How it works

Two traders. One phone. No language barrier.

Speak, interpret, hear and reply, trade. SanKam’s AI-powered speech-to-speech interpretation is built for the way Africa actually trades.

See a conversation, start to finish.

Each trader speaks in their own language and hears the other in theirs. SanKam is built for real-world trade, helping people communicate, negotiate and do business across language barriers even in low-connectivity environments.

English and Kiswahili Live

Illustrative conversation

Choose a conversation

  1. 1
    Speak

    Trader A talks naturally, in their own language.

  2. 2
    Interpret

    SanKam turns speech into text, interprets it, and speaks it back.

  3. 3
    Hear and reply

    Trader B hears it straight away and answers in theirs.

  4. 4
    Trade

    Both traders confirm they have understood each other, then agree terms between themselves.

An illustrative conversation. It plays through three language pairs on a loop.

A trader holds up a phone running SanKam while a stallholder answers in Kiswahili
Today On the phone traders already carry. Face to face, in the markets and border corridors where they already work.
Next Inside calls, marketplaces and earbuds. Two traders in two cities, each hearing the other in their own language.

A price misheard is a deal lost.

Trader AHausa, Kano
Trader BFrench, Niamey

Naira dubu ashirin

… ?

Buhu uku

Deux ? Trois ?

Takardun kwastam?

Pardon ?

Za a biya gobe

Aujourd’hui ?

Four things lost in translation.

The language layer under African trade.

Marketplaces, mobile money, logistics and customs systems plug SanKam in, so every user can work in their own language.

We start with a product that solves a real problem on day one, and grow it into proprietary African language AI that others build on.

People and businessesTraders, cooperatives, SMEs, buyers
Trade platformsMarketplaces, mobile money, logistics, customs
SanKamSpeech-to-speech AI, trade vocabulary, quality safeguards
African languages and dataGoverned in Africa, for Africa

African language data, governed in Africa.

Every recording is consented to, anonymised at source, and used to benefit the communities who speak the language.

  • Consent and control

    Clear consent in the speaker’s own language, and the right to withdraw it.

  • Privacy by design

    Personal details stripped at source. Records encrypted.

  • Honest about uncertainty

    Confidence is shown, and anything that needs checking is flagged.

  • Quality safeguards

    When SanKam is unsure, it says so and asks both traders to confirm the meaning before they agree.

  • Quality in every dialect

    Tested language by language, with native speakers reviewing the results.

Kiswahili to FrenchNeeds review

“Tutalipana baada ya mavuno.”

Payment terms include a regional expression.

Confidence61%

Both traders are asked to confirm before they agree.

Example screen. Figures are illustrative.

Partner with us.

We work with organisations across the trade ecosystem on pilots and partnerships.

Partner with us

Contact us.

For general and investment enquiries, write to us and the right person will reply.

Contact us