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Ghanaian App Connects Churches With Followers Via Smartphone

Ghanaian App Connects Churches With Followers Via Smartphone

Churches will forever be a part of society. Considering this, creating a app that connects churches and churchgoers is a smart and sustainable move.

This is what a young Ghana-based entrepreneur named Nana Opoku W.O. Agyeman has done.

He founded Asoriba, a web-based church management application for church worshippers and leaders.

Through this app, members can give tithes, offerings, and pledges to the church online while the church can stay connected to its members throughout the week, and not only on Sundays.

So far, Agyeman has signed 395 churches in Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria, and the U.S.

He has registered 30,000 church members to Asoriba, which was named the Ghanaian startup of the year in 2015, while also winning the Innovate Africa Challenge, a business pitching competition for startups in Africa, in the same year. And Agyeman, 28, was named in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in 2016.

Agyeman, who is the son of a pastor and also a pastor in training, started his software development career while studying agricultural engineering at the University of Ghana.

It was there that Agyeman earned a master of philosophy and a bachelor of science in agricultural engineering . He also studied at the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology in Accra.

Before launching Asoriba, he held the position of business lead at CitizenEye, a smartphone-based technology company.

Agyeman tells AFKInsider how he plans to build and grow Asoriba across Africa.

AFKInsider: What sparked the idea for this app?

Nana Opoku Agyeman-Prempeh: We realized there was no effective way for churches and their members to communicate effectively, apart from during services. After Sunday, most leaders do not relate with their members until the next and there was no way of understanding and helping out the members’ needs effectively, aside being in person.

As such, there was a need for a management software and a mobile app for administrators and members respectfully to allow engagement and effective church administration in our part of the world.

AFKInsider: How does the app actually work?

Nana Opoku Agyeman-Prempeh: Asoriba comes in two forms; a web app and a mobile app. The web app is purposely for church administrators and allows them to manage key areas like attendance, communication, finance, member data as well as their other branches.

The members, on the other hand, engage with the church via the mobile app. They receive contents such as devotionals, announcements, sermons, make donations, record their attendance during services and also communicate and engage with each other, all within the mobile app.

AFKInsider: Why was this app needed?

Nana Opoku Agyeman-Prempeh: Most churches record data (membership, finance etc) on paper, an outdated system, and those who even record on computers lack systems that can correlate all this varied data in the church to make meaningful decisions. Much more, in the case of disastrous events such as fire or even virus, a cloud-based system is needed as that will allow you access your data.

Asoriba has been very helpful. They now have access to the deep database of members, can send messages to all members with information on receipts, record attendance, receive funds from members regardless of their location, generate graphical reports based on which the church can make projections.

In the perspective of both a small and a large church, the earlier can grow their church using the platform whereas the latter can effectively manage their members without any complicated process.

AFKInsider: Do you reach out to all kinds of churches?

Nana Opoku Agyeman-Prempeh: Yes, it is for any type of church which is interested in effective administration and church growth through the use of technology.

AFKInsider: How did you raise money to start your company?

Nana Opoku Agyeman-Prempeh: We are currently raising $2.5 million and have received some investments from Techstars and Barclays.

AFKInsider: What are some plans for the company?

Nana Opoku Agyeman-Prempeh: We are currently looking forward to extend our reach across the whole of the African continent and also expand our reach across the world.