As Africa comes to terms with Inmobi’s decision to close down African offices, Elu Umeh, CEO of Twinpine, says this could be an opportunity to boost their business.
Inmobi cited business decision on productivity on their closure of their African and Russian offices. This has led to businesses that relied on mobile advertising wondering if there is a future in the sector.
“Obviously this is a major development for the mobile advertising market in Africa. One that will impact heavily on many global brands currently using InMobi’s network to tap into the rapidly burgeoning mobile market in Africa and indeed reach millions of new target consumers,” Umeh commented.
Twinpine Network is one of the leading mobile advertising companies in Africa and has a regional presence in East Africa through their Nairobi offices.
Other companies that have taken this venture include, Buzz City which has offices in South Africa. The company has a yearly turnover of US$10 to 20 million and has over 3,000 outlets through partner publishers. It is not clear if they are going through the motions of setting up business in Africa.
Currently, Buzz City reports that it has served nearly 600 million mobile ads in South Africa alone and 475 million ads in Kenya. This is according to statistics in September 2012.
In reaction to Inmobi’s latest move, Umeh commented that, “We believe in that chaos lies the opportunity. Entrepreneurs and ambitious businesses can continue to try and solve problems that mobile faces in Africa.”
He added: “Nevertheless, there are many growing local ad networks that are setting the standard for mobile advertising across the continent. These ad networks, like our own, are driven by a deep knowledge and understanding of the local market and a passion to engender social change through mobile.”
