MOTI is a next-generation app developed in partnership with Vodacom and recently backed by Tantel, designed to be East Africa’s super app where users can seamlessly access a wide range of services from ride-hailing to payments and beyond.
Tanzania’s mobile penetration stands at roughly 80 percent, yet most users rely on fragmented apps for ride-hailing, food delivery, payments, and entertainment. MOTI was created to bridge that gap, providing seamless access to diverse services within one ecosystem and positioning itself as the region’s answer to WeChat.
The app currently integrates ride-sharing and food delivery, but its ambitions extend far beyond. In the near future, MOTI plans to incorporate financial services, entertainment, and utilities, giving users the ability to manage multiple aspects of their lives from one interface. By doing so, the company aims to simplify daily transactions, improve convenience, and create network effects that benefit both users and service providers.
Tantel Holdings invested in MOTI because of its visionary founding team and the clear market opportunity. East Africa has seen rapid growth in digital adoption with over 25 million smartphone users in Tanzania alone, yet existing services remain siloed. MOTI’s platform solves this fragmentation by offering bundled service packages, loyalty programs, and access to credit facilities within a single, intuitive interface. Tantel’s experience in scaling technology-driven solutions adds operational strength to MOTI’s growth strategy, enabling rapid rollout while maintaining high service standards.
MOTI is innovating across multiple dimensions. By partnering with Vodacom, Tanzania’s leading telecom provider, the app leverages robust infrastructure to ensure reliability and reach even in rural regions. It is also supporting farmers through a digital trade initiative, allowing agricultural producers to sell directly to consumers, enterprises, and institutions, creating a true farm-to-table network that bypasses traditional middlemen. Early pilots indicate that farmers using the platform can increase revenues by up to 20 percent while reducing transaction costs and post-harvest losses.
The company has already achieved key milestones, including integrating ride-sharing and food delivery into one app for the first time in Tanzania, launching agriculture-focused solutions, and preparing to expand into fintech, gaming, and other digital services. This multi-vertical approach ensures that MOTI remains relevant to users across demographics while building a diversified revenue base.
MOTI’s model benefits the broader ecosystem as well. Drivers, restaurants, farmers, and small businesses gain access to a large customer base without investing heavily in marketing or technology. By centralizing services, MOTI generates a network effect that increases efficiency, revenue, and market reach for all participants, while creating a scalable foundation for growth across East Africa.
The long-term vision is ambitious: to become the inclusive super app for the region, connecting consumers, small businesses, and service providers through one unified platform. The immediate focus is to solidify market leadership in Tanzania, working closely with government institutions, regulators, and telecom operators to ensure affordable, fast, and reliable services. Once established domestically, MOTI plans to expand into neighboring East African markets, delivering its multi-service ecosystem to millions of users and driving economic growth through digital innovation.
