INTERVIEW

There is a huge thirst for education content that is entertaining hence the popularity of TV programmes from companies like Kenya’s Mediae and South Africa’s Soul City. Tanzania’s Ubongo was set up by a group of social entrepreneurs who wanted kids to have fun while learning. Russell Southwood interviews one of the co-founders Nisha Ligon about what her company does.

Where did you get the idea for the company? When did it launch?

Ubongo is a Tanzanian social enterprise that entertains kids to learn and love learning. We produce interactive edutainment and deliver it to African families on the technologies they already have. The idea came from a desire to bring fun, interactive, e-learning-like products to kids in Africa on accessible technologies that they can easily access.

There were a couple of us trying to do similar things in Tanzania, and Ubongo came to life when we found each other. I was working on educational videos and animations teaching math and science, Arnold Minde (CTO) was trying to find a way to deliver educational content via basic mobiles, and Cleng’a Ng’atigwa, Tom Ng’atigwa and Rajab Semtawa were working together to try and create locally produced animations for kids.

We decided to join forces in July 2013, and founded Ubongo.

What are the main learning products you produce?

We have one main learning product right now: Ubongo Kids. It’s an interactive edu-cartoon that teaches math through fun animated stories and catchy original songs. Ubongo Kids broadcasts in Kiswahili on national TV in Tanzania and digital TV across East Africa. Viewers can interact live via SMS while they watch, answering multiple choice questions about what they’ve just watched and receiving feedback from their favorite cartoon characters.

We built the system ourselves and operated it in beta off a mobile phone throughout the first season – and we’re now in talks with the mobile networks to launch a much more comprehensive “Ubongo Mobile” service, which would include on-demand content via SMS, IVR and mobile web for those who have internet enabled devices.

Our first season reached 1.4 million viewers in Tanzania, and it’s currently repeating as we prep season 2, which will cover both math and science topics.

We’re also in early development on a new multi-platform program for preschoolers, which will focus on English and early literacy skills.

Are these in English or Swahili?

Ubongo Kids is currently in Kiswahili, however we’re nearly finished with an English version which will be released in December.

Which age groups are they aimed at?

Ubongo Kids is aimed at 7-12 year olds, however we have much broader viewership than that. 24% of viewers are over 18, since many parents and caretakers watch together with the kids. And we also have high viewership among 6 and unders, which is why we’re making a new series, which will be created specifically for them

How are they delivered? Mobile? Radio? TV?

Currently we broadcast on TV with mobile phone interaction via SMS. We also put all of our videos on YouTube and our website.

We’re about to release our first digital book, and our first DVD’s have arrived. In 2015 we’ll be adding a radio series and an Android app.

What do people pay for them?

We have a freemium model, wherein watching our content on national TV is free to users, subsidized through advertising from our partners CRDB Bank. To watch on digital TV, they pay for packages starting at TZS 10,000 per month ($5.90) to Star Times, which gives them a full package of TV content, including daily broadcasts of Ubongo Kids.

DVD’s cost TZS 3000/= ($1.76) and we’re still trying to find the right price point for premium mobile content, but it will probably be about TZS 200/= ($0.12) per week.

How many customers do you have?

On TBC1 (Tanzania’s national TV station) we’ve had 1.4 million unique viewers since January, and average over 500,000 viewers each Saturday. I don’t yet have the numbers for digital TV, but the potential reach is over a million more households.

Are you selling into other countries? If not, do you have plans to do so?

We currently broadcast Ubongo Kids in Kiswahili in Tanzania (on national TV) and on Star Times in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. We are in talks with TV stations across the continent to broadcast the English version.