital. An all female team consisting of Priscilla Hazel, Esther Olatunde and Cassandra Sarfo, saw that opportunity and took it in their grasp by creating Tress.

Tress is described as a social community application that specializes in hair and beauty. The app is for black women all over the world to find inspiration and information about hair.

On the application, one can find information about different hair styles, the name of different hair products as well as salons where one can find the information.

To further highlight their success, Tress was accepted in the prestigious startup accelerator program, Y-combinator in June 2016.

Mohamed Khodeir and Omar Khashaba: Tutorama

The last application we’ll cover comes all the way from Egypt. The application, known as Tutorama, helps connect parents and guardians to qualified and highly regarded tutors in their locality.

The app founded by entrepreneurs, Mohamed Khodeir and Omar Khashaba, allows parents to schedule classes and lessons, while also allowing them to monitor their childs progress from the app.

What all the above applications have in common, is that they each sorted out a need within their various industries. I’m 100% certain there are many more revolutionary companies built by Africans out there. If you know of any others, email us at TechGazi so we can feature your app in our next series of revolutionary apps made by Africans.