Nigerian Teen Tech Whizzes Create an Amazing New Mobile Web Browser

Anesi and Osine Ikhianosime, two teenage brothers living in Lagos, Nigeria, aren’t much different from teens living in the U.S. They enjoy surfing the Internet and interacting with their friends on social media just like most other teenagers.

What sets these two apart from others their age, however, is the fact that they took their love of the web one step further — by developing their very own mobile web browser, Crocodile Browser Lite.

According to the Malaysian Star, Anesi and Osine decided to create a new web browser after feeling frustrated with the functionality of popular mobile web browsers in use today. The brothers taught themselves how to code when they were 12 and 14, respectively, entirely through free online coding resources and books.

“I had like a small phone at the time when we started learning how to code, and Google Chrome was like the main browser on the phone,” Anesi said. “It wasn’t really functional for me, so I decided to make something that can work for myself.”

Crocodile Browser Lite, which has been downloaded more than 40,000 times via Google Play, is touted as a faster browser than Google Chrome. The browser is also compatible with the lower-end phones commonly found across Africa. With more than 50% of web users now primarily surfing the web with their phones, a more mobile-friendly browser is hugely in demand.

Since unveiling the Crocodile Browser Lite, Anesi and Osine have garnered international attention. Pulse.ng reports that the two have been featured on the BBC and even earned recognition from Marc Andreessen, co-creator of the first widely-used mobile browser.

Despite their burgeoning fame, the brothers maintain they’re just normal teenagers.

“They see me as this smart billionaire entrepreneur kid, not knowing I don’t make any money from this and I’m just the same as they are,” Osine said. “There’s nothing special about me.”

The Malaysian Star reports that Anesi and Osine intend to make further improvements to their browser and hope to use their passion to fuel the IT industry throughout Nigeria.

“I just want to solve problems that people have, to make people’s life easier and better,” Osine said.