Fight against poverty: in Cameroon, an application on the lookout for the best prices
The application created by Patricia Toko and her comrades will be available in the coming weeks, after its programming phase.
Getty Images/Mascot
Text by: Christina Okello
2 mins
This Monday, October 17 marked the World Day for the Eradication of Poverty.
This year, the theme of the event is “dignity in action”.
In Cameroon, Patricia Toko, a young web developer, has developed an application to help consumers save money.
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“
In Cameroon, we can't get by anymore, everything is expensive
,” criticizes Patricia Toko, interviewed on the occasion of the World Day for the Eradication of Poverty.
"
It's really an important day because we have the opportunity to offer solutions to fight against the high cost of living
".
To deal with poverty, this student at the National Institute for the Training of Trainers and Program Development (INFDP) in Yaoundé has developed an application that references promotions in supermarkets.
"
We realized that food was only increasing
," she continues, pointing to the Covid-19 crisis and the war in Ukraine.
Patricia Toko is a web developer.
© personal collection
Real-time food prices
She explains the genesis of the project: “
We said to ourselves that there were promotions in the supermarkets, but that people were not aware
”.
"
We
" is Toko and four other girls, all scholarship recipients of a digital women's empowerment program, led by entrepreneur Arielle Kitio.
A few months ago, they developed a platform that provides real-time information on the prices of available products.
“
Today, there are people who no longer cook with oil because it has become so expensive.
So we can let them know when the oil is on sale in the supermarkets
,” she says.
The initiative hit the mark.
Last week, Toko and her comrades were invited by the World Bank to its premises in Yaoundé to present their project.
"
It was a really rewarding experience,
" says the young woman.
It allowed me to understand how the World Bank is able to allocate loans to individuals like us to be able to finance our project.
»
Is bank financing on the agenda?
Not for the moment, answers Toko, who announces that the application will be available in the coming weeks, after its programming phase.
"
We know that we cannot eradicate poverty, but the small actions we take, such as allowing the population to have cheaper products, could help many households
," she concludes, humble.
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