For the 3rd year in a row, Google had its Google for Nigeria event. The event which held earlier today is designed to bring together innovators, tech enthusiasts, influencers and digital business owners in Nigeria to experience the newest digital products and announcements by Google. The event held at The Podium, Lekki, Lagos.
As expected, the event saw massive attendance from creators, platform users, partners, and other stakeholders as they all gathered at the Google Digital Playground which delivered with its ‘Nigerian-ish‘ oriented decorations.
Here are some major happenings and product announcements from the event.
Google is Committed to Africa
Google Nigeria Country Director, Juliet Ehimuan-Chiazor, gave an update on what the tech giant has been doing so far in the country and Africa as a whole.
Through its Grow with Google Developer Scholarships in partnership with Pluralsight and Andela, the company has been able to train 15k developers in Mobile web and Android development to the intermediary level with 33k scholarships offered.
With its Launchpad Accelerator Africa which was launched last year, Google has also been able to mentor 35 African startups (out of its planned 60 in 3 years), with a significant number of them from Nigeria. These startups have gone on to create 385 jobs and raised $19 million.
The company is also committing a $4 million fund in Africa to support youth empowerment, gender equality and agriculture. According to Mrs. Ehimuan-Chiazor, the fund will be used to pilot new initiatives and power the social impact ecosystem, promoting research on what the future of work looks like for the African youth.
Google will also support 10 emerging Nigerian artists to help build their craft, increase their fanbase and connect with the world through partnership with emPawa Africa, an initiative and incubator by Popular artiste, Mr Eazi.
A New Launchpad Space in Lagos
The space is touted to be the first in Africa and will provide a platform for developers from across Africa to learn, connect, and be inspired.
It’s in line with Google’s 3-year commitment to provide more than $3 million in equity-free funding, mentorship, and access to expert advisers.
We hope this helps to deepen digital innovations in the country.
Google-Developed Education Curriculum on Safer Internet
In collaboration with the Nigerian Government, Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC) and the Nigerian Educational Research & Development Council (NERDC), Google has developed an education curriculum on Safer Internet for integration into the Nigerian primary and junior secondary school curriculum.
This is expected to reach an estimated 56 million Nigerian students across the country.
Google Street View is Expanding
Google also announced its plans to launch the Google Street View in four cities in Nigeria – Abuja, Benin City, Enugu and Ibadan.
Google will also be adding almost 12,000 km of roads in Nigeria.
Now You Can Navigate Google Maps With a Nigerian Voice
Google will provide assistance on Google Maps now in a Nigerian voice. This will make it easier to understand and connect with.
In addition, Maps will be having anew user interface with dedicated travel mode to maps and provide directions and voice navigation for motorcycles in Benin, Ghana, Rwanda, Togo and Uganda as well as transit information for ‘Danfos’ (commercial buses) in Nigeria.
Google Go Apps
Google will be providing a new set of apps adapted for poor data connectivity and low RAM or storage space phones.
These include Gallery Go, a new photo editing and organisation app; and Lens Go, to provide translation, text to speech and text search.
Google also announced that Assistant will soon be available on Google Go, which will allow users navigate their devices with voice control.
Meet Bolo
Google announced that Bolo, a speech-based reading app with one on one assistance to help kids learn how to read is coming to Nigeria and Ghana.
The app encourages kids between the ages of 6-11 to read out loud and then provides them with feedback to help improve their reading capabilities.
The Queen of Afrobeats Was There!
The Nigerian digital sector encompasses the entertainment industry and Google did not fail to bring it in.
One of the exciting moments of the event was the electrifying performance by Tiwa Savage.
And as expected she brought the vibes.
In conclusion
Once again, Google shared exciting announcements and it is cool to see that tech is making life easier even for people in emerging areas like Nigeria. And as a plus, there were no complaints like that of last year as regards crowded entry or delay in registration. So kudos to the Google team.
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