QR Codes in Africa and Their Various Use Cases

Even after QR codes were invented in 1994,  QR codes made a notably huge impact during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Private and business sectors, public sectors, and even the educational sector utilized touchless QR technology when the pandemic took off. 

These codes are rapidly becoming a go-to for marketing services and businesses due to their penetrative ability to connect to all age groups using only a smartphone. 

Last year, almost 11 million US households used a QR code, an increase of more than one million uses up from 2018, according to a recent survey by Statista.

But how are these QR codes used elsewhere, particularly in Africa?

QR code-based payment system

Ghana

Due to the vagaries of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ghana’s central bank launched a universal QR code for payment solution with HPS (Hightech Payment Systems) just last year, making it the first African country to introduce a universal QR code system.

The QR code payment system has provided both customers and merchants convenience and safety when making payment transactions by only scanning the QR code to send payments.

Using QR codes, citizens in Ghana can make payment transactions to merchants from multiple funding sources like e-wallets, debit cards, or bank accounts.

Merchants can receive the amount of money instantly via static or dynamic QR codes.

The QR code-based payment used in Africa includes Zapper, Snapscan, Youtap, the Needbank app, and First National Bank. 

Zimbabwe, Kenya, Angola, and Lesotho

Cashless payments are also surging using QR codes in Africa. The Nedbank app is a QR code-based system that operates in African countries such as Zimbabwe, Kenya, Angola, and Lesotho.

The Nedbank app allows users to avail themselves of scan-to-pay services by simply installing its smartphone app. 

It also collaborates with other payment system apps such as Zapper, Snapscan, and Masterpass to make payment transactions via Nedbank App.

Egypt

In 2018, QR codes began to gain traction in Egypt. Egypt’s central bank integrated QR code-based system payment in the country to increase financial inclusion in Egypt.

With more than 60 percent of adults in Egypt having no access to electronic payments, QR codes are often viewed to boost financial inclusion in regions with heavy cash usage that does not have access to e-payment systems. 

Egyptian National Payment Scheme for mobile wallets using QR codes has been welcomed and has become convenient in electronic payments at any point of sale.

With that being said,  Banque Misr is also one of the first banks to supply Mobile Wallet customers with QR codes in Egypt.

Nigeria

Just like any other country in Africa,  Nigerian country is also gradually adopting QR code-based payment systems as a preferred choice for businesses in Nigeria as an affordable alternative to utilizing POS (point-of-sale) solutions.

Fintech companies such as Paystack and Flutterwave now offer merchants and service providers the use of QR codes to receive payments by generating and printing or sending the Quick Response codes to their customers, even over on social media channels.

QR codes for boosting app downloads

Uganda

Jumia is placed as the number one online retail store in Uganda. Jumia’s website displays a QR code that shoppers can scan the QR code to download their app right away.

Upon scanning the QR, this will automatically redirect their customers to download the app right away.

It will redirect scanners to the Apple App Store if they use an iPhone and Google Play Store for Android users. 

In addition, Jumia also uses a QR code that redirects the scanners to big discounted items!

QR codes for blended learning

South Africa

Bubbles Technology is the first South African country that use QR codes to give life to textbooks to enhance richer learning for students. 

QR codes interspersed throughout textbooks integrate traditional learning with a mix of digital content, bring books to life, and leverage student learning.

The QR codes for books lead students to multimedia content that allows students to unlock richer learning and make the experience interactive, redirecting the scanners to audio and visual snippets that complement the subject.

Algeria

As the mobile penetration rate in Algeria stands at over 111%, and most students have access to these gadgets, schools in Algeria are also using QR codes for a blended and interactive learning approach.

Using QR codes that can redirect to any type of information, students use QR codes to send questions to their teachers, see the platform, ads, and grades, and listen to a podcast just by scanning the QR code using their smartphone gadgets. 

QR codes in Africa for digital health pass

Tunisia

The Tunisia government required its passengers to fill out the online health declaration form before entering the country.

After completing the form, a QR code will be generated and sent to the person’s email. 

They will then need to present this QR code to the airline before boarding and customs/immigration on their arrival.

South Africa

A travel industry executive, Peter Vlitas, holds the health passport app CommonPass as a travel pass requirement.

United and other airlines are preparing to use the app to track and verify if passengers have negative COVID-19  results.

In reopening South Africa’s international travel, the African government plans to adopt and join the bandwagon of the growing countries that accept the International Air Transport Association (IATA) mobile travel pass.

The IATA app is a digital solution that people can use to store COVID test results from accredited laboratories.

The International Air Transport Association said it aims to introduce further changes soon,  including enabling QR code scanning by immigration officers upon arrival.

Furthermore, the South African government recently debated implementing digital health passes using QR codes.

Kenya

After a series of global lockdowns, international travel is never the same. Kenya’s government welcomes its visitors with a new set of travel rules.

Before flying to Kenya, travelers must fill out the digital application form, the  International Travelers Health Surveillance Form.

After processing, a travel QR code will then be sent to the passenger.

Travelers must display the corresponding QR codes to port health officials to allow them to proceed to arrival immigration.

QR codes for interactive print media

South Africa

Associated Media Publishing in South Africa, the leading independent publisher of women’s media brands in the country, launched its QR code campaign for its October issue last 2018.

The QR codes in magazines lead the readers to online shops, which allow them to shop and purchase products and merchandise featured in Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, House Keeping, and many others.

They can easily purchase the featured merchandise by scanning the QR codes on print, providing a ready-to-shop portal.

QR codes on magazines and print mediums can leverage consumers’ experience to the next level. 

Africa’s QR codes have been taking over, especially in the print media industry! 

QR codes in Africa to monitor fog harvesting

Southwestern Morocco

In southwest Morocco, the water manager uses a tablet computer and QR codes to monitor the fog harvesting infrastructure.

A digitized doctor’s prescription is accessible using a QR code

Morocco

To curb social interaction due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Moroccan government urban agencies decided to develop an initiative to generalize the e-service last year. 

Pandemic response measures include issuing online information services and conducting services to citizens remotely and online.

The School of Engineering in Moroccan students have developed and innovated a Moroccan Electronic Perspective medical invention.

This app could help mitigate the deadly spread of the Coronavirus pandemic.

This mobile application contains electronic/ digitized information about a doctor’s prescription for a certain patient.

The consulting doctor then sends the digitized prescription to any pharmacy.

The patient identifies their pharmacy with a QR code and receives the medication without physical contact between the patient and pharmacist.

QR codes for a telecommunication company

Morocco

Morocco’s one of the top tiers Telecommunications company, Orange, launched QR codes so customers could easily retrieve their top-up prepaid phone credit card code.

QR codes for event

Ethiopia

During the great Ethiopian run event, which was an event exclusive to celebrate women and women empowerment, volunteers of the event wore sported t-shirts with QR Codes imprinted on them.

Once scanned, the QR codes imprinted on the shirts redirect to a Facebook page.

The organizers of the event aim to grow the Facebook page’s followers. Each t-shirt featured three QR Codes that redirect to different landing pages:

• The first QR Code redirects people to the organizer’s Facebook page
• The second QR Code directs people to a page with photos of the events
• The third QR Code led to a page listing the winners of the race

QR codes for digital identification cards

Ethiopia

To improve humanitarian assistance in the remote and marginalized area of Babile, Ethiopia, QR code identification cards were given to 420 families in Babile that will identify them as recipients of cash and seed donations. 

Using these new identification cards with imprinted QR codes aims to help the International Committee of Red Cross in Ethiopia record the citizens’ real-time rations.

The ICRC, or International Committee of Red Cross in Ethiopia, has partnered with Red Rose, a web-based platform, to provide digitalized management of some of their humanitarian interventions.

The card contains the personal identification information of an individual, as well as what humanitarian assistance one is entitled to.

The QR code technology tool in cards is a value-added solution that boosts efficiency compared to the previous paper coupons, which did not contain personal data.

QR codes in Africa for data document verification

Ethiopia

Examples of CFSAN-Issued Food Export Certificates

The Document Registration and Authentication Agency (DARA) in Ethiopia introduces a QR verification system in its document authentication process to battle against forgery, fake documents, and illegal registration operations.

Furthermore, the initiative also aims to help the citizens from illegal actors.

“In the past, anyone who has a fake ID will try to get, for instance, power of attorney and may use forged documents and abuse the rights and property of others without their knowledge, but the current QR code, for instance, will help organizations like banks to re-verify the document by their own,” Muluken Amare, Director General of DARA, said.

Digitizing all documents at DARA was launched last year.

According to the head of the public institution, almost all of the year’s documents are recorded on a soft copy.

The original documents will be printed with a QR code that will be scanned using a smartphone gadget.