A Nigeria tech company, iCELL with support from the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has developed a a messaging, gaming and lifestyle app, NIJA Chat to rival big brands in app chat in the likes of WhatsApp, Wechat and others.
Director General of NITDA, Mr Kashifu Inuwa while unveiling the app in the Nigerian capital city, Abuja said that would help build public digital infrastructure and boost the Nation’s economy.
He said that the development of the app is a clarion call to all Nigerians both home and the diaspora to embrace the tech to encourage more of such innovative ideas to emerge from the country.
He disclosed that journey for the creation of Nija Chat began six months ago when the iCELL team solicited NITDA’s support to build the application.
“NITDA worked hand-in-hand with them to refine and accelerate the thoughts, as well as offered technical support to build this app”, Inuwa noted.
While describing the application as a super frontier app, he said that the application is more like a lifestyle app where one can find everything in one place.
“This is a futuristic app because frontier applications are increasingly being promoted in the world today”.
“So, you can personalise your experience and have everything done in this particular app, rather than hop from one app to another just to do the same thing”, he stated..
Inuwa joined the team to test the app by making some local/international audio and video calls on the messaging app, describing his experience as fantastic.
Attributing the feat to Nigeria’s young and talented population, Inuwa said with the right environment, which the government is constantly working on to harness the amazing potential of the Nation’s digitally natives, the ‘Digital Nigeria’ quest would be attained sooner than later.
Whereas the official launch of the app is billed for 1st January, 2024, the DG offered some observations regarding the app that need to be worked upon as he also expressed the hope that the next stage should be to build a payment wallet on it.
“When the payment wallet is brought onboard, anyone can receive and send money easily and this will help promote the cashless transactions which is ultimately, the future we are building”.
“We will continue to urge our startups to take up on innovative ventures like this, in order to enhance the quality of life for our citizens and make connections seamless”, Inuwa assured.
Inuwa commended the team for coming up with the project and bringing it to impact level, adding that the Tinubu’s administration will not relent in its efforts toward encouraging and supporting indigenous solutions.
Chief Technical Officer, iCELL, Abbey Abbey gave a brief of the Nija Chat, noting that platform will redefine the way Nigerians and the world connect, live and play around in the digital space, emphasising that the Nija Chat is not just a messaging, gaming and lifestyle app but a testament to the future of cutting-edge technology and the limitless possibilities of human connections.
Abbey noted that NIJA Chat has taken a notch higher by seamlessly integrating the messaging and gaming experience that transcend the norm.
“This is not just about lifestyle, it also aligns with the dynamic spirits of our users, bringing you an experience like no other, especially as the platform offers a secure, vast, and intuitive interphase, ensuring that your connections are as vibrant as possible”, Abbey espoused.
Abbey went further to illustrate that beyond messaging and gaming, Nija Chat platform is also a companion in lifestyle which avails its users exclusive content and personalised experiences that have been curated in the app, covering all facets of life.
“Today, we are not just unveiling an app, we are actually unleashing a new revolution as it is not just connecting people but creating a digital ecosystem that adapts to your business, evolves with your preferences and also grows with your aspirations”, Abbey said.
