First Swahili iPad/iPhone App By Nkyea Released

Nana Kwabena Sarpong and Isaac Ameyaw started Nkyea Learning Systems in 2009 to develop desktop and mobile applications for learning African languages. They’ve already developed and released two Twi language applications, Nkyea Twi Primer and Nkyea Twi Phrasebook, ’My Twi Name‘ app, and ‘Adrinkra E-Cards‘ app.

Nkyea Swahili App on iPad/iPhone

The two-man Ghanaian language learning apps development team has just released Nkyea Basic Swahili, the first Swahili iPhone and iPad app from their startup, on the Apple App Store. Nkyea Basic Swahili, which sells for $2.99, contains more than 650 essential words and phrases and has been designed to give absolute beginners a general conversational competence in Swahili.

Nkyea Basic Swahili presents the user with 18 lessons of basic grammar and vocabulary. The user can then choose a lesson, listen to the native speaker, read and record, play back and compare with the native speaker. The app also presents you with a quiz after each topic, which means users can reinforce what they learn and earn motivation badges for scoring high marks.

“This is a very user friendly language learning application, “Sarpong explains. “It’s really easy to learn Swahili with Basic Swahili.”

Nkyea Basic Swahili is targeting four primary markets: Tourists traveling to East Africa, students learning Swahili at a beginner level in school, anybody who has an East African relative or friend and lastly, language enthusiasts.

Here is the link to the app in the Apple App Store

Sarpong and Ameyaw are also working on more African language apps, which would be released in the coming weeks. Nkyea remains a bootstrapped endeavor, wholly financed through the startup’s PC, Mac and iPhone application sales.

You can follow them on Twitter via @NanaSarpong & @IsaacAmeyaw for more info about their work and creativity.

Related articles

• Nkyea Learning Systems (timbuktuchronicles.blogspot.com)

Re-blogged: Meet The TED Global 2011 Fellows Working Within Africa

Re-blogged via Timbuktu Chronicles

5 spectacular individuals with Africa related connections are part of the recently announced TED Global 2011 Fellows class. They are:

• Femi Akinde – Founder of SlimTrader(covered earlier) , the first platform in Africa allowing consumers to shop for goods and services via their mobile phones through text.
• Jodie Wu – Founder of Global Cycle Solutions, an organization developing and selling appropriate tech in the form of bicycle add-ons.
• Alex Odira Odundo (Maker Faire Africa exhibitor covered earlier) – Kenyan inventor of the Sisal Decorticator, a device turning sisal plant into fibre, and the Sisal Twinner, a device turning sisal fibre into rope.
• Serge Mouangue (covered earlier) – Tokyo based Cameroonian cross cultural artist + designer — bringing both African and Japanese techniques into his work.
• Somi– East African soul-jazz vocalist + songwriter and founder of New Africa Live.

Related articles

• Following the TED Fellows (timbuktuchronicles.blogspot.com)
• Africa and the Internet: a 21st century human rights issue? (csmonitor.com)
• Africa Rising (time.com)

Mobile Web East Africa, Nairobi-Kenya.

MWEA10 Banner

Last week, I saw a couple of tweet updates from my colleague blogger; David Oluniyi Ajao about the Mobile Web East Africa Conference which took place in Nairobi, Kenya from 3^rd– 4^th Feb, 2010 at the Hotel Intercontinental. The hash tag for the event on twitter was #MWEA10.

The event focused on “harnessing the potential of the internet and applications on mobile devices”. Even though I couldn’t make it to the event, I followed a couple of bloggers for more updates on the proceedings from Nairobi.

Joshua Goldstein of In An African Minute wrote; the conference has several key themes. To me, the most interesting questions relate to how consumers will experience the mobile web in East Africa, and what this will mean for social and economic innovation. For example:

What handsets, standards, networks and designs will allow consumers to successfully access the content and consume it?

How will the consumer be able to discover that content – through a portal, application, browser, search engine, advert, and social network?

 Erik Hersman of White African and Ushahidi fame did a web-stream from the venue. Following Erik’s blog is just like you were at the venue. Read more here….

 Emer Beamer from Butterfly Works also spoke on Positive Chain of Events. See Emer on the podium giving a talk here: Emer Beamer @ #MWEA2010 Emer Beamer @ #MWEA10

 There were some fantastic speakers at the event, amongst them were Eric Cantor of Grameen Foundation, Vincent Maher of Vodacom South Africa, Agosto Liko of Pesapal and Jon Gosier of Appfrica Labs

 Ghana Blogging Group is working around the clock to host a Blogcamp in Ghana soon.

 Stay tuned for more….!