South African cross-border trading app moWoza celebrated two awards in the space of a month, walking away with awards from BiD Network and the Southern Africa Trust.
moWoza simplifies the way informal cross-border traders buy and sell their products, by helping informal traders that often have difficulties when carrying cash eliminate this risk by sourcing products through a network of suppliers accessible via a mobile phone.
The app is also able to streamline the supply chain through an SMS service or negotiate bulk discounts, and has created a trusted taxi distribution network that delivers the consignments.
Suzana Moreira of MoWoza last weekend pitched alongside five other finalists – who in included Burundian Dora Karani and her business Garden City – to judges in the Netherlands for BiD Network’s Women in Business competition, following a busy schedule of B2B meetings, training sessions and networking opportunities.
moWoza was chosen as the winner based on its innovativeness and impact, with Moreira winning EUR5,000 (US$6,000) to grow her business.
“Huge congratulations to Suzana for winning this year’s Challenge, and to the other finalists and participants for the impressive pitches and hard work and dedication they’ve put into the Women in Business week,” said BiD Network.
“Writing up a full business plan is time consuming so we decided to use this opportunity to update our business plan and to get external feedback,” Moreira told Disrupt Africa. “Attending the competition in the Netherlands allowed us to build our network, there are many businesses and investors that are active in South Africa and Mozambique, such as TNT, NorthStar and Rabobank.”
moWoza had celebrated another success at the end of October at the 2014 Drivers of Change Awards, sponsored jointly by the Southern Africa Trust and the Mail and Guardian newspaper.
The app came out on top in the “Investing In The Future and Drivers of Change Business Award”, ahead of competitors such as Ster Kinekor and Anglo American.
The judges said: “The company’s products and services promote inclusive business that empowers cross-border traders to enable them to do business better.”
