A young Egyptian entrepreneur has created a mobile app to promote use of the Nubian languages and offer a way for both Nubians and non-Nubians to learn about the region’s culture and heritage.

Software programmer Momen Talosh kick-started his app Nubi in February after realizing how many young Nubians do not know their heritage languages.

“I was once sitting with my young cousin and he was holding his tablet. I was trying to teach him some Nubian words. But he did not pay much attention to me. He was concentrating on things he was doing on his tablet,” Talosh told Al-Monitor. “At that moment, I decided to launch a mobile application that can teach Nubian to as many young people as possible,” he added.

The way to young Nubians was through their mobile devices, he concluded. According to a monthly report released by the Egyptian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the number of mobile phone subscribers in Egypt totaled 98.8 million in February 2017, compared to 94.6 million in the same month last year. Mobile penetration, meanwhile, hit 110% in February 2017, compared to 107.7% in the same month the year before, according to the ministry.