Meet the MTN Jumia Entrepreneur Challenge Finalists
Get to know team Vicoba and what gives them the edge
Justice Donatus and Sofia Mbega represent team Vicoba from Tanzania. The team created the
Vicoba app, which is all about collaboration and communication. Justice and Sofia have high hopes
that their idea will win the first MTN Entrepreneurship Challenge in association with Jumia.
Background
Justice and Sofia currently work as freelancers, developing IT solutions for various clients including
government institutions.
Justice graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from the School of
Informatics at the University of Dodoma. Sofia recently graduated from the same university as a
Software Engineer.
Their successful entry into the MTN Entrepreneurship Challenge is not their first stab at creating
innovative solutions.
While at varsity, the duo founded MAYOCOO, which stands for Manage Your Communication Online.
The social networking website allows members to share news, store documents, phone numbers
and create an online life story. This project, according to Sofia, became the most successful project
in the history of the university.
Tell us about the Vicoba app
The Village Community Banks (Vicoba) app offers a platform which includes existing tools for
financial and task management, specifically adapted for the African market. The app allows for
groups to collaborate online, chat and save documents.
What gives the Vicoba app the edge over solutions from other finalists?
“It’s new, innovative and fits in with the African market,” says the team.
What problem does the Vicoba App address?
The Vicoba app solves challenges in managing projects as a group. Vicoba creates one platform for
groups to collaborate, chat and work together, even if they are located in different areas. Justice
says, “We are looking to solve the problem facing the Vicoba group (and other groups who share and
save documents) by creating a platform that will help them to manage their financial activities and
give them a better way of collaborating in task management, training and opportunities to link with
institutions who offer loans.”
What was the biggest challenge in working out your idea?
Funds to conduct research in different areas throughout Tanzania. In order to overcome this
challenge, we had to reduce the number of areas in which we conducted research. We also made
use of cheap transportation and even walked across villages by foot.
Follow team Vicoba on Twitter - @VicobaApp to keep an eye on their success.