Nigerian startup Korfaw Industries has created an emergency app called NauNau SOS, which allows users to send an SOS to five pre-selected contacts along with a 15-second video, GPS location and custom message during an emergency.
NauNau SOS App is available in Nigeria and Ghana on Google PlayStore, and also available in other countries including the United States (US) and Canada.
The app has been in the making since 2019, and was finally launched in April 2023. Self-funded by founder Kozy Fa, the app is designed to fulfill the role 911 fills in the US, or 999 in the United Kingdom (UK).
“In Nigeria, getting reliable help during an emergency is almost unattainable. Hence the EndSARS movement a couple of years ago. So it just dawned on me that since we were already glued to our phones, we can also use it as a tool for help during an emergency,” Fa told Disrupt Africa.
“This is a very foreign concept to a green space. Yes, people use Instagram and Twitter, and they sort of know to send their location during an emergency, but to use a separate app that is dedicated to calling for help? That will take a lot of sensitisation and education. So it has been a lot of information sharing about the use of the app and its features.”
Currently operating in Nigeria, Fa aims to expand NauNau SOS across Africa.
“It’s a simple and necessary app and doesn’t require too much to expand to other countries,” she said.
