Solutions (431)
The move aims to facilitate access to the vaccines in regions where they would otherwise be inaccessible, causing farmers a lot of harm.
Cowtribe is a digital solution developed by a Ghanaian startup. It helps farmers, in rural areas, buy animal vaccines by either dialing a USSD code, sending an SMS, or reaching out to a network of community agents. Since its launch in 2017, the startup behind the solution has raised close to US$1.4 million to support its growth.
When using the solution for the first time, farmers have to register by dialing the dedicated USSD and following the guideline. This is a simple yet effective solution since most Africans are already used to USSD technologies, which they use almost daily to check their airtime balance, buy airtime or carry out mobile money transactions.
In 2018, Cowtribe claimed over 30,000 farmers served in 120 villages, and more than 9,000 vaccine requests processed for over US$100,000 worth of vaccines sold. For Cowtribe co-founder Peter Awin, more efforts need to be made because African farmers are still losing more than US$3 billion to animal diseases.
"While farmers need a constant supply of safe vaccines that could prevent these losses, most of them live in rural and hard-to-reach places outside of the functional delivery radius. […] Providers lack visibility to efficiently coordinate the delivery of services to these farmers. Ultimately, over 70 percent of livestock vaccines manufactured never make it to the farmers who need them most," he said.
This year, the startup is working to reach a million farmers with quality and affordable vaccines. It also plans to expand into the Malian and Burkinabe markets. In 2018, it won the national phase of the Seedstars World competition.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
Mental health is a taboo subject in most African societies. Yet, according to a 2017 report by the World Health Organization, more than 29 million Africans suffer from depression.
Nguvu is an e-health solution developed by a Nigerian startup. It gives users access to mental health experts online.
"Our customers are able to communicate – via text, audio, and video – directly in-app with their therapists and are able to schedule live video sessions with their matched therapists. This is particularly useful at such a time as this, post-pandemic. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have made mental health therapy more important than ever," explained Joshua Koya, Nguvu's co-founder, and CEO, in December 2021.
Users can access the services offered by the e-health startup using either its Android/iOS apps or by visiting its web platform. They can register, pass a test, and eventually get connected to a therapist. They can also choose between video consultations or text therapy. Currently, the Nguvu Android app has been downloaded more than 10,000 times on Playstore.
Let's note that some of the services offered by Nguvu are free. They include for instance free mental health screening. Meanwhile, additional text therapy services cost NGN3,000 (about US$6.5) weekly, NGN10,000 monthly, NGN27,000 quarterly, and NGN100,000 annually. For video therapies, each session cost NGN7,500 while the 4-session bundle costs NGN27,000.
For the time being, Nguvu operates in Nigeria and Kenya and dreams of conquering the world in the coming years. "Our vision is to extensively build tech solutions that revolve around preventing mental disorders from happening and correcting existing disorders," Joshua Koya indicates.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
The solution aims to help users save time and cost in a context marked by accelerated digital transformation.
BuuPass is a tech solution developed by a Kenyan startup. It allows users to buy, air, and train tickets or compare the prices when multiple sellers exist.
For its co-founder Wyclife Omondi (photo, right), "It takes travelers unnecessary time and money to compare platforms while trying to book tickets. With BuuPass digitalization, both challenges are taken care of because we cut costs for users or commuters and reduce administrative overhead for bus operators by offering a fleet and parcel management solution."
The solution has an Android app that enables users to create accounts, access various features, and even pay tickets via mobile money. On PlayStore, the app has already been downloaded more than 10,000 times.
Let's note that Buupas also has an API that enables companies to get listed. Currently, Buupas claims over 9 million bus tickets sold online. Before becoming BuuPass, It was MagicBus Ticketing. Under that name, it won the 2016 Hult Prize Challenge, going home with a US$1 million check.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
Africa's fintech sector has attracted a growing volume of investments in recent years. The investments notably encourage innovation and improve financial inclusion.
APaym is a fintech startup developed by Ivorian tech company Weblogy, founded in 1998. Using QR code technologies, it helps send payments and easily manage funds.
Using its Android and iOS apps, users have to create their APaym accounts and add funds to their accounts via bank cards or mobile money to access its various services. Once they fund their APaym wallets, they can for instance pay their bills without bank cards. All they have to do is to scan the merchant's QR code and the bill will automatically be settled even if the merchant's bank is different from the buyer's.
Thanks to APaym, users can also make fee-free card-to-card transactions, and send funds directly into bank accounts in Africa, Europe, and Asia. They can also send funds to mobile money accounts in Africa or make express transfers (Express Union and Wari).
MTN Côte d'Ivoire's subscribers can use the APaym apps without internet data. The solution also has a USSD code that enables use on feature phones. Currently, the APaym Android app has been downloaded more than 50,000 times on Playstore.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
The Fintech solution was developed to help Kenyan SMEs easily manage their accounting operations at a fraction of the usual costs.
Lipana is a fintech solution developed by a Kenyan startup. It allows Kenyan SMEs to keep their accounts as well as send and receive payments through M-Pesa.
“We saw a need for a cheaper, easier-to-use bookkeeping solution since the existing players include Sage and Quickbooks, which are usually too complicated and expensive for the small business owner to use. Lipana solves this by being the easiest bookkeeping application for small businesses in Kenya,” says Shadrack Apollo, co-founder of Lipana.
The solution has no mobile app. On its web platform, users can register for an account to access the numerous services offered, including sending invoices and quotes, accepting payments, sending invoice reminders, and monitoring the paid, and unpaid invoices. They can also send payments via M-Pesa, bank cards, or any other mobile money or bank account.
Lipana also makes it easy to classify client information, payments, and invoices and monitor company expenses. It charges its users Ksh999 (US$8) monthly, Ksh4,999 per semester and Ksh9,999 per year.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
Agriculture is the main sector in most African countries. Tech entrepreneurs are stepping in to improve living conditions in this vital sector of the concerned economies.
Iwolonet is a digital solution developed by a Cameroonian startup. It is a business space where farmers can showcase their products online to attract buyers.
Via its Android app, farmers can register to access its services. They can also do so via its web platforms.
With their account, they can post their products, see the products posted by other users and connect with buyers and suppliers.
On Playstore, the app has been donloaded more than 10,000 times. Users present on the platform inlcude international companies, cooperatives and associations.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
Masroofi takes tech-enabled financial inclusion to the next level by reducing the age barrier in Egypt. Indeed, while the minimum age required to get a bank card is 16 years, the solution offers a tailored solution for children.
Masroofi is a digital solution developed by an Egyptian startup. It allows children aged between five and fifteen to get virtual payment cards for various transactions. The solution targets closed communities like school sports clubs to enable children to get used to the various digital and cashless solutions around them.
“As parents, many of us struggle with our children having cash in their hands because they are usually unaware of its worth. They either spend irresponsibly or they lose the cash. This is our seamless solution to parents, with regular notifications to parents of their childrens’ spending habits,” says Masroofi co-founder and CEO, Mostafa Abd Elkhabir.
The solution has a mobile app accessible for iOS and Android devices. Using the app, parents can create accounts to request Masroofi cards for their children (for EGP75 or about US$2.72) and load those cards.
The payment cards issued by Masroofi use NFC technology but, they are neither Visa nor Mastercard-branded. On Playstore, the Android version of its app has been downloaded more than 50 times. Despite that low download count, the founders want to add more features to give an improved financial education to children.
“We are considering creating an age-appropriate simulation that features different types of investment to expose children to investment experiences through their mobile application,” Mostafa Abd Elkhabir explains.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
The solution was developed to reduce STIs and STDs among young Africans. It leverages digital tools to raise awareness about issues related to sexual health and rights.
Hello Ado is a digital solution launched, in November 2020, by the Senegalese NGO African Network of Health Education (NGO RAES), UNESCO Dakar, and the National Alliance against AIDS (ANCS). It aims to educate Central and West African youth on sexual and reproductive health and rights and direct them to the health, protection, and support services they may need.
Its Android app has been downloaded more than 10,000 times on Playstore already. It offers audio, video, and written content that answers most of the questions young people are asking themselves nowadays. Once they download the app, they can create their accounts, which allows them to ask questions in a forum when they can't find answers to their concerns.
Apart from the contents available, the app helps locate the nearest health centers where users can discuss sexual health and reproductive issues. Its forum moderators always try to keep everyone focused so that the discussions can always be educational.
Let's note that before launching, the solution underwent a beta testing phase in Mali, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Over 400 young people took part in that phase to improve its functioning before deployment. Additional tests were carried out in Gabon and Cameroon in the first quarter of 2021. Nowadays, Hello Ado is accessible in every Francophone African country.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
In Africa, several cities are faced with rising and persistent insecurity. In South Africa, where the problem is ever-present, a startup has decided to leverage digital tools to address it.
Namola is a digital solution developed by a South African start-up. It allows users to protect themselves and their families. When a Namola user requests assistance for self or a relative, the startup calls “immediately [...] to confirm details and then dispatch help from Namola Communities, Emergency Services or Private Response.”
Its mobile app -available for Android, iOS, and Huawei devices- has a “panic button” that can be pressed to request assistance. The app also sends notifications to members when their relatives safely leave or arrive whenever they are traveling.
The startup uses GPS technologies to locate users or their relatives when there is an issue. It also uses the technologies for advanced monitoring to ensure safety when there are threats or any other situation that may endanger life. With its national network, it can respond wherever the user or relative needing assistance is.
Since its launch, the Android version of the application has been downloaded more than 100,000 times, according to Play Store. Apart from its free plan, it has a paying offer (Namola Plus that cost ZAR59 or US$3.47 monthly) that entitles to the free services and a range of private services for fast responses.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
In recent years, voices against sexual assaults have grown louder worldwide. In that context, to give voice to victims and eventually prevent such acts, Moroccan authorities have set up a digital solution.
Kolonamaak is a support platform developed by Moroccan authorities for women and girls in vulnerable situations. It allows users to "report any abuse or violence suffered by women and girls, and to direct them to the appropriate authorities."
The solution was launched on January 29, 2020, and was set up on the instructions of Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Meryem, President of the National Union of Moroccan Women (UNFM).
Its Android and iOS apps help localize women in case of emergency. They just have to dial 8350 to reach support and get directions on the competent authorities to reach out to.
The solution also helps them get coaching after a major trauma. Among other things, it offers various tips on "employment opportunities, training, business creation or income-generating projects at the local and regional levels.”
Since its launch, the Android version has already been downloaded more than a thousand times on PlayStore.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
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Data security has become a concern in almost every industry with the development of digital tools. In Ghana, a startup has partially tackled the issue with a solution that allows microfinance institutions to build digital trust by letting their customers “know that their money and data are safe.”
Fluid is a digital solution developed by Ghanaian startup Fluid Finance Technologies. It allows microfinance institutions’ field agents to collect data faster and more efficiently.
“With Fluid’s software, Field Agents work faster and create trust with customers. Payment collections and account creation are now fully digital and video-traceable. This allows microfinance customers to know that their money and data are safe with you,” the startup indicates on its website.
Microfinance agents are thus equipped with the software to better perform their fieldwork. To convince potential customers to subscribe to the services offered, the fintech has created educational videos and various educational content to “upskill” both customers and microfinances’ field agents. Also, the solution is designed to be used completely offline to allow field agents to reach remote communities and provide financial services.
In October 2022, Fluid was selected, along with five other Ghanaian startups, to participate in the first cohort of the MEST Express accelerator focused on sustainability.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
The solution facilitates virtual payments and various day-to-day transactions.
Noupia is a fintech solution developed by Cameroonian startup Noupia Limited. It allows users to make online purchases, pay bills online, get paid online, buy cryptocurrencies or make top-ups from telecom operators.
Through its mobile app -Android and iOS, users can sign up for its services. They can for instance instantly top-up their bank cards, pay Netflix subscriptions or for ads on various social networks. They can also connect the solution to their Paypal, Apple Pay or Google Play accounts.
Noupia also integrates a QR code that allows to make payments when they forget their IDs. It also has a feature (Noupia Tip) for users to send tips to content creators to let them “concentrate on the work they're passionate about, without depending solely on advertising revenues.”
The platform also allows users to pay bills at Eneo, Camwater or Canal Plus, to buy Orange, Camtel, Nexttel or MTN airtime. According to Play Store statistics, the Android version of the application has already been downloaded over 50,000 times. The fintech is expanding rapidly and hopes to sustain its growth in Cameroon and the sub-region in the coming months.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
In recent years, a number of fintech solutions have entered the African market. Their aim is to be alternatives for largely under-banked populations.
Cassbana is a fintech solution developed by an Egyptian start-up. It allows small merchants to buy goods from partners and pay in small installments.
"Cassbana is a technology solution that builds financial identities for the underserved communities in Egypt through managing their business needs and building a behavior-based scoring system, making us the future data-based financial advisory collective," the explains on its website.
The solution has an Android app that allows users to create their accounts and access Cassbana’s services. Based on the usage data collected, the startup uses AI and machine learning to customize and improve the services offered to each merchant.
On Playstore, the Android app has been downloaded more than 50,000 times. With the solution attracting a growing number of users, Cassbana founder Haitham Nassar wants to roll out new services to better serve users. In 2021, the startup had already raised US$1 million to support its growth.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
By paying €15 daily, cab drivers can become owners within 48 to 60 months.
Cmontaxi is a digital solution developed by a Senegalese eponymous startup, founded in 2015. It allows cab drivers to become car owners within a given time frame.
"With an average monthly salary of €600, cab drivers] don’t earn enough to be able to access traditional bank loans or the car manufacturers’ leasing packages,” says Aziz Senni, founder and CEO of Cmontaxi.
The package set up by Cmontaxi includes lease-purchase, maintenance, and insurance agreements. Drivers have to pay €15 daily and become owners within 48 and 60 months. The amount is about 10% lower than the price drivers have to pay for other lease-purchase agreements. This is probably why the startup also uses the cabs as advertising media.
Its stated goal is to improve its drivers’ living standards by making transforming them into entrepreneurs, not just cab drivers. "I decided to allow these drivers to become cab owners without upfront payment, give them micro-business management training and help them reduce their insurance and maintenance costs,” Aziz Senni explains.
With its booking platform, the startup allows its drivers to boost their revenues. Cmontaxi also set up "Taxishop", a concept that allows drivers to increase their revenues by offering additional products and services on board their taxis.
Adoni Conrad Quenum