Sasai to lead Africa’s economic development, experts

Own Correspondent
Cassava Fintech International’s Sasai App can be one of the best platforms to accelerate Africa’s social and economic development agenda, experts have said.

The continent, which recently established the world’s largest free trading area as measured by the number of countries participating, has over the past few decades struggled to achieve significant economic growth due to a number of challenges.

However, the new Africa free trade area pact that connects 1.3 billion people across 55 countries with a combined gross domestic product of US$3.4 trillion, is expected to unite the continent and help it achieve sustainable economic growth.

Economic analysts say the swift adoption of a common communication platform such as Sasai is essential for the creation of a borderless Africa that would lay the foundation for a viable continental market to accelerate growth and allow Africa to be more competitive in global trade and value chains.

“Africa has lagged behind in terms of economic and technological advancements due to its over-reliance on foreign products and services. And for the continent to achieve its 2063 targets of an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens, representing a dynamic force in the international arena, Africa must develop and own its products, including communication channels,” said economic analyst Francis Mukora.

He added that the use of Sasai, an all-in-one mobile app developed by Africans, is a sure way of uniting the continent and achieving prosperity for all.

“Africa has the fastest-growing population, estimated to reach 2.2billion by 2050. The continent is also urbanising fast, with a notable rise of the middle class. It is abundantly clear, therefore, that the continent will be the second-largest consumer market after Asia for future technologies,” he said.

“As such, the continent must embrace products developed by its own people to seamlessly link businesses, communities and individuals.”

Sasai, which is available in 55 African languages and has been downloaded in over 180 countries, combines many of the features of the world’s largest social media platforms on a simple App while incorporating every facet of day-to-day life within it.

The lifestyle mobile application not only allows users to connect with friends and family, but it also gives users the luxury to order a taxi, pay utility bills, buy a plane ticket, split the dinner bill or invest in a new stock.

Sasai’s payment feature, Sasai Pay, enables a user to conduct payments and transactions from anywhere in the world. This feature also makes it possible for Africans living abroad to send money home across Africa, using Sasai Remit, at very low rates. Sub-Saharan Africa receives close to US$44 billion annually in international remittance, a sum that is crucial for economic development.

To ensure the safety of Africans, Sasai recently incorporated the Africa CDC Travel Pass on its services, positioning itself as a relevant go-to App at a time the world is battling a Covid-19 pandemic.

The Travel Pass is an online healthcare data management platform that, among other things, captures and securely shares Covid-19 test information for ease of travel across national borders.

“As our economies, schools and borders re-open, Africa needs a harmonised approach to reduce the risk of Covid-19 transmission. This is why we launched the Covid-19 trusted travel portal as an innovative digital tool to help Member States upload and verify test results and to harmonize entry and exit requirements to prevent cross-border transmission on the continent,” said Amira Elfadil Mohammed, the African Union’s Commissioner for Social Affairs.

Meanwhile, Africa’s fastest growing app also launched a new feature – Sasai Watch – that is bridging the gap between content creators and their global audience.

Sasai Watch offers African creatives an opportunity to commercialise their products and gain recognition for their work. The product also addresses concerns that have been raised over similar platforms that are viewed as less favourable to African content creators, in terms of reach, compensation, and payment methods.

The unveiling of Sasai Watch follows the successful launch of Sasai Moments, a feature on the app that allows users to experience, capture and share videos driven by user-generated content, along similar lines to TikTok.

Sasai also offers a convenient WiFi finder feature that allows users to locate Wifi hotspots where they can access affordable data.