Global mobile advertising network InMobi has appointed Isis Nyong'o as Africa VP and MD.
“Nyong'o has come on board to drive InMobi's African business strategy, facilitating the expansion of the company's continental base,” says the network.
She previously led Google's business development initiatives in Africa, where she specialised in mobile partnerships and was responsible for the development of Google's Africa content strategy.
Growing Africa
The company recently announced that mobile advertising impressions grew 19% in Africa over 90 days, according to its research network report.
The report says increased mobile Internet adoption delivered over 520 million new monthly impressions.
“Africa continues to be a major market in the global mobile ad ecosystem. It's clear Africans are increasingly connecting to the Internet via their mobile phone. It will be interesting to keep an eye on this market as smartphone penetration increases,” says James Lamberti, VP of global research and marketing at InMobi.
Content challenge
Nyong'o says the move is a natural next step for her because of the opportunity to build a scalable mobile business in Africa.
“This continent has the fastest growing mobile phone market in the world. If you combine this with the fact that more Africans access the Internet from mobiles than any other platform, it means the market for mobile advertising is set for strong levels of growth.”
She adds that the availability of local content for use on mobile platforms is still a challenge, but the mobile advertising industry will succeed in fostering a stronger content development focus on the continent.
Prior to her role at Google, Nyong'o drove the launch of MTV Networks in Africa where she was responsible for commercial relationships, including distribution and sales, according to InMobi.
She also developed the marketing strategy for Kenya's first online recruitment service, MyJobsEye.
Nyong'o takes over from Stephen Newton, who recently left the company to pursue other opportunities.
Related story:
African mobile advertising soars
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