There are infinite app and start-up ideas that will work in Nigeria. The objective of this list is to share a few and open your mind to critical thinking. To start thinking of new ideas to implement in the form of an App that solves problems for people, adds value and puts some money in your pocket.
How to build an App.
There are helpful guides on how to build mobile applications even without programming experience. There are many platforms out there to help with this. Check out these articles. This and this; this is for those who are looking to build their application themselves.
If you have the resources however, you can hire the professionals to do it for you. So, I won’t spend much time here. Perhaps we could talk about how to build an App in another discussion or post.
Before you start
Research and study your niche. Chances, someone else may have attempted the app you are looking to build and failed. Search the app stores and check those apps out if they made it to the stores, reach out to tech accelerator houses in Nigeria, there are a few in Nigeria and these guys know everything, if someone has worked on the app, they will know it. If you can find out why the app didn’t work, you can use this knowledge to make yours work. Further, go out there and speak to your potential users, do a pool and get their opinions.
Let’s get into it.
App 1: Logistics and delivery marketplace:
Nigeria is currently going through the stage of proliferation of logistics and delivery services, with small and medium places springing up daily in different cities, your App would sign up delivery services providers in different cities and enable users to book their services. Some big players already have their own in-house apps, but yours would be a marketplace displaying prices, location, etc. It will also allow users to rate the services providers.
I am in Abuja, I have a parcel to deliver, I open the app and find delivery services in Abuja, compare prices per kg or something, and book a service provider on the app to comes to pick up my parcel and have it delivered.
App 2: Dating app for professionals.
I started a dating page sometime ago for this purpose, exclusively for people that have jobs and run businesses. The page was a hit, although I paused the platform for some personal reasons. So, yeah, I have done this and see it work. Build the app, promote it exclusively for professionals, they sign up, create a profile and update their credentials which will be verified on the backend giving them a verified status on the app. The ones that do not upload their credentials can still use the app but their profiles won’t be verified. Offer a premium version that is paid. Voalla, you’re in business. Nigerians love dating, trust me.
App 3: Recruitment app:
This is one of the other one thousand things I want to do, Lol. Seriously, I have seen this work in the UK. This app makes finding candidates very easy, so employers and job seekers sign up on the platform, the job seekers create their profile, and visit the physical office of the app owner and have their credentials verified, and their profiles approved. Jobs are then listed by employers on the app, and the job seekers just apply. The difference here is, the party that owns or runs the app is not a recruiter, they are simply interfacing between recruiters/employers and job seekers, therefore it is decentralized and not associated with a single recruiter/employer. Employers pay a small fee to use the platform.
I might still do this, assuming any of you guys reading this does not run with the idea and beat me to it.
App 4: Emergency Fund raising app:
Every now and then, people have to raise funds for charity purposes on social media, and often, Gofundme is used. This is okay the way it is, but it could be better. Recently, I was consulted by a founder in the UK that built a platform to help charities raise funds during the lockdown season and the platform was a hit. This is what will make the app different;
It will be gamified. Yes, it will involve a game element to it, allowing users to pay money to play a game and contribute to charity, but also win some money back. The games could be anything, quizzes, tetris, candycrush, anything at all. So, someone needs an emergency fund for charity reasons, the person rallies people online to play a game on the app, the more people play, the more money is raised for the cause.
App 5: Clothing subscription app:
Why shop for clothes, when you can subscribe and get new clothes every month or week? Sounds crazy right? That’s because it is. Users sign up, select their preferred clothing type and brand and sizes, and all that stuff, make an annual payment, and you just deliver the clothes monthly to them. This model is currently common in the UK and US. This isn’t limited to clothes alone, but fashion items and accessories, things people use very often.
Another thing could be hair extension for ladies. Annual subscription, and they get hair extensions of their choice mailed to them monthly.
Also understand that this isn’t for everyone, you should study and understand the people you are targeting with your service.
App 6: CarPool App:
Again, this model works in other places, but it might be challenging in Nigeria a bit, unless it’s cleverly implemented. Carpooling is the idea of sharing a journey in a single car between two or more persons. Take Lagos for instance, a lot of people work on the island and live on the mainland. They follow same route to work every day, so the app helps people without cars find those with cars on their route to share the journey and pay a monthly fee. This is one model. Another model is to provide the cars, and then have people without cars share the cars on similar routes and journey. They will have valid licenses too, so they can take turns to drive. The logistics to sort here is a handful, especially in Nigeria, but it’s workable.
App 7: Interactive Learning app for professional courses
I was also going to build this platform, but now I’m giving away the idea for free. Haha. So basically, it’s an integrated learning platform for professional courses in Nigeria, with on-demand video lectures and resources. ICAN, CIPM, etc. No more physical lecture centres, everything is on the app. Students pay a monthly subscription fee to access the platform. You can recruit tutors to provide the lectures. Whoever builds this platform owes me money. Big money. Lol. In the meantime, you can consult me with small money while you’re building it and pick my brain.
App 8: Wedding vendors marketplace:
I’m surprised no one has built this already. You know the hassle people pass through planning weddings and dealing with vendors. No everyone can afford to pay wedding planners, in present day Nigeria, considering how much some of the planners charge. So, this is a marketplace for wedding vendors, with prices, features, location, etc. You can find 20 caterers in your city with competitive prices, review events they’ve done, and book them. You dig the idea.
App 9: Product Deals App:
There is a website that compares prices in gadgets in Nigeria, can’t remember the name. Back in the day, it was run manually, manually comparing prices of gadgets at different online stores. But your app will take this a step further, with an algorithm and scrapes prices of different products online real-time to help consumers compare and decide.
App 10: Scholarship app:
Build an app that find scholarships and help users apply.
With the right idea, the right execution and the right promotion, you could be the next big thing to come out Nigeria and Africa.