Nokia Announced as Platinum Sponsor of DEMO Africa

Nokia has confirmed its participation and support once again as the platinum sponsor for this year’s DEMO Africa to be hosted in Nairobi in October.

The newest addition to DEMO's Global Launch Program, DEMO Africa in its second year will provide the most innovative new and established companies from across Africa the opportunity to launch their products on stage at this high profile event.

“Nokia has a long and rich history on the African continent,” says Nick Imudia, Managing Director for Nokia West Africa. “Our core strength comes from our local presence, deep consumer understanding and the ability to ignite and enable the local innovation ecosystem. DEMO Africa is the perfect showcase for this innovation, and we are extremely proud of our association with this flagship event and with our ongoing support for local developers”.

Forty of Africa’s most innovative technology products will be launched at Demo Africa, including six from West Africa. Nigeria boasts four finalists:

·   ChopUP from Bayo Puddicombe is a social platform that connects mobile device gamers across Africa and allows them to interact based on in-game achievements and transferrable points.

·   OTGPlaya from Modupe Ajibola is an affordable platform solution that brings “accessibility” to critically underserved sectors.

·   RAMP is a new innovative web app developed to simplify the management process of Resident Associations in Nigeria or anywhere in the world, created by Tunde Aguda Nigeria

·   Save & Buy by Hugo Obi is a web and mobile platform that enables anyone save towards any item they desire in an easy to use, fun and safe environment.

Ghana and Senegal each have a finalist at this year’s event:

·   BoxBuzz, created by Maximus Ametorgoh, is an SMS alert system which sends text message to owners of Post Office Box addresses whenever they receive a letter in their boxes.

·   Teranga Hospitality Suite is a suite of Web and Mobile Applications for hospitality professionals in Africa, created by Moustapha Ndoye of Senegal.

Nokia and DEMO are also members of Liberalizing Innovation Opportunity Nations (LIONS@FRICA) Partnership with the U.S. Department of State, Microsoft, African Development Bank and USAID. This is a public-private alliance aimed at enhancing Africa's startup and innovation ecosystems.