I passionately believe in power of tech – Zubair Abubakar

What kicked your interest in developing online applications?I am a tech entrepreneur who happens to be a TED Fellow as well as a Fellow of the FATE Institute for Venture Design (IVD). I am a graduate of Ashesi University, Ghana and I am a passionate believer in the power of technology to promote positive change […]

What kicked your interest in developing online applications?
I am a tech entrepreneur who happens to be a TED Fellow as well as a Fellow of the FATE Institute for Venture Design (IVD). I am a graduate of Ashesi University, Ghana and I am a passionate believer in the power of technology to promote positive change and create wealth. In 2011, I started an initiative now called Constitution for All which today with the help of my partner, Bayo Puddicombe, Indigo Trust and Co-Creation Hub, has enabled over a million Nigerians have access to the Constitution anytime, anywhere on their mobile phones. I have also served as a consultant to infoDev’s Mobile Innovation Programme.
I recently co-founded ChopUP with Bayo Puddicombe. ChopUP is a mobile social gaming startup, building locally relevant games for mobile Africa. We have released titles such as Danfo Reloaded II, Kiss and Tell and Table Soccer. Prior to that, I worked with ConnectNigeria.com, Chevron Nigeria, Afrosolution, and IZY Brand limited. Pledge51, the parent company of ChopUP and the winner of startup of the year award by ISPON is where I work now.
You were previously employed, why did you quit to go into startups?
I have always been a strong believer in the power of technology to solve problems and so prior to the Nigerian Constitution app, I had developed a number of web solutions from patient management portal to elections portal, student portal and so on. I also worked at ConnectNigeria.com as lead developer, leading the development of the portal.
What was the inspiration behind your apps development?
I usually think about the value to the end-user, so for example, for the Nigerian Constitution app, my inspiration was the value it provides to the end-user, which is an opportunity to learn about his or her rights as stipulated in the Constitution. I am also inspired by the impact that what I am building makes, the bigger the impact the greater my inspiration.
I believe what is unique about the constitution app is its benefit to users. The fact that it’s our right to know our rights alone makes people want to download the app before anything else.
What audience did you target when you were creating it?
We just wanted to develop something for an average Nigerian with a phone that can install apps to be able to access the Constitution anytime, anywhere.
How well has the app met the needs of its users?
It’s been fantastic so far;  in fact, it became an internet sensation few days  after launch, we got over 10,000 downloads in less than 72 hours as people blogged about it, there were several BB broadcasts and word of mouth. Then during the fuel subsidy protest (January 2012), it was as if the whole of Nigeria just woke up to knowing their rights, we had well over 40,000 downloads in that period alone and today the app has been downloaded over a million times.
What kind of impact did you expect it to have on them?
I wasn’t sure of the impact, in fact I wasn’t sure people would download it to start with, I just knew that the Constitution shouldn’t be something hidden or far-fetched to people and people should be able get access to it anytime it’s needed and it turned out to be huge.
Would you say it is an entirely new creation and there is no other related work like the Nigerian Constitution?
Absolutely not, as they say, there is nothing new under the sun. The same constitution has been available on a government website long before I did the app. A gentleman also had a PDF version of it on his website and I even found out later that GreenSpek, another company, had developed its own constitution app. So it wasn’t a new creation but maybe a twist.
Why do you think people should pay it any attention enough to subscribe to it?
Simply because it gives them access to their rights and responsibilities as Nigerian citizens.
What other products have you created?
We have built applications for local brands as well as a Zimbabwe Constitution application for an NGO in Zimbabwe. We are currently focused on local games that people can play on their mobile phones. Our titles include Danfo, Kiss and Tell and Table Soccer. 
Are you partnering with corporate bodies, government or other individuals on this?
Yes, the constitution app has gone this far today because of the partnership with Co-Creation Hub (CCHub) Nigeria and Indigo Trust UK, together they provided funding and strategic planning that enabled us come out with a sequel. We also partnered with Know Your Constitution Initiative to help promote the app. (Talk about other countries)
How do you go about funding?
For the constitution app, as I earlier mentioned, we got funding to create the 2nd version from Indigo Trust through Co-Creation Hub Nigeria.
What challenges did you encounter building the app?
When I initially started it was the learning curve of building blackberry apps as there were few people building apps at the time, so I was left with online forums and books. I also didn’t have much time as I had a fulltime job and so I only had nights and weekends to work on it.
Are you looking to add other angles to the Nigerian Constitution?
We already added an online forum to it. The forum lets people discuss and ask questions about the constitution and we have our gracious volunteer lawyer, Ayobayo Babade, go online to answer those questions. 
Politics and human rights issues extend to the very rural communities. How have rural people been able to exploit the use of your app?
We developed a Nokia and Java enabled phone version with the rural communities in mind as those are the kind of phones you would find in those areas.  The forum also gives them the opportunity to voice out their opinions on national issues affecting them as well as ask questions about things that are unclear in the constitution.
What has the experience been like with network service providers?
For the Constitution app, we are not dealing with the network service providers in any way as the application is hosted on various OEM app stores.
What projects are you working at the moment?
We are building locally relevant games that people can play on mobile devices. Our latest release is called Table Soccer which is currently available on Google Play Store with other platforms coming soon. Table Soccer is the mobile game version of the famous game we played in primary or secondary school on the floor or table with crown corks (counters) as players and button or cassette reel as balls.
What next for the Nigerian Constitution?
We are partnering with organizations to make it more accessible to Nigerians.
There may be other apps which may have emerged as a result of the Nigerian Constitution. What are you doing to ensure you stay ahead of them?
Nigerian constitution is not a gaming app. It’s fine; we believe the more the merrier. However, we don’t only have the actual constitution within the app; we have other relevant features that make it more compelling to have.
What defines the contents which make up the Nigerian Constitution?
I believe that’s the work of the lawmakers, the app is just a vessel that carries the laws passed by the lawmakers of Nigeria.