MEF predicts major mobile growth in Africa, notes the rise of m-education

This week MEF, the global global community for mobile content and commerce, released the findings from the second phase of its African Growth Market Study.

The survey, which covered Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, provides insights into industry trends amongst mobile business leaders in their respective regions. Additionally, the study aimed to identify key market drivers and encourage growth in mobile content and commerce in Africa.

MEF reports that revenue growth and content in the mobile sector was high in all three countries. Specifically, mobile money, m-commerce (mobile commerce) and social networks were singled out as growth drivers.

Interestingly, the survey also indicated that m-education garnered more growth than other m-products focused on empowerment, health and agriculture. We’ve already seen the launch of applications like Qurio from EDGE Campus, but this growth indicates that we are likely to see a push for more education-focused applications, as well as m-commerce in the future.

Perhaps the most staggering component of the survey is the massive end-user revenue growth forecast: 59% of Kenyan, 66% Nigerian, and 40% South African respondents are apparently anticipating growth of more than 15% in the coming year. The study also identified key growth regions in sub-Saharan Africa, with an emphasis on mobile development in Ghana.

Consumer concerns around privacy and security were noted as one of the major hurdles for mobile markets in all three countries. More than half of the respondents surveyed noted that education and consumer reassurance would be the best way to overcome this challenge. Not surprisingly, coverage areas and network reliability were also seen as significant challenges on the continent.

In response to the report MEF CEO, Rimma Perelmuter, mentioned, “the views of Africa’s mobile business leaders reflect the findings in MEF’s Global Consumer Survey that show that sub-Saharan Africa is a highly engaged mobile content and commerce market and a crucible for entrepreneurial innovation.”

The full MEF report can be found here.

Image: NASA via Flickr.