Mobile app development in Ghana
Building separate iOS and Android apps means paying twice and shipping two sets of bugs. React Native and Expo produce both from one codebase, which for almost every Ghanaian business is the right trade: the same money buys a better single app instead of two mediocre ones.
The harder problem is not the platform, it is the conditions. Apps here run on mixed devices, over mobile data that drops, for users who will not tolerate a 40MB download. That shapes what gets built: smaller bundles, flows that resume, and payment steps that cannot be left half-finished.
What that includes
iOS and Android
One codebase, two stores, with the release pipeline set up so shipping an update is routine rather than an event.
Two roles, one app
Where the product needs it, a single build can serve two audiences, such as customers and providers, gated by role at sign-in.
Payments in-app
Paystack and Mobile Money handled server side, with the app never trusted to decide what was paid.
Maps, chat and notifications
Location matching, in-app messaging and push, built as part of the product rather than bolted on.
Where I have done this
Common questions
- Should I build for iOS or Android first in Ghana?
- Android reaches far more people in Ghana, so if you had to pick one, that is it. But with React Native the question mostly goes away: you build once and ship both, and the cost difference between one platform and two is small.
- How do I take Mobile Money payments in an app?
- Through a gateway such as Paystack, initialised on your server rather than in the app, and confirmed by a webhook that your server verifies. The app should never be the thing that decides a payment succeeded, because an app can be tampered with.
- Can you publish the app to the stores for me?
- Yes. Store accounts should be registered in your name, not mine, so you keep control of the listing. I set them up, submit the build, and hand over the pipeline for future releases.