Returning to settle in Africa and analyzing local needs, Ted Boulou, polytechnic engineer, had the idea of ​​creating Somtou. It’s software that allows informal workers and small businesses to manage their finances. It includes a solar console with a touch screen, a barcode reader and a connected mechanical scale, capable of recording all the different types of transactions that take place in a small business. Thus, this device is aimed at a large part of the African population (and elsewhere) who live on undeclared trades.

Can you introduce yourself in a few lines for our readers?
Hello, I am Boulou, a (more) young man of 28 years old. I was born and raised in Cameroon. A bit geek, a little creative, a bit revolutionary but above all allergic to injustice, I try to make my contribution to the construction of a more normal world.

How did you come up with the idea for Somtou?
I am a cheater. Since I was in college, my greatest strength has been to understand people’s ideas better than themselves and ultimately explain to them what they thought. Somtou comes from the disturbed brain of my big brother who has an idea a week. And among them she was the one who spoke to me the most because she was touching the base.

What has been your biggest challenge since you started entrepreneurship?
The biggest challenge is that of not having the right to doubt, in front of your family, your partner, your “colleagues”. Because in reality, they experience the adventure even more intensely than I do. When we encounter a problem, I must immediately explain the problem to them, explain their solution and show no signs of doubt. Paradoxically, it is by wanting them never to doubt, that I am constantly innovating, getting around problems, moving forward.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to do business in Africa?
Unfortunately, we Africans have been so marked that we often tend to celebrate half victories. If having the courage to go ahead is a good thing, there is entrepreneurship that is not good for Africa and the world. We have a responsibility to do things differently, to build businesses that see beyond personal and short-term profit. We also and above all have a duty to create companies that solve problems. I admit to being afraid of a certain diaspora who comes in with the teeth that line the floor, just to become kings by exploiting their “brothers”.
But the good news is that the informal sector is the last frontier. And the informal sector does not trust everyone.
So go back to Africa, walk the streets, go to the market, look at Africa and fight for it and help it. She will return it to you.

Somtou-Modeling-4_co6ene

Where are Somtou tablets made?
Almost totally in Senegal. We are using Senegalese wood for the hull, we are also testing rattan. Then we use 3D printers for the buttons and digital cutters to cut the plexiglass from the facade. Then, of course, we bring in some components from England and China. Then we assemble everything on site. In reality, wherever we are we will use local materials. Because we strongly believe in decentralization …

How many users does Somtou have today?

Hmm … Good question. After a year in our “laboratories”, we have finally released prototypes which we are currently testing with around twenty varied entrepreneurs in Senegal.

What is your team’s strategy to reach the most players in the informal sector?
At KFC, the recipe for chicken spices is secret. At Somtou, we also have a magic recipe. But as we are friendlier than KFC, I will reveal our secret to you: empathy.
The great thing about the informal sector is that the key factor in the transaction is trust. To successfully work with the informal sector, relationships must be created, because the actors are particularly wary of them. In each neighborhood, we will have local agents who will probably be young people known in the neighborhood for their seriousness and their sense of service.
And the whole Somtou team is recruited according to this main criterion: being able to understand the emotions, the feelings of others.

Are your tablets accessible (financially) for small traders?
We opted for a classic but original model in the case of purchasing equipment. Each client will pay a monthly subscription, a bit like the “cable operator” subscription, which will vary between 2,500 and 15,000 FCFA depending on their income. It is a model that is both long-term, socially just and extremely affordable. The key, of course, is trust …

Could the Somtou solution bring actors from the informal sector back to the formal? (by more easily quantifying their taxable income)
It’s a great question. My primary purpose is not to formalize the informal sector, just as the purpose of your computer is not to allow you to pay taxes. Then, effectively by facilitating management, we put in the hands of the informal sector a tool that can facilitate discussion with the authorities.
More generally, the function of the tax is to ensure social redistribution and the financing of public infrastructure. The more people are convinced that their money is well spent, the more taxes they pay. If they have doubts, Somtou will not change their appreciation of governance.

What are your plans for the coming years?
Somtou is a particularly rich project because it could open the doors to a whole new world. By connecting these millions of players to “technology”, we could revolutionize e-commerce, financial services, product distribution. At the same time, we have a real ambition to democratize the technological objects with which Somtou is made … without forgetting solar power … All this will keep us busy for a few decades.

In addition, Somtou has launched a fundraising campaign on the Indiegogo platform and we hope that all the readers of Inspire Afrika Magazine will be there for innovative Africa

 

About The Author

CEO AfrikaTech

Comme beaucoup de personnes j’ai connu l’Afrique à travers des stéréotypes : l’Afrique est pauvre, il y a la guerre, famine… Je suis devenu entrepreneur pour briser ces clichés et participer à la construction du continent. J’ai lancé plusieurs entreprises dont Kareea (Formation et développement web), Tutorys (Plate-forme de e-learning), AfrikanFunding (Plate-forme de crowdfunding). Après un échec sur ma startup Tutorys, à cause d’une mauvaise exécution Business, un manque de réseau, pas de mentor, je suis parti 6 mois en immersion dans l’écosystème Tech au Sénégal. J’ai rencontré de nombreux entrepreneurs passionnés, talentueux et déterminés. A mon retour sur Paris je décide de raconter leur histoire en créant le média AfrikaTech. L'objectif est de soutenir les entrepreneurs qui se battent quotidiennement en Afrique en leur offrant la visibilité, les connaissances, le réseautage et les capitaux nécessaires pour réussir. L'Afrique de demain se construit aujourd'hui ensemble. Rejoignez-nous ! LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/boubacardiallo

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