Cowdray Park youth designs app to assist SMEs

A SELF-TAUGHT Bulawayo youth has designed a mobile phone application that will help Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to grow their businesses by giving them a platform to market their products and reach their customers easily.

The mobile application, “Rake Search”, allows users to post and search for products and services within their location for free.

Mr Thamsanqa Ndlovu (28) from Cowdray Park suburb said his application, which uses less data, has over 30 different categories that users have at their disposal and will help them avoid using multiple social media groups to search for goods and services.

“It allows users to access a log in screen and select the category that best describes their product, put the price and add location, which they want to market their product. It also allows users who are looking for products within a specific location to search for that specific product,” said Mr Ndlovu.

“It’s going to allow small and medium enterprises to grow their business because it’s cheap to use and low cost with data. The application will link up businesses with their target market. If you are in a new area it also allows users to find goods and services if they happen to be in an area they don’t know.”

The application was uploaded to Google play store last week and users can download it for free on their smart phones, says the youthful innovator.

This reporter was shown how the application works and it appears more user friendly to any person as it assists by providing specific information needs. Before venturing into technology, he was a publisher who has many books in his profile. Mr Ndlovu said he did not study any technology related programmes, but rather taught himself how to create an application through the Internet and reading books.

Currently he is in the process of creating a website for his application, which is expected to be a game changer in the innovations industry.

“Prior to this, I was a publication entrepreneur, I wrote books for children which were supplied to local retail stores. I have a strong background in finance where I studied at Management Bureau in Harare. I never did any IT related learning, I’m self taught through a combination of books and YouTube for about four months,” said Mr Ndlovu.

Earlier this year, a Zimbabwean tech start-up, Wangu, established a chat application where businesses can advertise their brands and citizens can share locally relevant information with their friends. Last year, Government mobilised $7 million to fund youth technicians to develop software packages and applications that can be used to boost economic activities in the country.

This was one of Government’s ways to invest in its own citizens, and promote innovations by helping them develop their own technologically driven softwares.

Home grown software solutions are expected to address the huge amount of foreign currency spent on softwares. The $7 million is meant to fund youths that develop softwares and applications under the “Innovation Drive” initiative. — @ PrinceNkosy102