November 16, 2016
(CNN) When Dinah Colecraft wakes up in her house in Ghana’s capital of Accra, the first thing she does isn’t take a shower or make a coffee. She uses an app to download a devotion sent by her church.
With the app she can also browse church events taking place that weekend and even make a donation using her credit card.
Basically, it’s a one-stop shop for spirituality.
Created by a team of young Ghanaian entrepreneurs, Asoriba – the parent company behind the app – was deemed Africa’s Best Startup at the Seedstars World event this earlier this year in Casablanca, Morocco.
The goal of the app is simple, says Nana Prempeh, co-founder of Asoriba. “It’s focused on the fundamental goals and aims of the church, and that is to win more souls.”
A Digital Collection Box
In Ghana, Christians normally give tithes – or a tenth of their monthly income – to the church.
While nobody knows exactly how much money is in circulation within the Christian church in Ghana – due to the plethora of small institutions with no collective figures – most agree it’s a huge figure.
“I can reassure you that the churches are among the richest organizations in the country,” says Prempeh.
“Some churches need to use vans to take their money back to the bank on Sundays.”
By taking the collection box online, Asoriba has managed to tap into this huge market.
Colecraft, who works at Grace Gospel Ministries, uses the app’s payment feature.
“It’s very convenient to pay tithes on my phone,” she says. “In the comfort of my house, I can contribute to the church without necessarily having to be there.”
Prempeh says the church uses the donations to fund education and healthcare
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