It works on the phone you already own.
Low data, little storage, patchy network. If a product needs a flagship phone or constant 4G, we built it wrong.
Cleva Group · Africa
Most of Africa works informally.Most software ignores it.
Cleva is a group of African companies building tools for the traders, drivers, tailors and farmers who keep economies moving, and for everyone who wants to reach them.
From the public record
- Africa85.8%
- Rwanda82.3%
Share of the economy outside formal systems
The gap
Where the work actually happens
Most African workers earn a living outside formal payroll, formal banking and, until recently, formal software. These figures are public. Each one is sourced.
- 85.8%
of employment in Africa is informal
- 82.3%
of employment in Rwanda is informal, about 3.6 million people
- 40%
of adults in Sub-Saharan Africa hold a mobile money account, up from 27% in 2021
- 23%
of adults saved money through a mobile account in 2024
How we build
Three rules we don’t break
It speaks your language.
Kinyarwanda, Kiswahili, French and English from the first release, not translated later as an afterthought.
It is priced the way money arrives.
Daily and weekly amounts that match real income, not a monthly invoice designed for an office.
The group
One group. Several companies.
Each company serves a different part of the informal economy. They share infrastructure, data discipline and one commitment: build for the people others overlook.
Payments & credit
Getting money in, out and working, in amounts that fit a market day.
Company details coming soon
Commerce & supply
Helping small sellers buy stock, find buyers and keep records.
Company details coming soon
Skills & work
Connecting people to training, tools and the next job.
Company details coming soon
Who it’s for
For the stall owner. And the bank next door.
We start with
- Market and street traders
- Motorcycle and minibus operators
- Tailors, barbers and mechanics
- Smallholder farmers
We work with
- Banks and mobile money operators
- Cooperatives and SACCOs
- NGOs and development agencies
- Governments and regulators
About the pattern
Why the geometry?
The spirals and diamonds across this site are inspired by Imigongo, a Rwandan art form from the east of the country, where ridges of clay are raised by hand and painted in black, white and earth reds. Around it you will find echoes of Ndebele wall painting, Kuba cloth and Malian bogolan.
Homage, not decoration. Each tradition belongs to its makers.
Let’s talk.
Partnership, investment, press, or just curious about what we are building.
Email the team