MTN's African super app ayoba has surpassed 30 million monthly active users. According to a
statement by the Gropu on Wednesday, this remarkable achievement is a testament
to the app’s growing popularity, particularly in focus territories such as
Nigeria, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. Moreover, ayoba has successfully broadened
its user base into new markets, such as Kenya and Tanzania, contributing to its
rapid growth since passing the 25M MAU mark in May 2023.
“ayoba’s growth reflects our commitment to
delivering valuable, user-focused services. This achievement is a significant
step in our ongoing journey to deepen connectivity and digital inclusion across
Africa and signifies the trust and reliance users have placed in ayoba as a
platform that enriches their daily lives. It also serves as a catalyst for
further innovation as we continue to enhance the app’s features to meet the
diverse needs of our growing user base,” says Jens
Schulte-Bockum, MTN Group Chief Operating Officer.
In
2023, ayoba focused on enhancing communication and content features. These have
been well received, as evidenced by a notable increase in music streaming,
messaging, and overall user retention. Card Views in the channels vertical have
soared, with users viewing over 200M cards this year alone, focusing on news,
sports, and comedy. Ayoba also recently announced its first commissioned video
drama series, ‘Nite Nite’, produced in Ghana and its inaugural African
games, produced by Usiku Games in Kenya.
“Our plan for the year is rolling out
strongly, “explains CEO Burak Akinci. “ We’re
incredibly grateful for the trust and engagement from our growing community of
users. Our strategic execution this year has been laser-focused on what matters
most to them. The positive market response validates our approach to offer user-centric
features and localised content. As we look ahead, our immediate focus is on an
enhanced gaming experience set to pilot in South Africa. This is part of our
broader vision to make ayoba an integral part of daily life across the
continent.“
The
introduction of the new ‘Explore’ landing page marks a significant advancement
for the Android version of the app. This page is live across all key markets,
streamlining content discovery and user access to relevant and trending
content.
In line with its commitment to sustainable
long-term impact in key markets, ayoba continues to advance its integrated
ecosystem development approach revolving around the MicroApps vertical. This
quarter has seen the launch of a key initiative in Nigeria, the ayoba SME
Accelerator program. Specifically designed to digitise,
empower, and accelerate the growth of small businesses, the program aims to
foster innovation, enhance competitiveness, drive growth, and create
sustainable employment opportunities.
Furthering
its impact, ayoba’s e-Track Portfolio, managed at the Solution Space at the
University of Cape Town, has also seen significant success. The program – a
two-phase early-stage venture acceleration and capacity-building program designed
for high-impact entrepreneurs in South Africa and beyond, has recently welcomed
an additional 15 high-impact startups to the portfolio.
In
May 2023, ayoba hosted a high-profile continent-wide Gaming Hackathon to foster
innovation and creativity in game development tailored for an African
audience. The event attracted hundreds of participants, and the top 3
teams have been selected. Their games are soon to be featured on the app,
adding to ayoba’s expanding gaming portfolio.
Born
from a partnership with MTN, ayoba is available on all networks. Ayoba users in
certain participating territories enjoy complimentary daily data, amplifying
its value proposition*. With this momentum, ayoba is on track to achieving 100
million monthly active users by 2025, in line with MTN’s Ambition 2025
strategy.