By Nnenna Joseph
Imagine a world without mobile banking apps. You are in a hospital, your mother just had appendicitis rupture and the hospital requires a deposit of N100,000 to commence surgery, an amount which is in your bank account at the time. The doctor says he has to see the cash before he starts the surgery on your mother.
You dashed off to the bank, you are in Nnewi and the only bank closest to you is at Onitsha. You have to spend at least two hours to and from Onitsha, another 3 hours on a queue in the banking hall. On your way back, it is already late at night and armed robbers waylaid you, carting away with all the money you just withdrew.
This is different in today’s society, you simply take out your phone and run a transfer with your mobile app, USSD code, POS, fingerprint, QR recognition code, etc and the operation will commence.
Imagine there were no instant messaging apps like Whatsapp and Facebook messenger. You will have to make a call each time you need to talk to someone. Some old friends would have been long forgotten, communication would have been expensive and tedious
A mobile app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a phone, tablet, or watch. The R&D department of IBM Simon came up with the first mobile app for Smartphones in 1993. Their first operating system, known as EPOC developed by Psion, could run apps such as diaries, databases, spreadsheets, and word processors.
According to Statista, the mobile app business is booming. In 2015, it generated nearly $70 billion in revenue. By 2020, it is expected to grow to a whopping $188 billion. That’s good news for anyone interested in pursuing a career in mobile development–and it’s about to get even better.
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Everyday we use our phones for our convenience, as the day goes by, we will keep needing more apps to suit our evolving needs. For instance, in the late 90s, we had mobile phones with primary functions to make calls, send texts, games, calculators, and little things like that.
It evolved to include cameras to capture memories, then to instant messaging apps like 2go, Badoo. It included Facebook, WhatsApp, and other social sites turned into mobile applications.
However, these are not the only players in the field, as human needs evolved, the need to transfer our everyday lives to our phones became pertinent. This led to the evolution of apps to suit banking needs, exercise and fitness, games, movies, transportation, foods like the Chop now app for ordering food or for a cooking recipe, delivery and logistics services, music eg audio mack etc.
It is interesting to note; according to the experts at Net solutions, the next generation of mobile apps will make better use of artificial intelligence, machine learning, chatbots, and augmented reality. Be sure to join the next evolution.
Everyday people decipher a part of human existence that is untapped, configured it into codes and languages, put it up on a store for sale or for free for people to download and use.
You might wonder, how does this translate to money?
Some apps are paid for before the customer can use them, with this, the developer makes money. Here are some other ways free apps generate income. Advertising, subscription, selling merchandise, in-app purchase, sponsorship, referral marketing, physical purchases, collecting and selling data etc.
Zoom app generates on average $82,500 daily (N31,449,000.00). An app that came into the market when Skype was already a universal app. If you learn and become a developer, you can collaborate with a group of people, configure an essential human need into a mobile app or remodel an already existing app, place the app on play store or apple store on iOS and you make money each time someone uses your application.
How to learn how to develop an app
Learning mobile app development is not easy, however, it is not as bad as herding cats. It is also not expensive to learn. You can learn the basics in six months then go on with your practice and develop your product in 24 to 30 months.
There are academies that teach mobile app and web design, there are also individuals who teach, there are hubs that teach and help you create your product.
Most people would prefer a hub because it allows you to meet and network with other developers, it also has the potential of sponsoring your initiatives if they find it viable.
Where to learn?
There are quite several hubs in Nigeria, a quick google search and you will have a litany of hubs to choose from. However, if you are in south-east Nigeria, you might not have a lot of options. The article here gives you a list of the Top 5 hubs in south-east Nigeria, their locations and innovation.
Among them, the youngest is Nnewi Digital Village located in Nnewi Anambra state. It has pulled to itself one of the most celebrated innovations of 2020- IVM cruise app. It started Nov 2020, a ride-hailing service in Enugu state.
Nnewi Digital village will be open for entries in January 2021. For inquiries call 08138617047.
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