“…Of course it’s a huge relief. It’s something not a lot of people have the privilege to do because they don’t have the means and the resources. So, for me, it’s a huge relief…”
While we often think of remittances flowing from diaspora communities to people back home, sometimes the financial support moves in the opposite direction. “Posters” are individuals who send money from a bank account in an African country to their loved ones abroad, forming a crucial support system for many.
In this edition of Meet the Posters, we sit down with Emeka. Emeka is a swapstar who lives in Abuja, Nigeria and he tells us of the rigors and joys found in sending money abroad as a poster. You’ll love this one as well. Let’s go!
Kaoshi Network: “Hi Emeka, can we meet you, where do you reside and what do you do?”
Emeka: “Okay, my name is Emeka. I reside in Abuja, Nigeria and I’m a businessman. I own a gift shop where you send gifts to people abroad. For example, if you have a loved one abroad that you want to send gifts to, I can coordinate that with suggestions and variety. You make payments and I send. I run the business with my wife, she is in Texas. It was my idea but she initiated it. I will send her naira in return.”
Kaoshi Network: “That’s amazing! What made you start sending money? Was it just the business? And to whom?”
Emeka: “Yes, as I said. She’s been my wife for 2 years. I started sending money to her out of obligation because of business. I send her the money through Kaoshi after transactions. I had my reservations on using the platform at first because a friend told me about it but I decided to try it out and it’s been very good. So, yeah, I’ll say it was out of obligation and a shared goal.”
Kaoshi Network: “Alright! Have you ever faced pressure or judgement from people for sending money abroad? People usually believe cross-border transactions are one-way (from the diaspora to Africa) so is that something that has come up?”
Emeka: “ Yes of course, It’s a problem sometimes. That’s why I commend your platform. A lot of people have this mindset that they don’t need to send gifts abroad because they believe people in the diaspora are enjoying their lives and so you are questioned and judged sometimes. But they are human beings too and they need this form of affection. I haven’t experienced it personally, but it’s a common theme and talking point. It’s definitely there for sure.”
Kaoshi Network: “Thank you for that Sir! Can you walk me through how you send money? How do you decide how much and when and how to send?”
Emeka: “On the sending part, I go to the website, input my details and the denomination I want to send. Sometimes, I may want to send denominations that are not on the website and that can be challenging and something you guys should look into. I already know the amount I want to send and if the denomination is not there at the moment, I tell my wife that I’ll add it to the next payment and get a round figure that I’ll send at once. “
Kaoshi Network: “Okay Sir, we’re delighted with your feedback and we’ll look into that. We know you’ve been a Kaoshi user for a while now, how much do you trust the platform and would it be something you’d recommend to people seeing as someone recommended it to you as well?”
Emeka: “Well, it’s a platform I’d recommend to anyone seeing that it has worked for me as well. Since there’s no app yet, it can be slightly challenging trying to convince someone to use it because I was skeptical at first too, but once you get through that, it’s an amazing platform that I trust and would happily tell others about.”
Kaoshi Network: “Thank you so much Sir. Before you met Kaoshi, have you ever had any issues with delays, high fees and bad exchange rates and how did you manage them?”
Emeka: “Yes, it was an issue. Initially, I was going through someone in the US and it wasn’t the most favourable considering timing and convenience. I found someone else later on that was helping me but I felt I was burdening them because I was taking time out of their lives. For the exchange rate, I went on sites (he mentioned aboki fx) and did my comparisons with rates then sent the money. When I met you guys, it became very easy because everything was there on the site for me to see.”
Kaoshi Network: “We’re happy to have you as a customer. Next question, how does it feel knowing that you’re part of something big from thousands of miles away both in your life and at Kaoshi?”
Emeka: “Of course it’s a huge relief. It’s something not a lot of people have the privilege to do because they don’t have the means and the resources. So, for me, it’s a huge relief. There’s not a lot of trust in our traditional financial institutions because of the charges and all. It’s crazy but there’s this joy and I rest assured that you guys are there and whenever I want to send, I just go there, send and she receives. I’ve never had an issue with a time lag in transactions with you guys despite the timezones. So yeah, I’d say Joy is the word. For this journey, I’m joyful.”
Kaoshi Network: “Alright, we’re coming to the end. So Sir, from all your times being a poster, what have you learnt about love, sacrifice and responsibility? “
Emeka: “It has really taught me to be on my toes. Since I do it for my business and send it to my wife, it has built trust between the both of us because I’ve been able to send speedy payments without fail. In Terms of responsibility, I know I can assist her in any way, especially for little bills. Your platform has made it possible and I’m really grateful. “
Kaoshi Network: “Thank you for the feedback and salient points here Sir. Finally, what would be your advice to someone who wants to start supporting a loved one abroad but is unsure of the risk and cost? Since you’re in the system, how would you best advise them?”
Emeka: “First of all, you need to accept the fact that people abroad will not always send money home and they too need money to run their lives. I always tell my customers that even if their loved ones abroad are doing well, they need us to reciprocate the gestures they show to us at times. It’s good to give back, no matter how little to your loved one. I would also recommend Kaoshi to them to make transactions very easy for them.”
Kaoshi Network: “Thank you Mr Emeka for your time, and with that we’ve come to the end of the interview. We’re grateful to you for sitting down with us today!”
Emeka: “Thank you for having me here.”
