Retail business is the most popular activity in Africa. However, the daily management of the transactions carried out by such shops can prove difficult for owners. Weebi, a Senegalese startup wants to ward off those difficulties.  

Weebi is a fintech solution launched in 2015, by an eponymous Senegalese startup. It is a multilingual tool that allows users (retail businesses mostly) to manage sales, supplies, payables, and receivables. 

The solution was launched because “we noticed that merchants needed tools to efficiently and transparently manage their cash register,” indicates Cheikh Sene, one of Weebi's co-founders.

“Weebi streamlines commercial exchanges. It helps manage the cash register and clients’ transactions securely and fairly. Weebi ends disputes involving clients’ transaction history,”  added Kande Diaby, another co-founder. 

The solution is delivered to users as a kit composed of a tablet computer and a printer. Using the dedicated tablet, Weebi’s paid users can create separate sheets for each of their clients. On the sheets, clients’ purchases can be listed and the type of transaction (paid in cash or on credit). 

Weebi also allows its users’ clients to load dedicated wallets that can be debited for each transaction made. In case of problems, the startup’s team is usually available to go on the ground to assist merchants.  For paying users, its subscription ranges from XOF99,900 and XOF149,000 for a computer tablet, an anti-theft device, a printer, and the bookkeeping app. 

The solution has won several awards since its launch. These include the Digital Innovation Award in January 2017 (Tigo / Reach for Change), the Digital Africa Challenge in 2017 (French Development Agency / BPIFrance), and the Arbre à Palabre hackathon in December 2017 in Abidjan (Société Générale). In the coming years, its developers intend to deploy it in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Gabon, Angola, and Ethiopia.

Adoni Conrad Quenum