ACCRA, Ghana - BusyLab, a software research & development business based in Accra Ghana, has spent the last two years developing a suite of tools that will target the agriculture sector across Africa with innovative ways to market goods and services. The service, known as 'TradeNet' allows users to sign-up for SMS alerts for whatever commodities and areas they are interested in. Users can request prices which are provided in realtime on the network from many market enumerators that are active throughout 380 markets spread across the continent. Users can also indicate their areas of business and receive instant SMS alerts for offers to buy or sell as soon as anyone else on the network has submitted an offer via their mobile.
The service online allows analysts to plot trends of historical price data comparing markets and commodities. Countries can add international commodity prices, and generate special market reports that can be printed and pasted in local cybercafes and community markets. Individual users can setup their own free website with their own custom internet address to advertise their goods and offers. And farmer and producer groups can setup free websites to manage all these services and content for their members. Powerful integration with mobile operators allows anyone to select target users and publish specific content to thousands of mobiles across the continent. And within the next twelve months, group loan facilities will be built into the platform enabling financial institutions to leverage the TradeNet database and platform to reach the underbanked.
news release, brochure, via del.icio.us/hrheingold
previously: Designing an Architecture for Delivering Mobile Information Services to the Rural Developing World
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