The Rise of Mobile App Development and Trends that will Dominate 2021

Technology has leveled the playing field and has changed the way we live and do business, forcing smart African entrepreneurs to reskill, retool and adopt strategies that’d give them accessibility to this window of global opportunities. Mobile App development is one of the tech skills that has helped Africa’s young population become globally relevant.

In 2020, tech businesses became even more indispensable when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. People all over the world depended on Internet-facilitated services to survive, and the situation remained the same even after the lockdowns, signifying this is now the new normal. 

More African tech companies are birthing to provide seamless digital solutions to problems we never thought existed, while existing firms have recorded dramatic growth since the pandemic, with global tech giants racing to hitch investment deals with them. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say Africa’s prosperity is on the horizon.

Given the consequences that followed the pandemic last year, consumer behaviour changed globally, with more people depending on online transactions, communications, entertainment, etc. which necessitated old and new businesses to optimize their online presence and resulting in a dramatic demand for mobile applications. 

https://atomic-temporary-203083154.wpcomstaging.com/2021/04/15/sa-crypto-startup-revix-secures-4m-to-launch-mobile-app-expand-to-eu/

 It’s almost the end of the first quarter of 2021 and things remain the same, because the pandemic is still here. It’s completely justified for video conferencing, virtual delivery systems; remote education and media streaming mobile apps to continue to dominate the mobile landscape. This has also skyrocketed the demand for mobile app developers.

 To put it in context, GSMA Intelligence reports that 477 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa subscribed to mobile services in 2019, accounting for 45% of the population. The mobile market in the region will reach several important milestones over the next five years: half a billion mobile subscribers in 2021, 1 billion mobile connections in 2024, and 50% subscriber penetration by 2025.

Smartphone adoption continues to rise rapidly in the region, reaching 50% of total connections in 2020, as cheaper devices have become available. Smartphone financing models are gaining traction, demonstrated by the recent partnership between Safaricom and Google, allowing low-income consumers to pay for 4G devices in daily installments. Over the next five years, the number of smartphone connections in Sub-Saharan Africa will almost double to reach 678 million by the end of 2025 – an adoption rate of 65%…

EDITOR’S NOTE: Click here to read the full interview. It’s on page 52 of our latest edition, ’20 Trending & Most Profitable Business Ideas in 2021′.