From savings circles
to credit scores.
Shika digitizes susu — the group savings Ghanaian SMEs and farmers already trust — into a real credit score. No internet, no smartphone. Just a phone and a phone number.
How a savings circle becomes a credit score
Dial
Works on any phone via USSD — dial *920*157#. No internet, no smartphone, no app to install.
Save as a group
Digitizes susu, the group savings SMEs and farmers already run, recording who contributed, how much, and how often.
Verify with your circle
Group members confirm each other's contributions, turning informal trust into a record a lender can check.
Score it
That record becomes a standardized credit score, built on real African saving behavior instead of a foreign model.
Move it on-chain
Contribution history migrates to blockchain, so it stays intact and portable, independent of any single institution.
Sharpen it with AI
Pattern analysis across the growing dataset improves scoring accuracy as more saving cycles complete.
Trust that travels from the market to the bank
Built for the unbanked
SMEs and farmers with no formal financial history get a real way to build one, using savings habits they already practice.
No internet required
Every feature runs over USSD on any handset. No data plan, no smartphone, no app store account.
Lender-ready data
Scores are standardized across regions, so banks and lenders can act on them instead of guessing at informal income.
Everything you need to know
What is Shika Wallet, and who is it for?
Shika Wallet is a project by OffGrid Labs that helps unbanked African SMEs and farmers build a credit score through the group savings (susu) they already practice, so they can access financial credit.
How does it work without internet?
Through USSD — a system built into every mobile phone, no data connection needed. Dial *920*157# to record a contribution, check savings, or view your score.
How does it change traditional susu?
It digitizes contribution consistency and group participation. Peer verification within the group turns informal saving into a financial history lenders can actually read.
What problem is this actually solving?
Most credit scoring systems miss cash-based, informal income entirely. Banks can't assess creditworthiness without standardized data, so proven small businesses and farmers are locked out of working capital — often because the only barrier is that no internet-based solution reaches them.
Where do blockchain and AI fit in?
Contribution records migrate to blockchain so they stay immutable and portable across institutions. AI analyzes the growing dataset to sharpen scoring accuracy as more saving cycles complete.
Help take this beyond Ghana
Every contribution helps carry this from one country to the wider African tech ecosystem. If you'd rather back it directly, send ETH to our project wallet.
Or dial *920*157#