YouVersion launched its Kenya hub to facilitate localized content for the YouVersion app, which boasts more than 1 billion downloads across its family of apps. The Kenya hub, launched on Feb. 23, is expected to increase local content on the app, making it more relevant to the region.
Speaking to Christian Daily International on the sidelines of the launch, YouVersion CEO and founder Bobby Gruenewald said it is necessary to build strong relationships that help contextualize the app experience in specific regions.
“And so we realized quite some time ago that we were going to one day need to have offices and people placed in different parts of the world. We felt like that day had come,” he said.
Gruenewald said the organization began launching regional hubs more than a year ago, starting in Brazil and Mexico City, followed by Australia. The expansion has now moved to Africa, with hubs in Kenya and South Africa, and plans to expand to Europe.
He said the hubs will help build strong relationships with churches and content providers in each region and ensure the app offers the most relevant content.
Kenya is notable in its use of the app, according to Gruenewald. The country accounts for 19 million installs and about 3 million active monthly users, signaling strong adoption.
“We're actually not here tonight to start something. We're really here to serve something that God has already been doing in this country. The Christian faith has been a part of this continent for 2,000 years, shaped and led by Africans from the very beginning,” Gruenewald said during his keynote address at the launch in Nairobi.
Gruenewald said Africa’s rapid growth in digital Bible engagement reflects a long-standing spiritual foundation that is now accelerating.
“What we're seeing today is potentially an acceleration of something with deep, deep roots,” he said.
The growth trend extends beyond Kenya. In Nigeria, the app has surpassed 40 million installs, with a 42% increase in daily engagement. Ethiopia is approaching 5 million installs, recording a 94% rise in daily use over the same period.
He noted that momentum is strong across multiple African countries. South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria currently rank among the top countries globally for daily Bible engagement — not just in Africa, but worldwide.
“Some people have predicted that Africa would become the center of global Christianity. From what we're seeing, I think it already is,” he said.
“That brings more responsibility for ensuring that God's Word is central to that growth. And Kenya holds a special place in this story for us.”
Kenya’s First Lady, Rachael Ruto, welcomed the opening of the Kenya hub, saying it would bring hope to families, especially young people.
“Today, the Word of God travels at the speed of light through the internet. It reaches families. It reaches a student before an exam. It reaches us where we are,” she said. “As a wife, a mother and a leader, I understand the importance of faith in strengthening families. When families are firmly grounded, they build resilience.”
She expressed her belief that the Kenya hub will have an impact beyond the country’s borders and transform lives across the continent.
Beyond content development, the team’s local expertise plays a key role in how YouVersion delivers its services across Africa.
According to YouVersion, the realities facing users — including high data costs and limited connectivity in rural areas, led to the development of Bible App Lite, a version designed for limited phone storage and offline use. Since 2022, insights from African communities have helped shape the app’s features, with those improvements now benefiting users globally who face similar technological constraints.
Access to Scripture in local languages has also been a central focus. The Bible App offers content in nearly 2,400 languages worldwide, including Swahili, Afrikaans, Xhosa, Zulu and other African languages.
The organization says this commitment extends to children through Bible App for Kids, which is available in Afrikaans and Swahili. The app uses interactive animations and activities to help young users engage with Scripture in their heart language.
All YouVersion apps are free to download and use, a move the organization says is intended to remove financial barriers to accessing the Bible.
