One year after launching instant messaging platform Ayoba, MTN Group has secured two-million monthly active users across 12 markets, with plans in place to significantly scale the offering in 2020.

Deployed in March 2019, and available across multiple markets on the Google Play Store and through the Ayoba website as an over-the-top (OTT) offering, the platform had registered one-million active users by November.

By the end of 2020, the group is targeting 16-million active users as it creates a ‘super application’ ecosystem for Africa.

“We will further strengthen and grow our digital offerings. We plan to continue to roll out Ayoba into our markets. “We will also integrate payments into the Ayoba service as part of our broadening of the financial technology business, as well as integrating Ayoba into MTN segmented offers,” says outgoing MTN president and CEO Rob Shuter.

Ayoba is the flagship of MTN’s digital strategy, designed to be a ‘super app’ for Africa, with integrated end-to-end encrypted messaging and chats, video, news and assorted channels, microapps, mobile money (MoM0) and merchant integration.

“It has been a vision of ours. From a white board a year ago to two-million users across 12 markets, I think we are starting to prove to some of the naysayers that it is possible that there is demand for such a service and that a telco like MTN can build and operate such a service,” he says.

Ayoba is an advanced communications application localised for African and Middle East consumer needs under an independent OTT brand with unique features for MTN customers.

As part of continuous efforts to enhance its offerings, Ayoba will be adding more features in the future.

“Ayoba is also working on building an open digital platform that will enable third-party innovation,” he says.

“MTN, together with its partners, is driven to improve access to affordable communications to ensure that people in its markets can reap the social, economic and developmental dividends of being online,” Shuter continues.

Currently, MTN is offering a 20 MB-a-day data lifeline through Ayoba and, from July, will offer free Internet browsing from midnight to 05:00.

There are also two zero-rated Ayoba Covid-19 channels that are already live and sharing updated news and information.

“[Ayoba] addresses our customers’ specific needs and challenges by offering a data-included offering for MTN users, MoMo transfers [due to launch shortly] and locally relevant content through channels,” he continues.

Ayoba underscores MTN’s goal to bring more people into the digital world by providing them with affordable and simplified digital communication services.

The app supports many local languages spoken across the MTN markets, including isiZulu, isiXhosa, pidgin, Yoruba, Swahili, Hausa, French and English.