There are lots of reasons why African developers should start to develop applications for the various existing Apps Store.

Here are 5 that I consider to be the most relevant.

Development of mobile applications requires very little human resources: One developer alone can develop a mobile app in no time.

Lack of African content online: To date, Africa still has very little presence online compared to other regions. It is an opportunity to become a pioneer. There is room for everyone and everything when it comes to online content especially in Africa. Since 2012, there has been a significant increase in the number of African applications in various appstores and even some few Africa-specific appstores, but there is room for more apps to be created. However, when I talk about apps here, I am obviously talking about well-crafted mobile apps not the shifty stuff clogging appstores at the moment.

Mobile penetration in Africa is rising fast. As more and more African are getting used to mobile devices, the need to develop for such a particular platform is even more important now that it was before. Kenya’s mPesa services show a heightened use of mobile phones in Africa that was later exported to other countries in the subregion and even India.

Easy to put on the market. Just upload it to the appropriate “store”.

You do not need a sales team to start. Many platforms (for example Google’s PlayStore and Apple’s AppStore) allow you to promote your app with integrated tools. And other niche blogs list applications outrightly, linking back to the various stores.

Finally because it does not cost much to develop an application that can solve a recurring problem identified in Africa. Unless you want to stay user.

And you, do you think there are other reasons? Which ones?