Microsoft Nigeria, Nokia Collaborate to Launch 9jApps Contest

Microsoft Nigeria in partnership with Nokia Nigeria, today has formally declared open its 9jApps contest, a challenge designed to empower local developers to take advantage of Microsoft’s new tools and resources by developing locally appealing and locally-relevant apps for the Windows platform, utilizing Visual Studio 2012 and the Windows Phone SDK in addition to the Windows Azure SDK.

The 9jApps contest is billed to run for 3 months teeing-off in the month of March and climaxing at the end of June, 2013.

This contest is timed to have great impact on our next generation developer audiences by being aligned to the launch of the 4Africa Initiative Pan-Africa, and this will drive innovation and grow the local software economy, which is one of the key initiatives under the innovation pillar of the Africa Plan.

Through this, and as part of the commitments announced earlier this year through the Microsoft 4Afrika Initiative, Microsoft is creating platforms for Inspiring Nigerian Developers – Students, Entrepreneurs, Independent developers – to create the next generation of amazing apps on the Windows Platform.

 At the press briefing to get the project off the ground, Emmanuel Onyeje, country manager, Microsoft Nigeria said,” Nigeria is blessed with enormous talents and Microsoft is giving our developers an opportunity to explore their potentials”.

Disclosing the rationale for the project, Shina Oyetosho, Developer and Platform Evangelism Lead, Microsoft Nigeria, said: “Microsoft through its 4Afrika initiative is bent on encouraging competitors to take the next step to publish their apps, whilst making some revenue from it”.

While fielding questions from journalists at the event, Shina explained, the entries criteria for the contest would be judged by competitors who meet the following conditions:

•    Apps entries should be in the respective stores (Windows 8 or Windows Phone) by 14 June 2013.
•    Apps published and available in store before the contest period are not eligible to participate.
•    Apps developed for the Windows Phone platform must be compatible with low-end Windows devices.

And Prizes to be won in both categories of the contest includes:
Windows 8 Apps Category:
•    Grand Prize: 2012/2013 KIA Rio automobile
•    Second Prize: NGN750, 000 cash
•    Third Prizes: A Windows 8 device each (X5)

While, Windows phone Category:
•    Grand Prize: NGN750, 000
•    Second Prize: NGN500, 000
•    Third Prize: A Windows Phone 8 device (X5)
Speaking on the partnership, Partner Manager, Developer Experience, Nokia, West Africa, Mr Olumide Balogun noted that Nokia is thrilled to partner with Microsoft, to bring the 9ja apps competition to both students and independent developers. We are looking forward to some great solutions on the phone side leveraging both Microsoft WP and our Lumia devices capabilities to deliver locally relevant apps that we can export to the world.

9japps contest is a Microsoft initiative aimed at fostering innovation and creating personality around developers and their apps, in collaboration with Nokia, Dell and CCHub Nigeria.  Competitors have until 14 June 2013, 23:59:59 GMT to submit their entries in both categories.