Google and Africa
Symbiotic to release Mpesa/Zap PayBill API to Kenya Developers in May
by Idd Salim on Mar.27, 2010, under Coding, Google and Africa, PayPal and Africa, Symbiotic, Zunguka

One API to rule them all
Code-Named Gandalf
Symbiotic Developer Labs will soon chip in its 2 bytes in the coding social social responsibility. Safaricom/Zain has NOT released or shown any signs of being in willingness or position to release any developer tools to enable the 17 real coding geniuses in Kenya, the thousand of wannabes and the tens of thousands of VB programmers monetize ANY of their systems.
Understandably, they are here to make money on voice and data. They don’t care about your pesky little ideas. Unless they are called ‘Mpesa’ and not yet patented. Ahem!
Currently, the only way to automate Mpesa/Zap is to use a Modem with the Mpesa SIM card then do some satanic message parsing. No more!!
As the head of the coding department in SMC, I have taken this personally and, unless the finger of god or the eye of the nebula intervenes, we will be releasing a PUBLIC API for Mpesa/Zap paybill.
The API will be available for public download and SMC will just be the aggregator. All settlemennts will be real-time. Yes. real-time. No 48-hour waits. {I still can’t understand some of these things! Ati 48 hours!!}
What about those who cant code
Of course, we cant all be coders, can we? If you are one of the millions of people who cant code, or ‘Ulikuwaga mnoma sana kitambo sana maJava na maC++ but umesahau’, then we also have good news for you. You will be able to open an online shop running off the ZungukaPay gateway and you will be able to monetize your content, time and skills.
We have one mission in mind
To enable ANYONE be able to monetize their content and abilities. To enable that sculptor from Machakos to be able to sell his curios online DIRECTLY to the buyer and realize maximum profits. Not via a proxy, getting short-changed. To enable that guy in Stall 25 Imenti house be able to sell his pirated DVDs online and get real-time payment.
As a user, your money will always be floating around Mpesa/Zap/PayPal/GC/WP… So far, no bank is willing to work with us because we are too small a company, but I am sure someone sane will soon wake up and smell the digital coffee.
Errr… Back to code.
A very secure and workable solution for Google Checkout and Mpesa/Zap
by Idd Salim on Sep.18, 2009, under Coding, Google and Africa
Well, we all know that Mpesa is

One Gateway to rule them all
widely used in Kenya, Tanzania and Afghanistan. Zap is available to the 22+ Zain One-Network Countries.
We also know that Paypal hates Africa.
Lastly, We know that Symbiotic Media Consortium has developed a working Payment Gateway that already links PayPal, Mpesa and Zap. Needless to say, there was no help or support at all from Safaricom, because safaricom knows as much about Mpesa as Wangechi.
So this presents a very clear advantage for players like Google to come into the Africa playing field. Africa has millions of people who have NO WAY doing e-commerce, unless they have credit-cards and can cheat Paypal to not be seen as originating from Africa, the Dark Continent full of thieves.
Using The Symbiotic Payment Platform, Google can rule the African Market and Leverage the un-tapped m/e-commerce. We know Google Loves Africa. She has Offices in Kenya.
This being a man-eat-man society where people just sleep and wait for others to think then steal the ideas, I will share no more, but will email it as a PDF to Google, detailing each and every step, hoping they will adopt it. They will. I know.
-Salim, Idd

