There are many video streaming services in America, Europe and Asia, but few cater specifically for the African market. Fortunately, that is gradually changing with the emergence of original African video streaming services and the latest of such services is called WURA.

WURA is a service created and run by Nigerian native Mike Ojo, who is based in New York. The service exclusively features African and Latin short and feature films and documentaries created to cater to African viewers on the continent and abroad.

Mike created WURA with the aim of delivering content that would be easily accessible and as cost-effective as possible. “I saw a bigger market for something that would cater to Africans, especially in the West, because we lack that type of content here [America] and the cable companies charge you a fortune to get access to things like that. WURA can be streamed anywhere on mobile, online and on TV via Roku. Subscribers only pay $3.99 (around R40) a month and they get to try the service for free for the first month,” Mike says.

There are no contracts binding subscribers, so you can cancel your subscription whenever you wish.

WURA not only provides entertainment, but also gives upcoming film makers the platform to get their work noticed. You don’t have to be Steven Spielberg or Anant Singh to have your film or documentary featured on WURA, anyone’s films can be featured, whether by a professional or amateur, as long as it’s well produced and it depicts African, Urban or Latin culture. Film makers are also paid an upfront licencing fee as a form of revenue for having their films featured on the service.

WURA is currently available worldwide and Mike says he is still waiting for it to be approved on Roku in the US, UK and Canada

“We’re planning to expand and make ourselves available on several other mobile devices in the near future. to build a much bigger library of videos and movies in the coming months. We also want to build a much bigger library of videos and movies in the coming months and secure more funding for WURA in order to make significant dent in the video streaming market.” he explains.

Can WURA go up against strong competitors in the African market like iRoko TV and DoBox who are hugely popular in various parts of the continent? Mike is confident that it will and that its popularity will surpass the borders of Africa.