SOLO is a mobile device company that provides experience-driven, end-to-end digital content and services on mobile device. Apart from offering users all the usual great features that comes with from an Android smartphone, each SOLO device offers users free unlimited access to over 20 million local and international songs straight out of the box, via the built-in SOLO Music platform.
Solo phone was introduced to the Nigeria mobile market in November 2013, a company co-founded by a Nigerian named Michael Akindele. He was recently featured in an interview by Forbes magazine contributor Mfonobong Nsehe, here are some of the excerpts.
Michael Akindele was born in Washington DC by his Nigerian parents in 1984, the family returned to Nigeria when he was at the tender age 2 and after spending 10 years in city of Ibadan, Oyo State. The family moved back to the United State at a time he was 12years. He continued his education in the US, receiving a degree in engineering with focus on Computer Science and Information Technology from George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia.
Before he ventured into mobile telephone and application, Michael Akindele has been involved in business mentoring while he worked at Accenture in the US.
Michael gained valuable professional experience from being a technology analyst with Accenture. While he was at Accenture he started working on a project called ‘THE APPRENTICE’.
He returned to Nigeria in January 2007 there he was part of a team that developed, produced and distributed the 18-weeks reality show: The Apprentice which had a strong impact in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. On how innovation could help reduce poverty in Africa, the entrepreneur says, ‘Wealth is in the mind not pockets’.
Talking about the innovation philosophy of the company, Mr Akindele said; “Innovation is everything at SOLO. We live and survive by it. Everyday we ask ourselves: how can we do what we do better? Without that core premise we would be where we are today”.
He further stated that SOLO aims to provide the best content and services to the African consumer at an affordable price. The company manufactures smartphones priced at $150, bundled with free music of up to 20 million songs licensed from Sony, Universal and Warner. SOLO also recently launched a video-On-Demand Application available to all Android devices in Nigeria which offers the latest Nollywood and Hollywood movies from global movie studios.
On What’s next for SOLO? He further revealed that the company had recently launched a co-branded affordable smartphone with Airtel Nigeria bundled with SOLO music and movies offering, stressing that the SOLO will continue to deepen its relationship with Operator partners in delivering the best content and services to consumers in emerging markets.
