Have you tried accessing a web application only to be told that it is not available in your country?
This is a common occurrence in Africa when it comes to access of online services. Before 2010, i had to go through alot of hustle to both pay and access any online service.
What individuals living in Europe got within minutes could at times take me a day or more to get done.
Most innovations are made mainly for the Market in Europe and North America, leaving out Africa and sometimes Asia.
It is because of this that there has been a birthing of innovations across Africa to fill the void left by other innovators.
Enter Mobile Money
Mobile money came as a life savor to many, what Banks had failed to do in years was made possible by Mobile money. There was instant Money Transfer even across borders. At the moment, there are more Mobile Money accounts than Bank accounts in 9 Countries across Africa, and the number appears to grow.
The entry of Mobile money was just the beginning of innovation in Africa. It has been integrated into web technology, which has made it possible to even pay for online services.
Services like Jumia have steadily been growing because of the ease with which one can pay.
Remit.ug enables individuals who are overseas to send money to relatives and friends from their Visa Debit/Credit cards and it will be deposited directly on their Mobile Money accounts in Uganda.
Service providers are making sure they add the option, lest they loose out. At the moment, you can pay all your service bills wherever you are using your Mobile Phone.
The Future
The innovations sprouting out of Africa can not all be listed here, but it is important to note that if you want to tap into the African Market, two things need to be considered.
The first thing to note is that Mobile is the easiest form of communication in Africa, If the service can be accessed on a Mobile phone with ease, that is the first step to tapping into the Market.
Secondly, add Mobile Money payments option. This needs no explanation, if there are Mobile money accounts compared to Bank accounts in Nine countries at the moment, then it is worth the investment.
