A new collaborative partnership between two African powerhouses, Econet and Snapplify, will make hundreds of thousands of ebooks available to African readers across multiple digital platforms on mobile, tablet and desktop – from educational materials to bestselling leisure reads.
The partnership, which combines Econet’s strong presence across Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Botswana, Lesotho, Ghana, and Uganda, with Snapplify’s award-winning technology and content catalogue, will enable readers to access digital books and educational material with no extra data costs for downloads.
The high cost of data can be a prohibitive barrier to e-reading adoption, holding back digital education infiltration. By removing this data cost, and zero-rating all ebooks and digital educational content, the model offered by Econet will go a long way to making ebooks more accessible and affordable for everyone.
As the largest ebook aggregator in Africa, Snapplify boasts a catalogue of over 240 000 titles from leading publishers, both on the continent and abroad. The partnership will also benefit local publishers, who are invited to join in the project to increase access to digital educational content for schools that are increasingly moving towards digital education in their classrooms.
‘As an African company with an African focus, Snapplify has always worked towards addressing education challenges. Not only does Econet also have a strong education focus, but, like Snapplify, they are specifically interested in practical solutions for common problems, such as access to materials and the high cost of data. We are excited at the opportunity to work with Econet, and as we continue to expand into Africa, we hope this partnership will allow us to reach more readers and improve access to digital educational materials on the continent,’ said Mark Seabrook, Snapplify’s Operations Director.‘
Econet has a long-standing commitment to leverage our reach to impact diverse audiences, and equip them with quality tools and resources for growth and empowerment. It is common knowledge that educational materials are difficult to access across Africa. Econet is passionate about using our strengths and assets to make a sustainable change in this regard, and looks forward to working closely with Snapplify as leaders in our respective industries,’ said Tendai Mashingaidze, Econet’s Education CEO.
Snapplify’s solutions are industry celebrated and globally recognised for their innovation in technology. In 2017, Snapplify was awarded the Educational Award at the 2017 AppsAfrica.com Innovation Awards, nominated for an EduWeek Award, and recognised by the London Stock Exchange Group (LSE) as one of the Companies to Inspire Africa. Snapplify’s award-winning Snappbox – a hardware distribution solution for ebooks – has increased affordable access to digital books where internet connectivity is limited or expensive. South African and Kenyan schools are now using Snapplify’s responsive and interactive e-learning solutions.
Read here about how Snapplify is addressing e-learning challenges in emerging markets.Email education@snapplify.com to chat about your specific needs and how we can work together.We believe that digital learning is the future. Keep up to date with what we’re doing in education by signing up to our South African or Kenyan mailing lists.
