Solutions (581)
Access to justice is sometimes challenging for some individuals because of a lack of financial resources and information. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a legaltech startup is making it easy and affordable thanks to technologies.
Eve JusticeBot is a digital solution developed by Congolese legaltech startup Justice Chatbot Limited, founded in 2019. It offers free legal help to individuals and connects them to legal professionals through a chatbot, available 24/7.
The digital solution is accessible on the startup’s dedicated platform or via Facebook Messenger. Apart from connecting individuals to legal service providers, it offers free information on every legal aspect. It also helps secure legal documents.
To access the digital solution via Facebook Messenger, users just have to search Eve JusticeBot on Messenger and send a message to start a conversation with the AI chatbot.
Justice Chatbot Limited claims more than 23,634 requests processed and some fifteen legal providers recommended. In addition, it received over 591 kudos from users. The figures prove that “the startup is committed to improving access to justice, notably for individuals without the financial resources required to access legal instruments.”
The startup also offers legal professionals the opportunity to join its cause. To do so, they can submit their applications to join Eve JusticeBot as legal professionals. After a compulsory review -to keep a certain standard-, they can join the pool of legal advisers on the platform.
Eve JusticeBot is among the 43 African startups that will participate in the French Development Agency’s Social & Inclusive Business Camp (SIBC). It will therefore benefit from training, mentorship, and peer exchange. It will also have the opportunity to meet potential investors.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
The solution was developed to reduce the 50 million tons of greenhouse gas emitted yearly by cars seeking parking spaces.
Garini is a smart parking solution developed by an eponymous Algerian startup. It allows users to remotely book parking spaces in major cities in Algeria. The startup behind the solution was founded in 2017, by Nadir Kassoul and two of his friends. The aim was to “connect urban mobility actors with drivers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or the stress of looking for a parking space,” Nadir Kassoul explains.
The solution has a mobile app, available for Android and iOS devices. Using that app, Garini clients can register an account and subscribe to various bundles. They can also notify the startup when they free parking space to allow another user to be directed to that space.
Currently, the startup is active in Oran and Algiers. To acquire enough parking spaces for its clients, it negotiates with businesses and individuals (hotels, residences, business centers, etc,) that have unused parking spaces. “The spaces dedicated to Garini users are sometimes grouped on a parking building’s storey or a dedicated spot. Those spaces are always signaled by a signpost or similar indications inside and outside the buildings,” the platform explains.
Users can book Garini parking spaces for one hour, day, or month. To reduce the financial burden on its users who book the spaces for months, Garini has dedicated bundles.
In December 2021, the startup was one of the winners of the third edition of the Algeria Startup Challenge. This year, it is among the 43 African startups that will participate in the French Development Agency’s inclusive Business Camp. In November 2022, it will also participate in the Emerging Valley summit in Marseille, France. Its ambition is to conquer the Algerian market before going continental.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
Guaranteeing quality education to children is probably the ambition most common to parents worldwide. However, the task can be challenging without access to the right information. In Nigeria, an edtech startup wants to assist in the process.
Edusko is a digital solution developed by Nigerian startup Edusko Africa founded in 2017. It is an education marketplace that lists and rates educational institutions, allowing parents to make “informed decisions.” By founding Edusko Africa, the two co-founders -Jide Ayegbusi and Bukola Owobello- wanted to set up a platform to help parents provide decent and affordable education to their children.
Thanks to the platform, “schools recruit more than 70 percent of their students with less than 10 percent of their marketing budget on our platform. Parents get as much as a 40 percent school fees discount, and can access low-interest education loans and stationery with ease,” Jide Ayegbusi indicates.
To access its services, the parents or guardians need to create an account by providing some personal information including their name, surname, email, and phone number. With its search bar, the platform allows parents to filter educational institutions depending on their desired criteria. It also helps users access financial support, whose interest is one of its income sources.
Edusko Africa currently claims partnerships with over 4,500 private schools while more than 50,000 parents in Nigeria’s 36 states have used the digital platform to select a school for their children. It also claims to have already collected over $150,000 in equity and grants. For the time being, the startup operates in Nigeria but, it intends to scale to other parts of the African continent, including Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, and Egypt, in the next five years.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
The solution is attracting a growing number of users in the local market, showing how AG Partners Africa was right when, in 2021, it selected Pozi among one of the promising African IoT and SaaS startups.
Pozi is a tracking solution developed by a Gabonese eponymous startup launched in November 2020. It allows car owners and fleet managers to track their vehicles in real time.
The solution is accessible through web and mobile apps -the mobile app is available for Android and iOS users- and requires registration. After registration, new users have to arrange a meeting with Pozi staff for the installation of the tracking device. That tracking device must be installed on every car or vehicle in a said fleet.
"Pozi analyzes the performance of your movements and identifies risks and opportunities related to operations on all your vehicles (fuel economy, mastery of traffic timetables, etc.)," the Gabonese startup informs on its website.
Pozi also notifies car owners or fleet managers of drivers’ risky behaviors, therefore contributing to the improvement of their driving habits. In addition, it allows real-time monitoring of drivers’ activities (mileage, time in traffic) or the routes and areas most visited by a said vehicle.
The services can be accessed with free, monthly, or yearly subscriptions. Its Smart and Genius subscriptions cost respectively XAF25,000 (US$37.88) and XAF35,000 per vehicle. For paying users, there is a one-time fee of XAF15,000 for the installation of tracking devices (called Pozi Connect).
In April 2022, Pozi crossed the bar of 500 active users. By 2024, the startup hopes it would become the tracking leader in Gabon. It also plans to conquer Africa by 2030.
“Crossing the 500-vehicle milestone marks the beginning of a new growth stage for our startup. Our ambitions are bold but we believe that we will achieve them thanks to our ability to focus on user satisfaction daily,” explains Pozi co-founder Loïc Kapitho.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
In Africa, access to some financial services is always challenging. However, with new technologies, entrepreneurs are stepping in to offer interesting alternatives.
Chapa is a fintech solution developed by Ethiopian startup Chapa Financial Technologies S.C, founded in 2020. It provides an API gateway enabling Ethiopian businesses and organizations to accept online payments and receive the payments directly in their local bank accounts within 24 hours.
“Chapa’s mission is to empower Ethiopian entrepreneurs and businesses to thrive in the global economy. This launch formally establishes our entry into Ethiopia’s financial sector, and we look forward to expanding our fingerprint on the development of the digital ecosystem across East Africa in phase two, and the rest of Africa in phase three,” says Chapa Financial’s co-founder and CEO, Nael Hailemariam (photo, left).
To access its services, businesses or organizations have to create accounts by providing the usual information line: name surname, business name, etc. Chapa collects 3.5% of every national transaction processed and 1% of the international ones. Its clients pay nothing for API integration or maintenance.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
In Africa, last-mile delivery services are gaining momentum with fierce competition from entrepreneurs set to control main cities on the continent.
Mapha is a digital solution developed by South African startup Mapha Logistics, founded in 2017. It enables businesses located in urban and peri-urban areas to deliver to their customers.
“Mapha uses an interactive mobile-based application to operate in the township whilst also using bicycles as a mode of transportation to support ESG goals set by the company and the country at large,” the South African startup explains.
According to Tshidiso Vatsha, one of the co-founders of Mapha Logistics, “through Mapha’s interactive platform, users are now able to order goods from any retailer they wish, not only limiting the scope to perishable items such as food.”
Its services are accessible through a mobile app available for Android and iOS devices. The app allows users to create an account with Mapha to either become a courier or a merchant.
By becoming a Mapha partner merchant, businesses can reach a broad customer base, therefore generating more revenues.
To date, Mapha claims 10,778 deliveries, 312 couriers and merchants, with an average of 116 new users creating accounts every day. It was selected as one of 60 startups in the second cohort of the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund in Africa entitling it to a share of $4 million grant. In 2021, it was one of the ten South African startups selected for the AlphaCode Incubate program, winning a $10,000 grant.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
African tech entrepreneurs are developing solutions to ease daily business tasks. In Kenya, a fintech solution has been developed to help merchants operating in the informal sector with their bookkeeping tasks.
Leja is a fintech solution developed by Kenyan startup Asilimia. It allows merchants operating in the informal sector to record their cash inflows and outflows.
“I use it to write down my statements. Sometimes my supplier calls me to find out how much products he sold me two or three weeks ago. Thanks to Asilimia, it's easy, I go to the app and I find the transaction. [...] Before, I had to write everything down in a notebook, but it's easy to lose it. While these readings are important, it allows me to see at the end of each month whether I am selling at a loss or making a profit,” indicated Judy Achieng, a Leja user.
The solution has an Android app that allows merchants to record their transactions. Leja integrates M-Pesa, the popular mobile money wallet in Kenya. Asilimia also plans to add other mobile money providers as well as banks to enable merchants to collect payments.
To use the Leja app, merchants must create an account by filling some personal information. The process is crucial because merchants can access microloans through Leja as microfinance institutions and banks can monitor the evolution of users’ businesses.
In Kenya, Asilimia claims more than 50,000 people are using Leja. It also plans to roll out a USSD Code to enable access to its services for rural populations.
Its services cost US$3.5 monthly. Since its creation in 2017, it has raised nearly US$2.5 million to support its development. This year, it is one of the startups selected for the second cohort of the Google for Startups Black Founders Fund for Africa.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
Sending funds home has always proven difficult for the African diaspora. To address the situation, a Senegelase startup is offering an interesting alternative to the already existing means.
Cauri Money is a fintech solution developed by an eponymous Senegalese startup, founded in 2021. It allows users, the African diaspora notably, to transfer funds at affordable rates.
The solution has a mobile app, which allows Android and iOS users to access its services. Before accessing its services, users must first register accounts by providing a set of personal data.
After the usual checks, they can start making international transfers through the solution, whose customer support is accessible to even those who speak local languages. In partnership with Paynetics AD, a Bulgaria-based banking platform provider specializing in B2B payments, Cauri Money can create payment accounts and provide MasterCard bank cards to its customers.
In 2020, the startup stated its ambition to reach over ten thousand users by the end of 2021. However, it is still struggling to build a significant user base and, according to Playstore data, its Android app has been downloaded by just over 100 users, as of publication date. The startup nevertheless eyes markets like Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, and Nigeria. To support its growth, it has raised some US$350,000 since its inception.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
The coronavirus pandemic demonstrated the crucial role of digital tools in every sector of the economy. An Ivorian entrepreneur has decided to use those tools to improve the income of informal workers.
Jevebara is a digital solution launched by Ivorian start-up CogIT Business, this year. It allows informal workers to find work and boost their income.
“Our goal was to develop a solution that would help us in our daily businesses, allow everyone to find workers but also enable ‘grouilleurs’ [Ivorian slang for starters, ed. note] to prosper,” indicated CogIT founder, Louis Omgba.
The solution has a mobile app available for Android devices only. Through the app, a user can register either as a job provider or an informal worker by following dedicated steps. Once registered, job providers can post jobs and workers can select the jobs they want. The startup acts like a middleman with an escrow account, which releases the payment to the worker, once the job performed is validated. When the payment is released, the worker can then withdraw via Orange Money, MTN Mobile Money or Wave Money. Since its launch on August 27, 2022, the Jevebara Android app has been downloaded more than a thousand times with a rating score of 4.6 out of 5.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
The Nigerian tech ecosystem has been thriving for years now, with solutions designed to make life easier for users in urban regions mostly, given the internet access inequality.
Chowdeck is a digital solution developed by a Nigerian eponymous startup founded in 2021 by Femi Aluko, Olumide Ojo, and Lanre Yusuf. It allows users to order meals from their favorite restaurants and get them delivered fast.
The solution has a mobile app, accessible on Android and iOS. To access Chowdeck services, users have to create an account by providing an email, a phone number, and a password. Once validated, the user can start ordering from the restaurants listed on the platform and get them delivered within 30 minutes. They can order African, Western, and Oriental foods. To allow them more choices, the startup is constantly looking for new restaurants to add to its base.
While it helps users get foods delivered fast, it also helps restaurants reach a broader audience, therefore increasing their revenues. The startup, which claims to have delivered 80,000 meals in the first half of 2022, has been selected to participate in the 2022 summer cohort of Y Combinator. The selection entitles it to up to US$500,000 financing from Y Combinator and access to an investor network that could support its expansion.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
More...
Thanks to technology, interesting solutions are being offered in virtually every sector. The objective of most of these solutions is to ease certain tasks.
Sendoff is a digital solution developed by an eponymous South African startup, founded in 2020. It allows users arrange loved ones’ funerals from the deathbed to the burial site.
"The idea struck me when I had to help with a family funeral, it was such a traumatic experience that I thought to myself there has got to be a way to do this differently and simply," Zolani Matebese told Connecting Africa.
Besides its web platform, the solution has a mobile app (available for Android and iOS devices) allowing users to ensure proper funeral preparation with just a few clicks. Pickups, memorial services, and casquet or urn selection are some of the services Sendoff can assist with. It can also help users when a person dies in town and has to be buried in a village.
To be more efficient Sendoff has partnered with many institutions. "What started as a simple funeral app is becoming a funeral platform, a one-stop shop for funerals,” Zolani Matebese indicates.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
Thanks to online stores, people can sell their products to more people than they could with conventional methods. Vangovango wants to capitalize on this opportunity to showcase Malagasy ancestral bracelets and jewelry.
Vangovango is an e-commerce platform developed by Malagasy jewelry store Vangovango Gasy, founded in 2018 by Diana Chamia Anjarasao. It allows artisans to sell ancestral Malagasy jewelry made of noble materials.
“Vangovango Gasy was born out of the desire to showcase the Malagasy ancestral bracelet. However, the adventure led us to offer other types of jewelry (necklaces, rings, etc) besides bracelets. My initial goal was to offer a modernized Vangovango. The old style of VangoVango is fine and we do list those types on our online store but, we believed that it was necessary to offer new styles to distinguish ourselves. [...] I am lucky I know how to draw and I am also creative. I generate ideas from my life and my surroundings. Sometimes, I visit museums and attend garage sales in Latin Quarter [in Paris] to hunt for creative ideas. I also visit Maisons-Laffitte and charm sellers at the Diego Suarez market,” indicates Diana Chamia Anjarasoa.
The ecommerce platform showcases pictures of gold, silver, or Sapphire jewelry made by Malagasy artisans. To buy from Vangovango, users need to register on the platform. Let’s note that delivery is free for purchases worth more than €50. Also, the store’s delivery deadlines are a bit long. Depending on the geographic area, it can go from three to sixteen days.
Buyers can pay for their order via numerous means, including Paypal or bank transfer. There is also the option to buy and pay by installments (four installments overall). In 2022, Diana Chamia was selected among the Africa Business Heroes’ top 50 heroes.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
Thanks to the technological revolution, the African delivery sector is more dynamic than ever and local entrepreneurs are developing more solutions to help residents and businesses.
Boxconn is a digital solution developed by an eponymous Ghanaian startup. It handles first and last-mile delivery, enabling businesses to quickly deliver their orders.
The startup, which developed the solution, was founded in 2020 by Emmanuel Asamoah, Hafeez Babatunde, Ibrahima Mounkoro, and Nimrod Kgosimore. Since its launch, it has raised US$100,000 to upgrade its solution and expand to additional markets. According to its co-founder Emmanuel Asamoah, Boxconn was founded because the team “realized that businesses needed a central platform to manage all their logistics while getting delivery orders through their very own channels.”
The solution saves businesses of all sizes “a lot [more than US$100,000 per company figures] and helps them build stronger relationships with their clients,” he adds.
Boxconn connects businesses and motorcycle dispatch riders, delivery vans, and cars. It offers 24/7 support, insurance for each delivery booked through its platform until they arrive at their destination, and live delivery updates. Currently, it claims more than 30,000 deliveries processed for 120 businesses.
To improve its services, the startup plans to introduce drone services. For that purpose, it has initiated discussions with potential partners. Boxconn is already active in Nigeria and Botswana. It also plans to enter Mali and add morwe African markets by 2023.
Adoni Conrad Quenum
In recent years, African tech entrepreneurs have developed several digital tools to help businesses reach their full potential. This is the case of Kenyan startup Boya which has developed an interesting solution that helps businesses track employee expenditures.
Boya is a fintech solution developed by a Kenyan firm Boya Inc. It allows businesses to issue Visa expense cards and track the expenditures made from those cards via its web and mobile (Android and iOS) apps.
In addition to giving businesses a real-time overview of employee spending and allowing them to quickly activate or deactivate expense cards, the fintech solution offers instant overdraft when needed. The overdraft limit increases proportionally to the transactions made by requesters through Boya.
To quickly address client issues, Boya Inc, which was founded in 2019, has a 24/7 support service for Boya users.
Let’s note that the Kenyan startup has been selected to participate in the 2022 Winter cohort of Californian accelerator Y Combinator. The program is an opportunity for Boya to find additional capital besides the financing it will receive from Y Combinator.
Adoni Conrad Quenum