MargaretKerubo/afripay

AfriPay: African trade infrastructure for instant, low-cost cross-border payments, combining Bitcoin Lightning, local currency conversion, fraud detection, and business analytics. # 🌍 AfriPay ## Bitcoin Lightning-Powered Cross-Border Trade Infrastructure for Africa AfriPay is a cross-border payment platform built for African regional traders transacting across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Sudan, and Ethiopia. It leverages the **Bitcoin Lightning Network** to deliver instant, low-cost, and trust-minimized cross-border payments — replacing the inefficiencies of traditional banking rails. --- ## 🚨 Problem Statement Cross-border trade in Africa is fragmented and expensive. Traders face: - High remittance and transfer fees (5–15% per transaction) - Slow settlement times (1–5 business days) - Multiple financial intermediaries - Complex currency conversion across 50+ local currencies - Limited access to international payment rails - Lack of trust and escrow mechanisms between trading parties > *African commerce moves fast — but money does not.* --- ## 💡 Solution AfriPay replaces traditional payment rails with the **Bitcoin Lightning Network** as the settlement layer. | Feature | Description | |---|---| | ⚡ Instant payments | Sub-second Lightning Network settlement | | ₿ Bitcoin base layer | Satoshi-denominated invoices | | 💱 Fiat display | Real-time KES, UGX, TZS conversion via CoinGecko | | 🛡️ Escrow system | 2-of-3 multi-party trade protection | | 📊 Transparency | Full transaction history and audit trail | --- ## 👥 Target Users - Small and medium cross-border traders - Import/export businesses - Regional wholesalers - Informal cross-border merchants - African SMEs engaged in regional trade --- ## 🔄 Core User Flows ### 💸 Standard Payment Flow ``` Login → Select Recipient → Enter Amount → Fiat→Sats Conversion → Lightning Invoice Generated → Payment Sent → Invoice Settled → Recipient: Keep BTC or View in Local Currency ``` ### 🛡️ Escrow Trade Flow ``` Buyer Initiates Trade → Funds Locked in Escrow → Status: "Locked" → Buyer + Seller + Arbitrator interact → Any 2-of-3 Approvals → Funds Released ``` --- ## ⚙️ Supported C …