Kenyan apps on Ovi store have grown from two in April 2010 to thirty in October 2010

Nairobi 8th October 2010: Kenyan developers have taken their place in Nokia’s OVI store by creating a broad range of mobile apps with some already in high demand and generating revenue. Kenyan mobile apps in the OVI store have grown from just two in April 2010 to over thirty in October 2010.

“There has been a sharp rise in downloads from Ovi Store across Africa and Kenyan developers have greatly contributed to this trend thanks to growing number of  local developers creating locally relevant mobile applications” said Dorothy Ooko, Communications Manager, Nokia East & Southern Africa.

Kenyan mobile app developers are targeting different industries of the economy including entertainment, hospitality, banking, telecommunication amongst others. Most notable ones are Collepoa, Afro Hot or Not, Kenya Buzz Whats On, Eat Out Kenya, Sleepless Kenya, Movie Listings, Kenyan Jobs, African Sunrise, WannaBe Geek, Afrinnovator and Motogari. All the apps can be downloaded on store.ovi.com.

Nokia handset users downloaded around one million applications in East and Southern Africa which is a great leap for the region. Notably, Kenya accounted for 60% of these downloads since 1st July 2010 indicating steady growth in the number people downloading content from the OVI Store.

“The future is very bright and this is a huge opportunity for corporates to engage with consumers more by utilizing this free platform,” said Kenneth Oyolla, GM for East and Southern Africa, Nokia. He further added, that “We will support the efforts of developers in Kenya and across Africa through networking and training to increase participation and innovativeness.”