It’s March 2020, and COVID-19 is still on the rise.

Countries are placing lockdown restrictions to protect the wellness of their citizens, and I'm in my library in London, watching the latest news on Youtube. I chanced upon a story on Joy News, a Ghanaian media site, about the downside effects these swift changes will have on the citizens, and it baffled me when I saw a man, in a well-tailored suit and tie, lashing out with so much frustration. 

“I just heard everyone has been ordered to stay at home until the virus is gone, and now I don't know what to do. I have to buy groceries for myself and my family today and I don't have money for that. They will pay us at the end of the month, but I have to buy the things now. So now what am I going to do?” he murmured.

How sad and disappointing that was, I thought. This man, like any average Ghanaian worker, goes to work for 8 hours every week but only has access to his salary once a month. The money they’ve already worked for and earned.

So I questioned myself, and I can’t quite recall whether it was from the emotional state the man in the news had just left me in or my innate desire to help him solve his problem. Can I create something that allows every worker to have money they’ve earned at all times? Why do they have to wait for a specific day in a month to have access to their salary?

I wasn’t even done questioning myself, when I started researching in that same room and stuck all my thoughts and findings on colored sticky notes on the wall. From the model to the team, the office, the mission, and how I wanted it to work. Everything was engineered in my mind. 

A few months passed, new relationships with people (my team), and a bunch of archives and we’ve made it possible for every Ghanaian worker to have access to their salary for each hour that they work every single day, and even much better; Ghanaian workers can get an advance wage in seconds without collateral or long paperwork. 

Members of the Zuberi community don’t have to wait until payday to get paid or lash out when a financial crisis hits at unexpected times. 

Download the Zuberi app from the Google Play Store or App Store to join the waitlist.