Tech

Ghana’s agrotech startup, FLUID, launches platform to help small scale farmers access to credit

Published

2 years ago

February 4, 2023

Ghana’s agrotech startup, FLUID, has successfully launched a new platform that will help small scale farmers access to loans, according to founder and CEO, Moustapha Seck.

Founded in January, 2020, to give fillip to local farmers who had no access to loan and credit facilities, Seck said the company has already signed a 12-month contract with a local bank to provide financing to 25,000 farmers in Northern Ghana.

“We penetrated the Ghanaian financial industry through research first. In October 2020, we partnered with 29 financial institutions to study the challenges in the rural banking space,” Seck said while announcing the launch of the platform.

“Through this engagement, we developed FLUID SafeSusu, a mobile application to create bank accounts and track savings deposits in rural areas without connectivity,” Seck, who left his job at the Canadian investment fund, Clearco, to pursue his goal of helping the poorest Africans access financial services, said.

He added that the FLUID SafeSusu platform has piloted with four banks and connected 26,000 bank accounts to its platform, with an investment fund base of $200,000 in savings deposits.

“Our research led us to discover that half of Ghanaians work in agriculture, but only 4.6 per cent of loans go to farming. This disparity leaves close to 12.5 million smallholders farmers in Ghana financially excluded.”

“While banks use many different technology providers to be closer to the field, only FLUID and AgroCenta, to our knowledge, focus on the huge market of smallholder financing. FLUID stands alone in its focus on mitigating risks for the bank and the farmer,” he added.

Related Topics:Agrotech Featured FLUID Ghana Loans Startup

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Tech

Kenya’s ticketing startup BuuPass partners Flexpay for flexible travel payments

Published

3 hours ago

December 19, 2024

Isaac Dachen

Kenyan digital ticketing startup, BuuPass, has entered into a partnership with goal-based savings platform, Flexpay, to offer customers flexible payment plans ahead of holiday travels as well as simplify travel planning and ease the financial burden of holiday travel for Kenyans.

Co-founder and CEO at Buupass, Sonia Kabra, who unveiled the package at a press conference, said the collaboration between the two platforms will allow travellers to save for their journeys in manageable, interest-free installments over four to 12 weeks.

“Travelers can select their travel dates, book tickets, and pay a small deposit upfront, with the remaining balance spread across weekly or monthly payments,” she said.

“This approach offers a stress-free way for families and large groups to secure their tickets early, helping them avoid last-minute price hikes as fares are locked in.

“By partnering with Flexpay, we’re giving travelers the flexibility to budget for their trips in advance. This initiative aligns with our mission to make travel accessible to everyone, providing a solution that meets customers where they are financially,” said Kabra.

Also speaking at the event, Richard Machomba, CEO and founder of Flexpay, said:

“Flexpay’s mission is to empower individuals by providing accessible financial solutions that make it easier for them to achieve their financial goals.

“By partnering with BuuPass, we’re making travel more accessible and stress-free for Kenyans, especially during the holiday season when expenses can be overwhelming,” Machomba added.

Founded in 2016 by Kabra and Wyclife Omondi, BuuPass is a B2B2C mobility marketplace that enables users to search, compare, and book travel tickets via web, app, or USSD, while its SaaS platform helps bus operators manage their operations, inventory, and sales.

FlexPay, on the other hand, is an online and offline payment gateway that allows merchants to offer interest-free targeted savings to their customers in Africa.

Tech

DR Congo sues tech giant Apple over illegal mineral exploitation

Published

1 day ago

December 18, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has filed a criminal case against the European subsidiaries of tech giant, Apple, accusing them of illegal mineral exploitation and allegedly using “blood minerals” in its supply chain.

In the suit filed on Tuesday, the DRC alleges that Apple has bought contraband supplies from the country’s conflict-ladden east and Rwanda, zones in which it allege the materials are mined illegally and then integrated into global supply chains before ending up in tech devices.

The DRC suit specifically mentioned Apple subsidiaries in France and Belgium, accusing the tech giant of using conflict minerals in its supply chain.

The DRC is a major source of tin, tantalum, and tungsten which are used in electronic devices, with some mines controlled by armed groups responsible for human rights violations.

International lawyers representing the African country’s government have accused Apple’s local subsidiaries of taking these minerals from conflict areas and laundering them through international supply chains, with one lawyer telling journalists that Belgium had a moral duty to act given its history of exploiting the country’s resources under colonial rule.

However, in its response, Apple claims it conducts supplier audits and does not directly source primary minerals.

https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1262670-dr-congo-sues-apple-over-alleged-illegal-mineral-exploitation