Tech in Africa: Homegrown Apps Transforming the Continent

These innovative apps tackle medicine, business and more.

Generation Gap - A new USA Today/Pew Research Center survey released June 18 found that 60 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds support the leaks that exposed the NSA surveillance programs, compared with 36 percent of 65 and older.   (Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images)
iCow (Kenya) - Launched in 2010 by Kenyan organic farmer Su Kahumbu, iCow helps cow herders track the gestation period of their cows, compare market rates and receive veterinary care and feeding schedules. Aside from helping Kenyan farmers increase their productivity and sales, this innovative mobile app has reinforced Kenya’s reign as one of the most tech-savvy nations in Africa. The country’s leading mobile network operator Safaricom partnered with iCow in June 2013 to help more farmers access the application.(Photo: iCow)
Ffene (Uganda) - Winner of the 2012 Apps4Africa competition, Ffene is a low-cost business management platform that helps small and medium businesses run more efficiently, make better decisions and save money on administrative costs. Founder and developer Titus Mawano of Uganda named the app after the Luganda word for “jackfruit,” a familiar and non-technical brand name to appeal to Ugandan businesses.  (Photo: FFene) MPepea (Kenya) - Kenyans Edwin Maina and Dan Munga were inspired to create M-Pepea after encountering a number of people in dire need of emergency money. The first service offered from the co-founders’ 2010 firm Raven Limited, M-Pepea offers real-time emergency credit to registered clients anywhere and anytime in Kenya. The service is geared towards corporate clients, as well as N.G.O.’s with traveling employees. All that is required is a text message listing the user’s desired amount, which the user then receives shortly afterwards.(Photo: Mpepea)

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Innovation in Africa? There's an App for That - Beating out both the United States and Europe, Africa boasts a staggering 650 million mobile phone subscribers, according to the World Bank. Innovative start-ups founded by local entrepreneurs and developers have sprung up across the continent, all aspiring to revolutionize business, agriculture, medicine, entertainment and more. Keep reading to discover the mobile applications paving the way for a better Africa. —Patrice Peck   (Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images)

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