About Us

Qoba founding story

Qoba’s Co-Founder Samuel Ngoda taught himself how to code in high school, and for the past ten years, he has been keen on finding effective ways of solving complex problems that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Africa face, through technology. In 2013, Sam decided to formalize his operations by setting up a consultancy to provide software solutions for small businesses. During this period, he interacted with various SMEs and micro-finance institutions that worked with them. While meeting the various SMEs, Sam noticed a recurring pattern; most of them used software systems built for the elite management class such as large multinational firms. These systems did not accommodate the nuances specific to small and medium-sized enterprises operating within the African context. He noticed that most SMEs across East and Central Africa complement bookkeeping systems with other tools to accommodate transaction categories that were not reflected within their primary bookkeeping systems. Many SMEs had their data spread across several platforms, making consolidation of this information tedious and complicating the generation of an accurate financial position. Sam also noticed that SMEs across the region wasted resources with ineffective inventory management systems. When combined, these two problems led to massive wastage of resources by African SMEs and for many, resulted in the collapse of the business. In 2021, Sam acknowledged that the best solution was to create a simple, affordable and comprehensive software system where SMEs could manage inventory, track sales, record transactions and handle other business operation functions. Thus, Qoba was formed: a software system by Africans for SMEs in Africa. A system that acknowledges that SMEs across the continent operate in an environment with extreme resource constraints, yet they are the backbone of their economies. What we initially envisioned as an all-inclusive solutions hub for SMEs evolved into a platform where small and medium businesses reduce their resource wastage and improve their efficiency, thus increasing their earnings and creating the foundation for long-lasting businesses. At Qoba, we believe that a well-run resilient business is possible. Resilience we can help you achieve.

At Qoba, we believe that small and medium-sized enterprises are the engine of economic success for Africa. In emerging markets, they provide up to 70% of all new employment opportunities, therefore, ensuring they survive and thrive should be a top priority for any economy. Most small and medium enterprises in Africa rely on business operation software systems created to suit Western organizations. These systems often do not comprehensively accommodate the subtleties of how businesses operate within the African context. Therefore, Qoba exists to develop simple, innovative and consolidated software solutions that serve all business functions across the operational spectrum of small and medium enterprises while accommodating the nuances that are present in the African context.