April Developers Parapo: "BlackBerry Babes"; Hype or De-facto?

It’s time for us to understand the numbers, mingle and have fun again – Yes, it’s April DevParapo.

The GSMA estimates the total number of active mobile lines in Africa at about 620 million with Nigeria accounting for 100 million according to a recent Financial Times article. 1 in 20 of these active SIM cards is further estimated to be in a smartphone. Industry experts reckon that BlackBerry® smartphones account for 20-40 per cent of these 5 million smartphones in Nigeria (between 1 – 2 million handsets).

BlackBerry is currently the top smartphone vendor in Nigeria (GfK January 2012), the fastest growing mobile market on the continent. Research In Motion (RIM), the company behind the BlackBerry® solution, haslargely been successful because BlackBerry has been able to meet demands for connectivity and collaboration. In addition to offering a wide range of smartphones to a diverse range of users, RIM continues to partner with carriers to give Nigerian customers more choice and flexibility with innovative data packages based on their needs.

With a robust ecosystem that harnesses the strength of the devices, partnerships with carriers, retailer networks and application developers to deliver value to the end users, RIM’s place in Nigeria is worth taking a closer look at. To this end, Lelany Sommers (Senior Business Development Manager) and Michael Weitzel (Senior Application Development Manager) from RIM will join the Nigerian tech community at the April edition of DevParapo to discuss the BlackBerry ecosystem, opportunities for Nigerian developers and the partnership with CcHUB to enhance developer relations.

This first of its kind exchange with RIM will provide a channel for local developers and tech entrepreneurs to garner insights on how to leverage the company’s ecosystem for value creation.

As is our custom, there will be plenty to eat and drink while networking with inspirational players in the Nigeria tech scene.