14 June 2019

The kiosks offer services such as Wi-Fi, intranet solutions and phone-charging  photo: ARED

Ared, the Rwanda-based platform-as-a-service start-up known for its “Smart Business in a Box” solar-powered kiosks, has made Uganda its first international market.

The kiosks, known as Shiriki Hubs, are run mostly by women and people with disabilities, using a micro-franchise business model. They offer services such as Wi-Fi, intranet solutions for offline users and phone-charging services. 

The app offers additional services, including airtime, mobile money, prepaid electricity and tax payment services. 

Ared has now moved into Uganda, rolling out a total of 10 kiosks in Kampala and also the refugee camps of Arua district, where citizens belonging to lower income groups can charge their mobile devices, buy airtime and access the internet.

The expansion was financed by US impact investor Gray Matters Capital through its gender lens sector agnostic portfolio coLABS.  

“We will work with partners whom we call area developers who will franchise our model in the different areas of Uganda,” said Henri Nyakarundi, founder and chief executive officer of ARED. “Our focus is on NGOs and private sector enterprises whom we’d like to be roped in. They will buy the hardware – the kiosk; train micro franchisees and use our licensed software. ARED will of course support them along the way.” 

In addition to leasing the kiosks via the franchise model, Ared is also planning to partner telecom service providers in Uganda to build distribution channels at community level.

“We will be looking to target countries in western Africa next year. While the cultural ethos may differ, what remains common pan-Africa is the unreliability of power supply. It is this adversity that we’d like to convert into an opportunity,” added Nyakarundi, who added that ARED has begun working on a pilot in Côte d’Ivoire.