# FreightFlow — Digital Freight Marketplace for Africa
> **Africa's Talking Transportation & Logistics Hackathon — May 28, 2026**
> Problem Track: **Freight & Cargo Logistics**
> Venue: Nairobi Garage Kilimani, 7th Floor, Pinetree Plaza
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## The Problem
Africa's freight sector is fragmented, opaque, and largely offline. Over **70% of East African truck operators** use basic feature phones without internet access. Key pain points:
- Shippers have no visibility into where their cargo is after it leaves the warehouse
- Transporters spend hours calling around to find available loads — wasting fuel and time
- Load matching is done by phone calls and word-of-mouth, with no audit trail
- Rural and peri-urban drivers are excluded from digital logistics platforms that require smartphones
- Cross-border cargo gets stuck due to missing or incorrect customs documentation
## The Solution — FreightFlow
FreightFlow is a **multi-tenant digital freight marketplace** that connects shippers and transporters in real time. It is built specifically for the African logistics context — SMS and USSD-first, mobile-responsive, and designed for operators across the income and tech spectrum.
**Shippers** post loads, get matched to verified transporters, and receive live SMS updates as their cargo moves.
**Transporters** browse and accept loads via a dashboard or by dialling a USSD shortcode on any phone — no internet required.
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## Africa's Talking APIs Powering FreightFlow
| API | How FreightFlow Uses It |
|-----|------------------------|
| **SMS API** | Instant load status alerts, delivery confirmations, and OTP verification sent to any phone number |
| **USSD API** | Drivers dial `*384*FreightFlow#` to update delivery status, check jobs, and check payments — no internet, no smartphone |
| **Voice API** | Automated outbound calls for critical alerts: cargo delayed >2 hours, high-value delivery confirmation |
| **Airtime API** | Transporter performance rewards — KES 20 airtime …