BlackRhino VR, a Kenyan XR tech company, has introduced MediAR, an augmented reality (AR) platform tailored for content creators within the creative economy. The primary goal is to leverage extended reality technologies to empower African youth, addressing issues like unemployment, poverty, and the broader developmental challenges facing the continent. MediAR serves as a user-friendly AR cloud editor and publishing platform, simplifying the complex coding process and enabling creators to develop AR content more rapidly.

Brian Afande, CEO of BlackRhino VR, emphasized the critical need to unlock Africa’s creative sector through AR. Afande highlighted the core objectives of their initiative, focusing on empowering the youth as the future innovators and democratizing extended reality technologies. Their aim is not only to provide accessibility to immersive technologies but also to showcase Africa’s innovative solutions for its challenges, dispelling the misconception that Africa solely consumes technology without contributing innovative solutions.

MediAR’s unique revenue-sharing model, based on a pay-per-view service, aims to create a digital ecosystem where content creators and brands can collaborate. BlackRhino VR encourages content creators across Africa to utilize the platform to propel the growth of an internet-based economy. By doing so, they aspire to stimulate job creation, poverty reduction, and overall development within the continent.