Socio-Economic Contributions of Mobile Applications in Africa: Impact of Local Mobile Applications

Mobile applications (mobile apps) are increasingly being adopted and disseminated in Africa, and every socio-economic activity sector uses mobile apps to deliver a variety of services. Several mobile apps innovations startups have helped rejuvenate African innovation in the use of mobile technologies and the development of various types of mobile apps. These locally created mobile apps are actively used to perform various activities. This paper aims to investigate the contributions of Africans' mobile apps to determine their impact on the development of Africa. A survey was conducted in five selected countries in Africa. Of the 2300 questionnaires distributed, a total of 1285 were returned, giving a response rate of 55.87%. The findings indicate that a large proportion of African populations are mobile app users and mobile apps have a significant impact on Africa's socio-economic sectors. This research will be of interest to Africa's knowledge base and mobile app development stakeholders.