Djangui”. This local label for tontines in Cameroon is also the name chosen by Jules Guilain Kenfack, a Cameroonian computer and telecommunications engineer, to refer to the application he has just invented, and through which it is possible to manage tontines online. Through this application, its inventor explains, friends all around the world can meet all the requirements linked to a tontine.

In concrete terms, through “Djangui”, it is possible to securely pay for one’s contributions via Paypal, Orange Money and MTN Mobile Money; exchange with the members of the tontine through an instant message service; organise automatic lotteries; vote for the members of the board and have the minutes of the previous meetings, take loans from the tontine’s account, write the minutes of meetings which can also be done through videoconference, etc.

According to Jules Guilain Kenfack, “Djangui” which is in the development phase in order to add more functions, is available in French and English. This application, says its creator, is already being used successfully in Germany, by four tontines with Cameroonian members living in Europe.

This technological innovation will help to modernise the tontines, which are very much part of African cultures. Indeed, these friends or family groups within which members make different transactions (cash deposits, loans, school savings, etc.) have become for some years now real traditional financial institutions.

According to the microfinance strategy document of Cameroon elaborated by the Ministry of Finance in April 2013, Cameroonian tontines operate globally with approximately FCfa 190 billion. This document moreover indicates that 58% of Cameroonians prefer tontines because the contributions generate more interest and access to loans is less restricted than with banks and microfinance establishments.