Leading African travel and fintech conglomerate Wakanow Group launched its new website along with several product subsidiaries aimed at streamlining and enhancing the travel experience for every traveller on the African continent on Thursday, June 20, 2024.
A promising future for African travel
Speaking at the launch, Bayo Adedeji, group CEO of the Wakanow Group, expressed optimism about the future of travel on the African continent. He highlighted the numerous untapped markets and opportunities, noting that Wakanow is strategically positioning itself to capitalise on these prospects. "The future of travel on the African continent looks promising, with lots of untapped markets and opportunities," Adedeji said. He added that the launch of these new products marks a significant milestone in their journey towards achieving this mission.
Unveiling the new Wakanow website
The event continued with the launch of the new Wakanow website, which focuses on flight booking, travel visa assistance and holiday packages, among others.
Adenike Macaulay, CEO of Wakanow, detailed the upgrades made to the website, emphasising the enhanced user experience. Customers can now book and pay for flight tickets in various currencies, enabling seamless transactions from different locations.
"We have brought more ease to the booking process by providing customers with optimised booking information at one glance," Macaulay explained. She added that customers looking for cheap flights from Lagos to London or any other locations can now select a ticket tier, choose their preferred flight, and view other class options, their perks, and price differences.
Introducing Amina: The AI Chatbot
Ludovic Philippo, COO of Wakanow, introduced Amina, the Wakanow AI chatbot. Amina has been integrated into the platform to enhance efficiency and streamline the booking process, making checkout seamless. "Amina will assist our customers throughout their booking journey, providing real-time support and ensuring a hassle-free experience," Philippo said.
RoomDe: The New Accommodation Booking Platform
Sofie Osei-Bonsu, CEO of Rest of Africa, and Gbolahan Salami, Senior Vice President (SVP) of Product and Strategy, Wakanow, introduced RoomDe, Wakanow's new accommodation booking platform.
"RoomDe is a product we have created for anyone looking to book accommodation in Nigeria, across Africa, and the rest of the world," Osei-Bonsu stated.
She said, "We have expanded beyond hotels to include shortlets, guesthouses, beach houses, and villas. Whether it's for a short stay, a long vacation, business, or leisure, RoomDe offers a variety of options."
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Addressing Hoteiler's pain points with StayConnect
Salami explained that Wakanow has addressed key pain points in the hotel industry with the development of StayConnect, which is still part of RoomDe. This technology enables hotels to list their properties on RoomDe and receive payments seamlessly. "StayConnect solves the problem of inadequate technology for hotel listings and payments.”
According to Salami, RoomDe represents their commitment to leveraging technology to enhance the accommodation booking experience for our customers, both B2B and B2C alike.
Flexible payment options with Kalabash
Further expanding its innovative offerings, Wakanow Group's fintech subsidiary, Kalabash, unveiled three products: Kalabash App, Kalabash Wallet, and Kalabash Naira, all aimed at transforming how individuals manage their finances.
According to Ladi Ojuri, CEO of Kalabash, what makes Kalabash unique from other payment platforms is the experience that they have in travel and payments and being able to bring those two together.
He said, “One standout feature is our "Pay Small Small" product, which allows customers to pay for their flights, hotels, and other activities in installments. This flexible payment option can range from 24 hours up to six months, making it easier for travellers to manage their expenses."
Answering questions about the charges to the customer, Ojuri explained, "We don't do hidden charges. We do a service charge, and you see the service charge when you start the transaction. So there's nothing hidden." The service charge varies from 0.5 percent to 12 percent, depending on the tenure the customer chooses."
Ojuri added that the Kalabash prepaid debit card, which enables travellers to perform transactions globally, pays out in USD and naira and they are looking to include Ghanaian Cedis in the offering in the fourth quarter of this year.
Looking ahead
Speaking to Techpoint on what customers should be expecting a lot more from the Wakanow group, Adedeji said, “AI is growing; there’s the Amina chatbot and for us, Amina is at the beginning stage. What we want is for Amina to know you. When Amina knows you, she may know that you go to Abuja every week. So it comes and says, Hey, I found a deal for you to go to Abuja. Amina should think for you and give you options on what patterns it has been able to establish and that’s the future: a personal assistant for travel.”
As Wakanow continues to innovate and expand its offerings, the company plans to add more inventory and enhance its services.
