What is the same everywhere
- Sales, POS, purchasing, stock, accounts and reports, depending on your package.
- Bank, cash and mobile money accounts, each with its own ledger account.
- Multi-currency, with exchange rates you add and documents converted at the rate for their date.
- Your own tax codes, including withholding tax codes, and a VAT return report you can export.
- Your organisation's own time zone.
- Interface choices of English, Kiswahili and French, for each person.
- Flutterwave and Pesapal payment links, if you have an account with a provider that serves your country.
- SMS through Africa's Talking or any gateway with an HTTP API, if it serves your country.
What differs: Kenya compared with the rest
| Feature | Kenya | All other countries |
|---|---|---|
| Tax authority link | KRA eTIMS signing of sales invoices and credit notes | None. Navigate records VAT only |
| Filing returns | Exports only. You file yourself | Exports only. You file yourself |
| Live mobile money | M-Pesa through Safaricom, in KES | None. Entered by hand with a reference |
| Starting tax codes | A to E, mapped to eTIMS types | Standard, Zero-rated and Exempt |
| Statutory payroll | Kenya rates set up, with Kenyan return formats | Add your own rates. No return formats |
| Navigate subscription by M-Pesa | Yes, in KES | No. Card where offered, in USD by default |
How to read the country tables
Language is what screens start in. "Browser" means the browser's language, else English. Any person can change it. VAT start shows whether Navigate fills in a starting rate for the standard code, or leaves you to enter it. Either way, you should check it. The rate is a starting value, not tax advice. We leave rates out here because they change. Links shows live connections for tax or mobile money. The regions below follow how Navigate groups countries.
East Africa
| Country | Currency | Language | VAT start | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burundi | BIF | French | Filled in | None |
| Comoros | KMF | French | You enter | None |
| Djibouti | DJF | French | You enter | None |
| Eritrea | ERN | Browser | You enter | None |
| Ethiopia | ETB | Browser | Filled in | None |
| Kenya | KES | Browser | Filled in | KRA eTIMS, M-Pesa |
| Madagascar | MGA | French | You enter | None |
| Malawi | MWK | Browser | Filled in | None |
| Mauritius | MUR | Browser | Filled in | None |
| Mozambique | MZN | Browser | Filled in | None |
| Rwanda | RWF | Browser | Filled in | None |
| Seychelles | SCR | Browser | You enter | None |
| Somalia | SOS | Browser | You enter | None |
| South Sudan | SSP | Browser | You enter | None |
| Tanzania | TZS | Kiswahili | Filled in | None |
| Uganda | UGX | Browser | Filled in | None |
| Zambia | ZMW | Browser | Filled in | None |
| Zimbabwe | ZWG | Browser | Filled in | None |
Southern Africa
| Country | Currency | Language | VAT start | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Botswana | BWP | Browser | Filled in | None |
| Eswatini | SZL | Browser | You enter | None |
| Lesotho | LSL | Browser | You enter | None |
| Namibia | NAD | Browser | Filled in | None |
| South Africa | ZAR | Browser | Filled in | None |
West Africa
| Country | Currency | Language | VAT start | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benin | XOF | French | You enter | None |
| Burkina Faso | XOF | French | You enter | None |
| Cabo Verde | CVE | Browser | You enter | None |
| Côte d'Ivoire | XOF | French | Filled in | None |
| Gambia | GMD | Browser | You enter | None |
| Ghana | GHS | Browser | Filled in | None |
| Guinea | GNF | French | You enter | None |
| Guinea-Bissau | XOF | Browser | You enter | None |
| Liberia | LRD | Browser | You enter | None |
| Mali | XOF | French | You enter | None |
| Mauritania | MRU | Browser | You enter | None |
| Niger | XOF | French | You enter | None |
| Nigeria | NGN | Browser | Filled in | None |
| Senegal | XOF | French | Filled in | None |
| Sierra Leone | SLE | Browser | You enter | None |
| Togo | XOF | French | You enter | None |
Central Africa
| Country | Currency | Language | VAT start | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angola | AOA | Browser | You enter | None |
| Cameroon | XAF | French | You enter | None |
| Central African Republic | XAF | French | You enter | None |
| Chad | XAF | French | You enter | None |
| Congo (Republic) | XAF | French | You enter | None |
| Congo (DRC) | CDF | French | Filled in | None |
| Equatorial Guinea | XAF | Browser | You enter | None |
| Gabon | XAF | French | You enter | None |
| São Tomé and Príncipe | STN | Browser | You enter | None |
North Africa
| Country | Currency | Language | VAT start | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria | DZD | Browser | Filled in | None |
| Egypt | EGP | Browser | Filled in | None |
| Libya | LYD | Browser | You enter | None |
| Morocco | MAD | Browser | Filled in | None |
| Sudan | SDG | Browser | You enter | None |
| Tunisia | TND | Browser | Filled in | None |
Before you choose Navigate outside Kenya
- Find out whether your tax authority requires a fiscal device or e-invoicing system. If so, plan how you will meet that rule alongside Navigate.
- Decide how mobile money will reach your books. Manual entry takes staff time.
- Ask a card or checkout provider whether it serves your country and currency.
- If you run payroll, confirm you can maintain your own rates and prepare your own returns.
Where Navigate may not fit
- Being able to register in a country does not mean local tax compliance. Only Kenya has a tax authority link.
- Live mobile money is Kenya only, and only M-Pesa through Safaricom.
- Statutory payroll is set up for Kenya only.
- Interfaces are English, Kiswahili and French only.
- Provider coverage for cards and checkout is set by the provider, not by Navigate.
- VAT starting rates are only a starting value. You are responsible for checking them.
Frequently asked questions
Which countries does Navigate support?
A business can register in any of the 54 African countries listed here. Depth of support differs a lot. Kenya has tax, mobile money and payroll links that others do not.
Does Navigate connect to my tax authority?
Only in Kenya, through KRA eTIMS. Everywhere else, Navigate records VAT but does not sign, submit or file with the tax authority.
Which mobile money services work live?
Only M-Pesa through Safaricom in Kenya. Other services can be set up as accounts and recorded by hand. A connected provider's checkout page may offer more.
What languages does Navigate support?
English, Kiswahili and French. There is no Arabic, Portuguese, Kinyarwanda or other interface. A phrase not yet translated stays in English.
Can I use more than one currency?
Yes. Choose a local currency and, for multi-currency, a group currency and the others you trade in. The local and group currencies are fixed once invoices or payments exist.