Leading electronics and mobile phone maker, Samsung Electronics West Africa has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Co-Creation Hub (Cchub) Nigeria’s foremost technology innovation centre. The agreement will allow Samsung to provide expertise, resource, capacity building, and marketing support to local mobile apps developers in addition to availing them the right platforms to create awareness for and monetize their creations.
As part of this partnership, Samsung recently sponsored the June 2012 edition of CcHUB’s ‘Developers Parapo’, where Nigerian web and mobile application developers network to share and gain knowledge required for starting and growing viable businesses.
Head, Product Marketing, Samsung Electronics West Africa, Mr. Jude Omozegie, who officially opened the event with a presentation entitled Samsung Business Content, expressed Samsung’s delight at the opportunity provided by the platform to interface with young developers whose contributions are critically needed to drive local participation in the blossoming mobile application industry.
“Learning, entertainment, social networking, health services, financial services etc are going mobile. As a result, applications have emerged as a fundamental part of this evolution, as more and more consumers want to access relevant content on the go on their mobile devices,” he said.
Omozegie added that Samsung is in tune with this dynamics, and recognises the pivotal role of mobile phones in facilitating innovation-based services, which he said, explains why Samsung is currently the topmost Smartphone manufacturer in the world.
“At Samsung, our core business is apps and technology solutions, but we still rely on different stakeholders to help provide content; hence our interest in building a strong mutually beneficial relationship with Cchub. Samsung recognises the need for partnership because fast-growing portfolios of mobile applications would be fuelled by efficient developer ecosystem”.
Also speaking at the event, the Head, Content and Services, Samsung South Africa, Mr. Thabiet Allie, urged the young developers to strive to combine marketing and business perspectives with their technology or coding background, stressing that this is key to their emerging successful entrepreneurs. “The essence of apps developing business is recognising a niche market and matching it with a solution”, said Allie.
Chief Executive Officer, Co-Creation Hub, Mr. Bosun Tijani in his remarks thanked Samsung for supporting the community, which according to him had availed local technology entrepreneurs of the opportunity to meet face to face with Samsung to explore mutually beneficial opportunities.
“Our relationship with Samsung will enable members acquire new skills and leverage Samsung’s extensive reach in the market to promote their solutions. Opportunities available to members under this partnership will include the possibility of preloading their apps on Samsung devices and retailing them at Samsung apps store, among others” said Tijani.
He implored other corporate organisations to follow in the footsteps of Samsung by partnering with local technology entrepreneurs and developers for the overall benefit of mobile phone users.
Samsung and CcHUB also used the event to announce an Ideation Challenge for developers to develop concepts for localized content in the Nigeria market.


http://www.biztechafrica.com/article/samsung-boosts-nigerian-app-industry/3410/

Samsung is currently the world leader in Smartphone shipments and Android devices are fast spreading in Nigeria as well. I see a window of opportunity for local Web and app developers in Nigeria. I was privileged to attend the Developers Parapo on the invitation of a friend and I was amazed at what these young folks where getting up to. Apps like Gidi Games, Efiko, Nigeria Constitution App, and asa are some of the local apps presented at the forum. They are available for download. Google them. Meet the brains behind the four apps.