As more and more businesses convert to working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many have resorted to using Zoom. Guzmo is an African made video conferencing web application — the first of its kind to be made in Africa.
Gumzo, which means “chatting” in Swahili, it is free for attendees to use with no time-limits, giving unlimited call duration and unlimited callers in a meeting. For those who want to host calls, you will have to pay $1 per week and can enjoy a one-week free unlimited trial. The downside here is that at the moment they only support MPESA as a payment method for your subscription. After sign up, you won’t need to download anything else to use Gumzo.
The Kenyan developers who made this app took eight weeks to make the first African-made video conferencing system. Gumzo – which is Swahili for “chatting” was made in the offices of Usiku Games, a Nairobi company that until a few months ago, focused on making video games for the African market.
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To join a chat room, you’ll need the room URL just like Google meet and its equivalent to a Zoom ID. The URL can be shared by the chat room host. Before you join the call, you’ll be prompted to register via an SMS verification and create your profile i.e. name, avatar, and username.
Gumzo runs entirely on your browser allowing it to run with minimal requirement. However, for you to have a smooth experience, your computer must meet these minimum requirements;
- Have an up-to-date and supported browser like Chrome, Safari or Firefox
- Have an up-to-date operating system like MacOS Mojave or Windows 10
- Have a stable internet connection.
When it comes to privacy, the Guzmo creators say that their chat channels are entirely private. They have a strict system that will ensure their client’s personal information and contact details are private. Their calls are encrypted end-to-end with no back-doors, so your private chat is yours. The company admits that they require more user validation than some of their competitors, but that helps to keep their clients safe, but closes the door on people who create false accounts just to create trouble.
