Google Africa today, Wednesday 24 July 2019 hosted the third annual Google for Nigeria event.
At the event, a number of new products were launched for the African market with a key focus on Nigeria, Ghana, Rwanda and Uganda, among others.
The products varied from news, entertainment, education, and navigation.
In entertainment, YouTube is teaming up with Nigerian music star, Mr. Eazi and the emPawa initiative to support 10 emerging Nigerian music artists to build their craft, increase their fanbase and connect with the world through YouTube.
emPawa Africa is an initiative by Mr. Eazi to empower the next generation of African artists, equipping them with the tools, knowledge, network, and investment they need to become independent music entrepreneurs.
So far, emPawa has supported 22 Nigerian artists, providing them with training to build their skills through digital platforms such as YouTube.
In education, Google has launched Bolo, a speech-based reading app that helps kids learn how to read in English.
It encourages them to read out loud and then provides individual, customized feedback to help improve their reading capabilities. Bolo, is already available in India and was rolled out today in Ghana and Nigeria.
Google Maps
Google is introducing a dedicated travel mode to provide directions and navigation for motorcycles in Ghana, Nigeria, Benin Republic, Rwanda, Togo, and Uganda.
Google is also launching navigation instructions in a Nigerian voice for both motorcycle and car driving modes, so that local names and places are pronounced as they should be.
Google Go
Google is launching Google Lens inside Google Go to help people read, translate and search the words they see simply by using their camera. You can open Lens, point it at a sign, and listen to the words read out loud. If you don’t speak the language, you can translate it into one you understand. This is available in Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo.
Google also announced Gallery Go which is designed for people who don’t have a reliable internet connection. It brings many of the best features of Google Photos on a device, to help you find, edit and manage your photos even when you’re offline. Gallery Go will be available for the African market later in the year.