An application offering Algerians living abroad the possibility of paying in foreign currency for products purchased remotely from Algeria and delivering them to the homes of their relatives in the various provinces of the country has been launched by the ride-hailing startup “Temtem.”

According to Temtem, the multiservice application, called “Temtem One” allows the Algerian diaspora to “pay for its orders with a VISA, MasterCard or American express card and enter the address and telephone number of relatives in Algeria so that “Temtem One” is responsible for delivering them within 2 hours in express mode or between 1 to 5 days depending on the region of their residence.”

“I congratulate the startup Temtem for this excellent initiative. This is the first time that an Algerian company has offered such a service to our diaspora and which at the same time will generate foreign currency income for Algeria. This proves today that Algeria can count on the ingenuity of its start-ups to diversify its economy and also be a vector of financial inclusion,” Algeria’s Minister of the Knowledge Economy and Startups, Yacine Oualid said. 

Here Is What You Need To Know

• For inhabitants of Algiers, Tunisia’s capital, orders are “delivered within 24 hours”.
• In general, “Temtem One” already delivers in 21 of the 48 wilayas of the country.
• In a statement, the minister responsible for the Knowledge Economy and Startups said that this application was launched in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic which has greatly limited travel in Algeria and elsewhere. The ministry noted that the diaspora could not find its relatives for almost a year because of the pandemic. 
•  Thus, with Temtem One, “it has never been so easy for Algerians living abroad, naturally wishing to help their loved ones, to do so”, rejoices the ministry.

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“Payments made in foreign currency are sent to Temtem’s accounts in dinars, contributing to the country’s foreign exchange reserve”, explains the ministry, stressing that Temtem has ensured, after numerous consultations and advice, in particular from a bank international, that the offer and the process comply with the Algerian regulations in force.

• In this context, the ministry recalled that financial flows from the Algerian diaspora to their country of origin totaled barely $ 2 billion in 2018.

“We design products and services that meet local needs with one goal, that of improving people’s lives. They access the services that matter to them more easily and even innovative services that do not exist elsewhere like Temtem Diaspora,” Salim Bouazouni was quoted as saying. 

Charles Rapulu Udoh

Charles Rapulu Udoh is a Lagos-based lawyer who has advised startups across Africa on issues such as startup funding (Venture Capital, Debt financing, private equity, angel investing etc), taxation, strategies, etc. He also has special focus on the protection of business or brands’ intellectual property rights ( such as trademark, patent or design) across Africa and other foreign jurisdictions.
He is well versed on issues of ESG (sustainability), media and entertainment law, corporate finance and governance.
He is also an award-winning writer