APO (African Press Organization), the sole press release newswire in Africa and the global leader in media relations relating to Africa, today announced a multi-year strategic partnership with IMImobile , a leading global provider of end-to-end mobile engagement software and solutions to telecom operators, enterprises and media companies, to provide mobile content to MTN Group, Airtel, Orange, Vodafone Group and Tigo in over 30 countries, with a total reach of 250 million users in Africa.
The partnership with IMImobile and their connection to mobile network operators across the continent, will allow APO to deliver an exclusive feed of Africa-related news releases issued by governments, institutions, NGOs, companies, and United Nations agencies to over 250 million mobile subscribers, free of charge.
Thanks to IMImobile, APO content, which includes text, images, video, audio and documents, will be integrated into IMImobile’s award-winning DaVinci Evolved Service Platform (ESP) to guarantee multi-channel delivery and superior customer experience to mobile devices in Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo, DRC, Ghana, Guinea Conakry, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
“According to the latest GSMA Intelligence data from the World Bank and UN, total mobile connections in the Sub Sahara region alone passed the 500 million mark in Q1 2013, increasing by about 20% year-on-year. Connections are expected to grow by a further 50% (250 million connections) over the next five years. The continent’s smartphone market is expected to double in the next four years. In Africa the most effective marketing tool is now the mobile as it reaches the broadest market. IMImobile excels in distributing mobile content in Africa, and we could not have found a better partner to deliver APO content to mobiles”, comments APO founder and CEO, Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard.
“This partnership between IMImobile and APO comes as a natural evolution of the population’s thirst for knowledge cross border and of international bodies looking more seriously at doing business in a new emerging and developing continent. At APO we are excited about being a leading contributor to changing the way business is done in Africa”, added Pompigne-Mognard.
“With smartphone penetration forecasted to reach 20% by 2017, mobile will become the central access point for news and information via the internet. The partnership between APO, a media specialist and IMImobile’s mobile expertise, will ensure that content is delivered to African mobile users in an optmised multi-channel format through our relationship with Africa’s mobile network operators,” comments Jay Patel, Chief Executive at IMImobile.
