Mogadishu (Dawan Africa) – In Somalia, where most transactions happen through a phone rather than a wallet, mobile money is a lifeline. It pays for groceries, school fees, hospital visits – and in many cases, replaces banks altogether. But the system has long been broken up into islands, each provider serving only its own users.
That fragmentation is what the Taran App, launched in July 2024 by local firm Yiski Company, is trying to fix. The platform links previously disconnected services such as EVC, eDahab, and Premier Wallet, and extends connections to M-Pesa in Kenya and MTN Mobile Money in Uganda.
“This innovation provides a much-needed solution for customers who have long been locked into single networks,” said Bile Ahmed, Yiski’s CEO.
Living With the Gaps
For years, Somalis have had to juggle multiple SIM cards or keep different accounts just to move money. Businesses opened several wallets to serve clients, while ordinary users often found themselves unable to transfer funds to relatives who were on a different network.
“This lack of integration reduced efficiency and limited the country’s economic potential,” said Mustaf Abdullahi Muse, a digital transformation adviser at the Office of the Prime Minister. “If I want to send money from someone using EVC to another person who uses eDahab or Premier Wallet, it becomes a challenge.”
Users’ Relief
For Dr. Amin Garweyne, a dermatologist in Mogadishu, the new app feels less like a tech upgrade and more like relief.“Previously, clients would pay us through different banks, and reconciling these accounts at the end of each day was time-consuming,” he said. “With Taran App, we now centralize all funds in one place, saving valuable time that would otherwise be spent visiting multiple banks.”
Younger users see it as freedom from unnecessary hassle. Abdirahman Adow, a Mogadishu resident, said he no longer needs to carry multiple SIM cards.“With Taran App, I can easily access the funds I have and exchange them for the type of money I need,” he said. “Regardless of where my money is held, whether in a bank or mobile wallet, I can now convert it with ease.”
More Than Technology
Somalia’s economy is already among the most mobile-money dependent in the world, with more than five million peoplerelying on digital payments. But while fintechs like Taran can bridge the technical gaps, analysts warn that innovation alone cannot solve deeper systemic issues.
“Fintechs can bridge technical gaps, but without regulation, risks of fraud, unfair fees, and privacy breaches remain,” said Muse.
Even Yiski’s leadership acknowledges the limitations. “Taran App cannot achieve everything alone,” Ahmed said. “We need government regulation, clear legal frameworks on interoperability, and fair mechanisms for fees and data protection.”
The Road Ahead
For now, Taran App represents the promise of local innovation: a tool built to make daily life easier in one of the world’s most fragmented financial systems. Whether that promise scales into broader financial stability will depend less on code and more on cooperation – between fintech firms, telecom operators, and Somalia’s still-developing institutions.
