African solutions for African problems - South Africa's most innovative apps

With the rise of the middle class in Africa, it is important that the continent addresses its basic problems with modern solutions that are catered for its people. Africans are beginning to use technology to solve their everyday inconveniences and also to enrich themselves.

Africans have always been innovative and pioneering, and with technology life has just become much easier.

Below is a list of the techno-solutions that have put a smile on my face. These are apps launched by South Africans. They solve administrative problems, enrich lives (through investments) and offer convenience.

1. Livestock Wealth

The app was founded by former Accenture Strategy Consultant Ntuthuko Shezi. The app was born after Ntuthuko experienced sheer frustration with the volatility of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. After exploring different avenues of creating wealth, he went back to his roots and resolved on a method of creating and storing wealth through cattle. Livestock Wealth manages two cattle farms in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. They currently have a carry capacity of 1000 cattle.  The company intends to grow their cattle management to 1 000 000 by 2020.

How The App Works:
Invest: 
An investor invests in a cow that is atleast three months pregnant through their website, app or text platform.
Livestock Wealth maintains and cares for the cow and calf on the behalf of the investor on one of their farms at a minimum monthly rate.
Track: 
The investor can then track the progress of the cow and calf and even give the cow a name. This can be done through the website or the app. This will also allow for the investor to share pictures, weight and pregnancy status of their cow with friends on social media.
Return:
The pregnancy period of a cow is 9 months. Once the offspring is 7 months old, it will be ready for sale to feedlots or abattoirs. The calf will approximately weigh 240kg. The price it will be sold for will be worked out per kg. Once it has been worked out, the return on investment equates to 16% - 20%. This is all dependent on the beef price for calves.

For more information, visit: www.livestockwealth.com


2. Stokfella

Stokfella is definitely becoming a winner in South Africa. Many households in South Africa belong to a stokvel. According to oxforddictionaries.com , a stovel is: "... a savings or investment society to which members regularly contribute an agreed amount from which they receive a lump sum payment." It is estimated that there 800 000 stokvels in South Africa and collectively make close to R50 billion a year.

The app was founded by Tshepo Moloi, he explained that the app simplifies record keeping, planning meetings and governance of stokvels.

To download the app: visit www.stokfella.com


3. Phambili App

If you live in South Africa, you know that we are all thanking Thokozi Memela, the inventor of this app for making our lives easier. We have all climbed a minibus taxi where there are 15 people inside and the unwritten and golden rule is that; if you sit in front, you are responsible for collecting and managing the taxifare received from other passengers. Taxi drivers are known to stop their taxis in the middle of the highway because their total taxifare did not add up. Most of the time, this happens due to the "taxifare collector" mixing up people's change (taxifare). 

Thokozi missed out on an opportunity due to the taxi being held up by the driver who demanded that he received all his monies before completing the trip. After that experience, he vowed to come up with a solution that would make the process much easier for everyone.

With this app, you are able to calculate the amount of change that you need to give back to commuters and quickly work out how much money the driver should receive. Kudus to saving lives and time with this innovative app because when sitting in front of a minibus taxi... even the calculator on your phone is just not enough.

The app is also building a database of  taxi routes and how much their costs are. This will enable commuters to plan their monies much better. 

For more information, visit: www.phambiliapp.co.za

These apps are essential for everyday life in South Africa and are a true reflection of the encounters that South Africans face. Not every South African would be able to understand and invest in the stock market but most of them understand the business of cattle and cattle has always signified wealth in African culture. Stokvels are part of South African culture, if you do not belong to one, your mother probably does and if so, you know that the administration of keeping a stokvel afloat is quite a painful exercise . Stokfella has now created an app that will ease that burden for many stokvel members out there and the focus of the regular meetings can be on socializing and investing. The Phambili app manages to relieve the pressure that is placed on the commuter and ensures that the driver does not get short changed. This ensures a conflict free journey. Congratulations to all these entrepreneurs who found solutions to their own problems through technology.