Opportunities for South African App developers

The mobile application space is set to boom across Africa, as several companies are committed to growing the developer community in Africa through targeted investments in mobile app development.

One of these, Blackberry recently announced that they are investigating opportunities to support local mobile software application (app) developers in Africa, in a bid to attract more customers and increase black market share. The company has already opened app developer laboratories in Cape Town and Pretoria in the past year and this has resulted in the development of more than 50 local apps.

Another company that also stepped up to the plate is Intel which has entered into an agreement with business incubator iHub to target investments in mobile app development, provide training, and access to online developer resources. They have developed a model that has been used to start more than 30 other tech hubs across Africa and enjoys a leadership role in the continent due to its size and relationship with the other hubs.

In addition more and more private equity funds locally and internationally are setting specific funds to invest in mobile technology start-ups based in sub-Sahara Africa. One such example is Savannah Fund with investment from I/O Ventures from Silicon Valley. They have also developed accelerating and mentoring programs like 88mph that are already seeing the light in Nairobi and Cape Town.

The challenge currently for developers is not just the transition to new platforms but also the constant upskill, reskill, or acquiring of a new skill fast enough in order to design and deliver on the new solutions. These initiatives by Blackberry and the like are sure to help the developers' community create locally relevant apps, acquire new skills and job opportunities, as well new revenue streams.

If you are a mobile developer, java developer, .Net developer, PHP developer, or any other developer, we can help you with a new opportunity in your career. Communicate Recruitment has a variety of IT jobs that are bound to suit your skills or experience. Contact us today for assistance with your next career move.

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