(Ecofin Agency) - US company Apple, which specializes in the design and marketing of consumer electronics products such as personal computers and software, announced on April 21 plans to expand in new emerging markets. App Store, Apple Arcade, Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, and iCloud are now available in 20 new countries, including eight African countries: Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Libya, Morocco, Rwanda, and Zambia.

For the Apple Music service only, access has been extended to 17 African countries, including Chad, Mali, and Benin. Apple says subscribers in these new markets will benefit from a free six-month trial, with locally organized playlists, including Africa Now, Afrobeats Hits, Ghana Bounce, and others.

The new step forward reflects Apple's desire to increase its revenues, particularly in Africa, where Internet and digital content consumption is constantly growing, as estimated by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in October 2019 in its ‘Insights from the entertainment & media outlook: 2019-2023 - An African perspective’ report.