Originally published at: https://www.ogbongeblog.com/mobile-apps-nigerians-cant-do-without.html
There are apps and there are APPS. The APPS are the mobile applications we need like we need air (it’s a serious matter). In some other parlance, they may be described as ‘basic amenities’.
In a time when we have a billion and one apps competing for our attention and giving us upgrades at every turn (rolls eyes and grins), it has become essential to distil them all into the apps that we can’t do without at the moment.
Here’s what we have:
1. Transportation Apps
In numerous cities around the country, we have either taxi or motorcycle-hailing apps that have begun to reduce the stress of daily commute.
Nigeria’s notorious traffic situation has made such apps like Uber, Bolt, Gokada, etc, a necessity. Skipping through early morning ‘go-slows’ or searching for appropriate parking space in congested areas is nightmarish enough!
2. Social Media Apps
If you are between the ages of 10 and 35 (let’s be honest, the age range is much wider) with an internet-enabled phone, the chances that you do not have a social interaction app – whether it’s Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, etc – are very slim.
We need to communicate, and fast. Too many things are happening at break-neck speed to be unable to contact the ones we love or hate, at the snap of a finger.
3. Banking Apps
These are becoming a must-have to survive Nigeria’s unique brand of stress. Thankfully, ATMs can be spotted in almost every major city in the country. With the constant push for a cashless society, there is the need to perform financial transactions even without the hassles of cards.
The gist on what app is headache-inducing and which banks need to be publicly flogged is a story for another day.
4. Mobile Services Self-Care App
The customer is king, especially in the Nigerian telco space. The Nigerian consumer is getting even smarter and more demanding, as expected, and ingenuity in creating avenues that will satisfy the consumer has become critical.
For instance, My MTN app, offers subscribers control over their phone account, allows for the monitoring of usage pattern, managing of data usages, etc. It also has some really hot data deals to boot.
Surviving in this extreme Nigerian environment requires help from every side, app or not. So, what are the apps you can’t do without?
