Rwandan local content developers have got an opportunity to market their content after Bharti Airtel, a leading telecom service provider with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa and neXva, Inc. a global provider of white branded application (app) stores, signed a deal to launch Airtel-branded mobile app stores in Africa. 

Under the agreement, neXva will provide Airtel Africa with a full app store ecosystem for each of the 17 countries in Africa. The app store is deployed through a customised website, mobile website and Android app, as well as a developer portal for the localisation of the app store to make it relevant in each of Airtel’s unique markets, Andre Beyers, the Airtel Africa chief marketing officer, said in a statement. 

"We want to bring locally-relevant mobile applications to customers and continue driving local application development through supporting Africa’s talented developers. We selected neXva because of their robust technology and the ability to allow local developers to monetise their content. We realise that localisation is key to the success of Airtel’s app stores in Africa,” Beyers added.

"Bringing neXva’s app store platform to all 17 of the Airtel Africa markets is a great opportunity for neXva, "said Brian J. Friedman, the neXva co-founder and chief executive. 

"Deploying our app store platform along with a highly curated selection of content will, for the first time, bring relevant, localised apps to Airtel’s 70 million subscribers in Africa. Localised content combined with our direct connection to the Airtel Africa markets brings a unique opportunity for local and international developers and content providers to monetisse their content through neXva’s neXpayer operator billing API that enables content purchases through the mobile wallet.”

The neXva powered Airtel app stores consist of free and premium applications and will be available for all feature phones and smartphones. The stores feature "one-click” billing enables Airtel’s customers to buty apps through their operator billing as well as neXva’s neXpayer technology that enables in-app purchases and subscription billing.

"App stores already exist in these markets but lack the ability to be local; homegrown talent cannot shine,” said Shaun Zelber, the neXva co-founder and chief operating officer. 

"Airtel will be able to give developers a chance to distribute and sell their apps for local audiences. The store ecosystem enables local developers to have their content alongside the successful international apps that are all must haves in an app store.”