Kenya’s Tappi Partners with Safaricom to Digitize 650,000 MSMEs

Kenyan digital commerce startup Tappi has brokered a partnership with Safaricom’s M-PESA for Business to equip 650,000 micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Kenya with digital tools to boost their online visibility and credibility.

What Is Tappi?

Launched by Kenfield Griffith and Louis Majanja, Tappi is an end-to-end digital commerce platform that allows MSMEs to build an online presence through an app. Business owners can use Tappi to customize their brand appearance and advertise via Google, Facebook, and Instagram using airtime or mobile money.

Since its founding in 2022, Tappi has processed over $3 million in consumer transactions and engaged with more than 150,000 users. Following its entrance into the Nigerian market, the startup recently expanded into Ivory Coast after raising $1.5 million in an oversubscribed pre-seed round.

New Partnership With M-Pessa

With the new partnership in place, Tappi is now integrated into M-PESA for Business, becoming one of the first mini-apps on the platform. For a fee of KES1,350 (US$11), merchants can access a free webpage, 50 SMS or WhatsApp review prompts, and 250 bulk SMS marketing credits. Additionally, M-PESA Ratiba, an automated payment solution, has been incorporated to help business owners manage their subscriptions without stress.

“This partnership is a major milestone, as it merges Tappi’s innovative tools with the powerful reach of M-PESA. M-PESA has long been essential for local entrepreneurs, and our partnership will provide a critical boost to help these businesses thrive online,” said Tappi CEO Kenfield Griffith.

Safaricom CEO Peter Ndegwa expressed similar enthusiasm, saying, “We are thrilled to onboard Tappi as our first mini-app partner on M-PESA for Business. This collaboration empowers our merchants with affordable, innovative tools to grow their businesses, fostering financial inclusion and enhancing the Kenyan economy.”

The partnership launched with over 250 initial users from various sectors across Kenya and aims to reach 300,000 M-PESA for Business app users.