Mobile Apps for Africa: Strategies to Make Sense of Free and Paid Apps

This report analyses the "apps" (mobile phone applications) landscape in Africa. It sets out to provide an analytical framework allowing African mobile operators or other stakeholders to decide on what strategy to adopt regarding mobile apps. The report is divided into three parts:

"Part 1: The users, the device and the usage;
A) The users: where are they in Africa?
B) The device: When will smartphones be as common as the Nokia 3210 once was in Africa?
C) The usage
1)  What do African mobile users do with their mobile phone?
2) Mobile Internet usage is mainly “infotainment” too
3) Social networks: the Facebook fever is spreading to Africa

Part 2: The developers and the content;
A) The developers
B) What are the initiatives to support African apps developers?
C) What content is developed?
D) How will African developers monetise their mobile applications?

Part 3: Distribution platforms and distribution strategies.
A) Description of the “distribution platforms ecosystem”
B) What’s next for African mobile operators?"