Providing Rural Africans Access to the Tools, Opportunities, and Services They Need to Thrive

In today’s world, access to the internet is a fundamental human right. For rural Africans, it provides critical access to the tools, opportunities, and services they need to thrive

The Economics of Digital Inclusion

The majority of Africans (80%) cannot afford smartphones or data bundles and lack 3G/4G network coverage. For those who do have smartphones, Africa is the world’s most expensive region for data: 1GB of mobile data averages $6.44, or a week’s salary for most of Africa’s poor. The cost of digital inclusion is simply too high under these circumstances.

Technology

Brastorne has created a suite of products that deliver internet capabilities to the prevalent feature phones found across Africa. These products are designed to connect the disconnected to the tools, opportunities, and services they need to thrive.

How It Works

Infographics for USSD. It shows to dial shortcode *120# and the mAgri menu appears

interactive voice response (ivr) inforgraphic

mAgri is a groundbreaking USSD mobile application that revolutionises the way farmers connect and engage with the farming community. It empowers all farmers, including those in remote villages who are often underserved, by enabling them to effectively market their products and services nationwide. With mAgri, farmers have the opportunity to showcase their offerings, earning higher incomes and providing fresh produce to their local community.

How mAgri changes the lives of rural farmers:

Finding New Markets – Rural farmers use mAgri to expand their operations far beyond their local area. Access to the internet allows them to find new unexplored markets for their products, increasing their revenue
Getting Weather Information – Droughts, pest infestations, and storms present threats to the livelihoods of rural African farmers. mAgi gives farmers the accurate and timely weather information they need to protect their crops and livestock.
Collaborating with Farmers – The farming community relies on the collective knowledge of others, just like themselves, who also work the land for their livelihoods. mAgri gives farmers access to a much larger community of peers with which to collaborate.

Mpotsa provides comprehensive, highly relevant information on-demand for a wide range of topics leveraging the user-friendly technology of Voice/IVR, Mpotsa acts as a Google-like service where the rural poor can access valuable information either through one-time interactions with the contact center or through convenient subscription services.

How Mpotsa enriches lives:

Increased Employment Opportunities – Jobs seekers use Mpotsa to find new opportunities and get important interview tips to help them land their next job.
Critical Health Information – Getting detailed health information can be difficult due to travel times to local clinics and financial constraints. Mpotsa users can get this information easily from their feature phones including nutritional tips, general preventative care, and guidance on pregnancy.
Educational Information – Mpotsa acts as an information hub, delivering educational content, local language translations, and local trivia to feature phone users that would normally rely on expensive, less accessible sources of information

Vuka harnesses the power of USSD technology to transform ordinary feature phones into internet-connected communication devices. With Vuka, individuals using feature phones can create profiles, add friends, form groups, engage in chats, send personal messages, participate in group discussions, and even broadcast messages. This inclusive platform connects users seamlessly, regardless of their device, enabling effortless and versatile communication

How Vuka Builds Communities:

Group Chats – Popular group chat communities form around key topics like employment, education, agriculture, women’s participation in economic activities or age-related topics, providing a forum for users to connect about similar interests.
One-On-One Messaging – Direct messaging provides a private space for people to make meaningful connections.
Broadcast Messages – Allows a sender to simultaneously send a single message to multiple recipients, ensuring rapid and efficient communication with a broad audience.

Testimonial

Don't Just Take our Word for it.

Ken Lohento

Senior Program Coordinator

“Brastorne is becoming a model for young entrepreneurs and they have helped us illustrate to other youths how to design a successful business model, due to the unique value proposition of their product”