Statistics from MTN Ghana revealed that the leading telecom services provider has recorded steady growth of internet data users on its network. The figure moved from 8.1million as at September 2015 to a little above 9 million in February 2016.
The Chief Executive Officer of MTN Ghana, Ebenezer Asante who disclosed this in a speech read on his behalf at the awards of this year’s MTN App challenge winners in Accra, attributed the feat to the company’s annual internet awareness month, MTN apps challenge, and other initiatives.
The MTN Apps Challenge, which was launched in 2013, has so far discovered some very innovative local apps. Notable amongst them is Setriakor Nyomi’s Oware 3D App and Nana Ekow Taylor and friends’ “Buzztrick App, which emerged winners of version 1.0 and 2.0 of the competition respectively. The Oware 3D app has so far received over 50,000 downloads.
As the leading mobile telecommunications company in Ghana, MTN deems it a responsibility to ensure that Ghana plays a significant role in the Apps development industry, he stressed.
The telecom company launched the third edition of the app challenge dubbed MTN Applications Challenge Version 3.0 in September, 2015 and received a total of 40 Apps from individual and group developers.
Although, the MTN Apps Challenge Version 3.0 was geared towards the search for mobile applications focused on Business, Sports, Lifestyle, Games and Entertainment, some of the apps received covered various subject matter including education, sports and social media apps.
Mr Asante explained the company included Business as a new area for developers to explore because they realised that there is a need for people to develop applications that supports individual businesses and SMEs.
In recent times, most SMEs get to interact with their customers using mobile apps. These mobile apps have also become an additional channel of advertising, he added.
The third edition of the apps challenge was, thus, to provide an opportunity for Ghanaians to develop their own applications.
All the apps received were scrutinised by distinguished experts who were drawn from the telecoms industry and the academia.
The entries were then assessed based on innovation, functionality and commercial viability. The apps were then shortlisted to about 20 and final winners selected from the list.
At the end of the day, Kwaku Agyei Marfo Tabiri, Samuel Kwabena Boadu, and Jeffrey Appiah’s app ‘Wheelo’ emerged as the overall best app. The group also came up as the gold winners for that same Game & Entertainment category.
They took GH₵20,000 each for being the golden winners, and the overall best app winners. This brought group’s take home GH₵40,000 and a plaque.
Following in that Game & Entertainment category, David Eglein-Komlah, and Victor Eglein-Komlah, came second (silver) in that category with their app ‘Dwarfnapped’. They received GH₵15,000 as their prize. While David Addoteye, Winfred Antwi, and Florence Asamoah picked the third (bronze) prize with their app ‘Speakers Digest’ and took home GH₵10,000 as their prize.
In the Lifestyle category, Christian Tamakloe came top (gold) with his app ‘Donatio’ and picked GH₵20,000 as his prize, while David Addoteye, Winfred Antwi, and Seth Allotey came second (silver) with their app ‘Chichi’ and took GH₵15,000 as their prize.
In that same category, Bill Inkoom, Micheal Soli, and Maxwell Cofie’s app called ‘Lungulungu’ picked the third prize of GH₵10,000.
For the Business category, ‘Gh Payroll’ developed by Gyamfi Martins beat two other contenders to pick the first prize of GH₵20,000. Delu Akin Yusuf’s app ‘GIDCA’ came second and picked GH₵15,000 as a prize while Victor Komlah, David Komlah, and Ato Turkson’s app ‘Add up’ picked the third place and they received GH₵10,00 as their prize.
Kwesikwaa Hayford who developed ‘Campus Run’ emerged as the Most Promising Developer, while ‘Asantikingdom’ develop by Richard Duodu was adjudged the Most Challenging App.
A member of the overall best app winning group, Samuel Kwabena Boadu who spoke to African Eye Report said the group, even as it has won the challenge, will continue to develop apps to solve the needs of the people in the country.
He thanked MTN Ghana on behalf of the app winners for discovering more talents through the apps challenge competitions.
GB&F
