23 August 2019

Google unveiled a dedicated travel mode in Google Maps to provide navigation for motorcycles in Nigeria. It will also be made available in Benin Republic, Ghana, Rwanda, Togo and Uganda

Google has introduced a raft of new products and tools designed to help consumers in Africa and pledged an additional US$4m towards youth development.

The US giant used its Google for Nigeria event to unveil a dedicated travel mode in Google Maps to provide directions and navigation for motorcycles in Nigeria.

It will also be made available in Benin Republic, Ghana, Rwanda, Togo and Uganda.

In addition, Google launched navigation instructions in a Nigerian voice for both motorcycle and car driving modes.

“In the next few months, Google will introduce a new directions experience for Lagos that is optimised for informal transit, bringing Danfo routes into Google Maps,” the firm said in a statement. “To help make it easier to visually explore places in Nigeria, Google is publishing more panoramic imagery on Street View. Starting with imagery of Lagos two years ago, today Google added Street View imagery of Abuja, Benin City, Enugu and Ibadan – with almost 12 thousand kilometres of roads added.”

Furthermore, Google has partnered with the Nigerian government to make an online safety curriculum available to all schoolchildren in the country.

In 2017, the company committed to train 10 million people in Africa on digital skills over five years.

Today, according to the internet giant, four million people have been trained, including 15,000 developers.

“We hope that the products and updates we’re announcing today will make Google even more helpful for fuelling people’s hustles and getting things done,” said Google Nigeria country director Juliet Ehimaun Chiazor. “We remain committed to bringing the transformational power of technology to everyone in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.”