The mobile sector in Nigeria has been one of the country’s most vibrant, but for a long time, Nigerian apps were not raking in appreciable numbers. Foreign apps like Facebook, Blackberry Messenger, 2Go and others, were the ones with visibility.
Eventually, Nigerian bank apps took off too, registering hundreds of thousands and millions of downloads and installs. The other sectors were largely left behind.
But this is 2018, and a lot has changed. Banks are not the only Nigerian apps hitting the big numbers any more. The question is, which apps have hit the big stage, and what sectors do they belong to?
The Top Nigerian Apps By Sector
In curating this list, I looked for the apps with the highest install figures in each sector in Google Play Store. iPhone install numbers in Nigeria are negligible, so they are not included. The idea is not to list all the available Nigerian apps but to see how those on the cutting edge are pushing the boundaries. That way, we get an idea of what the ceiling is in each sector for now. Nigerian bank apps have been excluded
Nigerian Bank Apps
GTBank: 1,000,000+
Zenith Bank mobile: 1,000,000+
Access Bank: 1,000,000+
UBA Mobile Banking: 1,000,000+
Diamond Mobile: 1,000,000+
First Mobile: 1,000,000+
Nigerian News Apps
BellaNaija: 10,000+
Linda Ikeji Blog: 100,000+
NaijaLoaded: 10,000+
Nigerian Music Apps
Tooxclusive.com: 1,000+
Nigerian Video Streaming Apps
IROKOtv: 1,000,000+
Linda Ikeji TV: 10,000+
The Afrinolly app has disappeared from the app store for quite a while now. I understand that Afrinolly pivoted and now run a creative hub in Lagos.
Nigerian Savings Apps
CowryWise: 10,000+
PiggyBank: 10,000+
Nigerian Loans Apps
PayLater: 1,000,000+
Nigerian Payments Apps
PocketMoni: 50,000+
Zoto**: 500,000+
Paga: 5,000+
Nigerian Ecommerce Apps
PayPorte: 10,000+
Konga Online Marketplace: 1,000,000+
Yudala: 10,000+
Nigerian Cinema Apps
MyFilmhouse: 1,000+
Genesis Deluxe Cinemas: 10,000+
Nigerian Investment Apps
MeriTrade: 1,000+
i-Invest: 10,000+
Nigerian Dating Apps
Flirt Naija: 10,000+
Nigerian Game Apps
Ayo: 500,000+
Nigerian Logistics Apps
Max NG: 10,000+
GoKada: 10,000+
Nigerian Tech Blog Apps
Geek.ng: 100+
Nigerian Radio Apps
Inspiration FM: 10,000+
Faaji FM: 10,000+
Fresh FM: 10,000+
Nigerian TV Apps
Channels 24: 100,000+
TVC News: 100,000+
Nigerian Book Apps
OkadaBooks: 1,000+
Conclusions
We see that apart from banking, e-commerce, video streaming and loans are where the big numbers are. iROKOtv, Konga and PayLater have crossed the million download mark. Gaming is where the next big number is, with Ayo app recording over 500,000 installs.
**Zoto has also crossed the million install mark, but the app stopped working same months ago. Word on the street is that it has kicked the bucket.
A million app installs by any app from the Play Store is a far cry from the billions and hundreds of millions that top global apps like Facebook and Twitter have, but it is a significant mark for Nigerian apps. This is a country with 38 million smartphones in the hands of 25 million users after all.
At the bottom of the pile are Nigerian tech blogs apps, which still struggle to ramp up significant numbers. Is it time for us all to pivot? 😀
Is there a Nigerian mobile app doing so well in its category that you feel should be on these lists? Are there other sectors that I left out? Kindly assist with that bit of information and I will; update this page with it.