The “Why” Behind StarNews Mobile!

A Letter From Our COO

Last month I took a fantastic trip to Douala, the city where StarNews Mobile was started. The trip helped me to have a much better understanding of our company’s “Why,” the operational challenges of our local team, and vast growth opportunities.

Douala is a very vibrant city. It is a city of probably 7-8M people (no one really knows) with no traffic lights, traffic jams everywhere, and buzzing motorbike taxis that maneuver their way around the traffic and get people from point A to point B. There are literally hundreds of thousands, possibly millions of them, and they are the talk of the town, as people rely on them for their everyday transportation. They are stationed on every corner of the city, and like the famous cab drivers in London, they all love to chat and express their opinions about everything; they know it all. Watching them from a distance and hearing about them from locals, I see opportunities to create a large amount of content and stories from their day-to-day operations. 

If you want to see the actual digital economy and mobile payment system, you should go to Cameroon or any other city in West or Central Africa. Mobile payment via ApplePay or Google Pay has just become the norm in the US, and most business establishments have started accepting them. In Douala, and most of Africa, MoMo and Orange money, the digital payment methods offered by Telecom providers (StarNews’s partners) via APP or Text messaging, are widely accepted and used by everyone. EVERYONE. Including people in villages and the most remote areas.

It was eye-opening for me. In a country where the government is struggling to provide proper infrastructure for everyday necessities, like banking, roads, or electricity, private Telecom companies have stepped in and built a fantastic infrastructure that allows people to use their Mobile devices not only to communicate like anywhere in the world but more importantly to support trade, business activities and allow consumers to pay for goods and services and make a living.

When I say everywhere, I mean everywhere from a street corner vendor who sells daily groceries to the remotest villages, even at a local museum in a most secluded village where Chiefs and Sultans rule. I witnessed this during my weekend travel to several towns and smaller cities, many hours away from Duala. A journey that should take less than 2 hours takes 5 hours due to the lack of proper roads; in this beautiful countryside, everyone relies on their Smart Phone for their day-to-day needs, from payment to entertainment. The reach of Telcom Providers and the use of Mobile Money is what I call WOW. While Apple Pay and Digital Currency are payment methods in our present and future life, Africa is the way of the past. Or are they doing something so unique and different it is very difficult for the West to comprehend?

I saw a very colorful city and people with a culture of family, closeness, caring, and belonging. I met people and artists who love their heritage and culture with ample talent and creativity. A super talented local people, full of culture, art, and creativity, not making any money despite their incredible talent, living poor. 

This is the “Why” behind StarNews Mobile. When Technology and Creativity come together, you make a difference in people’s lives—an actual Creator Economy.

– Zare Baghdasarian