The Tunisian team topped the Global Mobile App Challenge that took place following the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
The competition, supported by Ooredoo, saw a total of 24 teams from 18 countries competing. An impressive seven teams from the Arab world took part, representing the highest proportion of MENA entrants in the event’s history.
In all, 16 teams got through the semifinals and pitched at the Finals, including three teams from Kuwait, Algeria and Tunisia. The team awarded first place at the Global challenge was the Tunisian team, which qualified for the competition via the Arab Mobile App Challenge.
The winning “Hero from The Past” mobile app is an educational gaming platform, which used an engaging story to teach children about environmental responsibilities. It offered a feature that enables players to bring wearable technology and books into the game, by sliding the items on the back of their smartphone.
“Ooredoo believes in supporting the digital lifestyles of our customers, and young developers like the ones who took part in this contest are leading the way in developing innovative apps that appeal to local audiences. Ooredoo will continue to nurture young talent by supporting contests like the Arab Mobile App Challenge, because we want to fuel the aspirations of the young developers, and enrich the lives of their potential audiences across our global footprint,” commented Dr. Nasser Marafih, Group CEO, Ooredoo.
In the run-up to the Global Mobile App Challenge, Ooredoo and the Applied Innovation Institute organised acceleration day events in Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon, Algeria, Tunisia, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as the AMAC Regional finals, held in Dubai in January 2015.
Ooredoo supports a large portfolio of youth entrepreneurial initiatives across its footprint, and is a founding partner of the Arab Mobile App Challenge. The programme aims to introduce and educate young people about entrepreneurship and the path to launching a start-up, as well as enhancing their business skills and design abilities.