Steward Africa is a FINTECH company that offers DIRECT DEBIT MANDATE services to its subscribers. We also have a registered E-GROUP created to connect strictly verified staff of different blue-chip companies (Multi-Organizational Group) within a defined geographic location for us to sell our bespoke financial services. Steward Africa as an APPLICATION, is designed to recreate the centuries old offline concept of monthly contribution (AJO) used in most part of the world as an alternative to high cost loans and an avenue that encourages participants to save more through discipline and commitment to the scheme. The scheme has been reproduced into an online application thereby creating an ecosystem for all interested participants increasing the chances of having an open pool and taking out pitfalls in areas of administration, payment, insurance, connectivity, distance and diversity of all kinds. 
Subscribers are expected to sign up, create a team of choice or join an existing team created by another user, download the direct debit mandate form, complete the form and upload under pending team of choice to complete the pool process. The mandate goes to the bank for approval and becomes active afterwards. Once the vacant spaces are filled up, the team goes active and every participant gets debited monthly during the contribution period with bulk sum paid in a predetermined order. Teams can always start another cycle upon completion of the former going through the process stated above. Employees interested in monthly contribution (AJO) which is usually a cheaper alternative to bank loans as regards bulk credit in attending to financial needs like rent, car, land, school fees, vacation etc. or with desire to save more than they do currently are no longer restricted by the walls of their offices or the staff strength of where they work. They can now connect with family, friends and colleagues remotely regardless of the distance or the business brand they work for. Teams can either be Intra i.e. with people you are familiar with (friends, colleagues and family) or Inter i.e. connecting with verified staff of other reputable organizations. It’s a socio-economic app with social tools like group chat to aid communication and collaboration In practical, you can run a monthly contribution scheme with your relatives, friends, colleagues, ex-school mates or strangers from other reputable companies, thoroughly vetted through stringent background checks, even when you do not work in the same organization, live in the same location or maintain banking relationship with same bank. Steward Africa manages the administration and repayment is automated. Each participant sets up a debit mandate on his or her account as a pass to join the preferred group which goes to the respective bank for approval. Once we get approval for all participating accounts, the group will be active. All participants get debited monthly with bulk sum paid in a predetermined order. Example: Our first focus group had 3 participant for that contribution cycle; A staff of a multinational food and beverage company with his office in Ibadan, Oyo State, his pledged account was Fidelity Bank Plc; a staff of a pharmaceutical company in Ilupeju, Lagos State, her pledged account was a Guarantee Trust Bank account and the last participant of the cycle was a banker, his pledged account was a Zenith bank account. They worked in 3 different sectors of the economy, lived in different states, pledged accounts domiciled in three different banks but had one thing in common, they were committed to SAVE. Also, we had another group of 5; 4 bankers and a staff of another food and beverage company whose plant is situated at Owerri, Imo state. The bankers were at 3 different locations within Lagos; Victoria Island, Festac and Apapa. They had one thing in common; the commitment to Save MORE and live more enriched lives. This speaks more on the power of synergy and the saying that 'There is strength in numbers". Same applies to the finance world where people form groups to task one another to do and achieve a little more than their individual selves. Steward Africa has changed the idea of saving because you are now saving as a team not as individuals and we have created an alternative for our users to lending institutions. We have changed the desire to save from a want to a need. Now, people think, I must put some money aside because my group is counting on me. To some, they are Savings warriors while to some others, they call them savings champions. Most importantly, they come together to achieve more. Research has shown that saving money in groups triples the success rate because the discipline and commitment towards the scheme prevent members from spending the money on other avoidable expenses 
Value Added Products Asides our main objective to create an ecosystem for monthly contributors, we equally leverage on the numbers to create some other valuable group and individual products. 1)Steward Africa Bailout- Steward Africa advance verified salary earners 60% of their monthly salary as loan payable over two months.Unique Value Preposition- You don’t need any further documentation other than information supplied during sign up neither do you need a guarantor to access it. 2)Steward Africa Shared Cost Housing Scheme- This product allows salary earners from different blue-chip companies to come together and pull resources to own apartment (s) each in a building with what it could cost to buy just land in such areas. This initiative equally allows people with land in choice areas to pledge it as equity while they connect with others with financial resources to develop it with each person taking an apartment(s).Unique Value Preposition- This affords you the opportunity to own an apartment with about what it will cost to own a plot of land in accessible areas where proximity to workstation is never an issue. 3)Steward Africa Next Vacation- This product allows users to save towards their next vacation and travel on a group package with professionals from other reputable companies. This serves as a good networking tool and an avenue to renew the mind and take off stress.Unique Value Preposition- Here you can buy into middle term travel plans which allows users to save between 4-6 months unlike the short-term travel plans sold by most travel agencies currently. Also, you have the opportunity of visiting beautiful destinations with other business professionals from other reputable companies. This is a good networking platform. 4)Steward Africa Save4Rent- This product allows users to save towards their next rent. Here, users get free credit life insurance cover against job loss, disability or death in the course of saving and in situations where we don’t have any of these eventualities, users get 5% interest on average balance payable upon completion of target savings.Unique Value Preposition- You have an insured savings product targeted at rent where your savings is insured against Job loss, disability or death at no extra cost with guaranteed interest payment of 5% on average balance in the event of no eventuality. 5)Steward Africa Lifestyle Discounts – This product allows users to have 2% discount on all land purchased from Merit Abode Limited. Also, users get discount when they buy their air tickets using the search engine on our homepage.Unique Value Preposition- Users save some money when they patronize any of our partners 
Our objective is to build holistic digital finance solutions leveraging on numbers to reduce cost so as to help Africans live richer, more fulfilling lives through savings, investment and easy access to credit. Our vision is to connect employees of different blue-chip companies within economically active cities in Africa as ONE COMMUNITY using the STEWARD AFRICA application Competitive Advantage of Steward Africa's Debit Mandate over Similar Banks' Products S/NOBANKS' SI/DEBIT MANDATESTEWARD AFRICA DEBIT MANDATE1 Banks charge N300 to set up standing instruction while you pay N52.50 NIP charge on all inter-bank transfersFor our savings products, debit mandate set up is FREE regardless of the bank while our credit products attract charges which are reasonable compared to fees Charged on bank loans2You need to visit some of the banks' branches to set up standing instruction/debit mandate and activate it You can start to finish debit mandate set up on your phone or laptop without visiting the bank branches and the application can interact with all commercial bank accounts in Nigeria3For group savings, all participants are expected to have a banking relationship with the same bankFor group savings, participants are not restricted by banking relationship, distance or place of work4Products are basically of economic benefitsOur products are of socioeconomic benefits as we focus more on group products and games bonding sessions that help users build relationships and friendship while keeping an eye on economic gains Benefits of Using Steward Africa Application 1-It allows you to save MORE money using our cooperative savings approach system which gives the needed discipline and commitment to save more than you do currently. Research has shown over the years that saving money in groups triples the success rate 2- It gives you access to secure and automated PEER to PEER credit which gives credit at ZERO percent unlike bank loans that could be as high as 60% PA 3-Our insured target savings product offers free credit life insurance cover against job loss, disability or death over the savings period with guaranteed savings interest on average balance. 4- Through our shared cost housing plan, you can own an apartment with what it will cost to buy a plot of land in such areas. 5- You can start to finish setting up a standing instruction/debit mandate on your account from your laptop or mobile phone without physically visiting any of your bank branches and the app can interacts with all commercial bank accounts in Nigeria. Hence, you are not restricted to any particular banking relationship. 6- It allows users to save towards visiting new places around the world yearly. Unlike most travel packages with short notice, Steward Africa organized travel packages are medium and long term which allows users to save towards it. Also, our professional group travel packages are good networking tools for business executives. Also, we organize yearly games bonding sessions to bring together virtual users to bond and build lasting relationships. 7- In addition, you can equally enjoy negotiated discounts from our lifestyle partners through our lifestyle discount offerings Steward Africa Unique Value Proposition 1) Steward Africa offers a secure Peer to Peer Credit platform that gives BULK CREDIT at ZERO interest rate unlike bank loan that is between 22%-60%PA 2) Steward Africa offers a holistic approach to finance. It offers savings, credit, insurance as well as investment options 3) The application interacts with all commercial bank account in Nigeria. Hence you are not restricted to any banking relationship. All that’s required is to download mandate form, complete it, scan/snap with a scanner or mobile phone and upload on the app 4) The application is strictly for salary earners. In other words, we can say its demographic specific i.e. we pull together people with similar social and economic beliefs. 5)Guaranteed target savings. With our credit life insurance option on monthly contribution and our Save4Rent products, users are guaranteed to have their target savings in the event of job loss, disability or death In conclusion, form a formidable group today with relatives, friends and colleagues and you all should sign up on Steward Africa or you sign up independently for us to connect you to other verified salary earners and we promise you all the best financial group administration and management Currently, the application is web based and you can access Steward Africa via the URL below; http://bit.ly/2YXzA4S post Steward Africa launches monthly contribution (AJO) app for salary earners in Nigeria to connect & help them save more appeared first on Linda Ikeji Blog.
Steward Africa launches monthly contribution (AJO) app for salary earners in Nigeria to connect & help them save more
4/
5
Oleh
Ukpe Thompson
