Introducing Martge: A Local Marketplace App for Equatorial Guinea

🌍 The Problem

In Equatorial Guinea, many people buy, sell, or trade items informally — through word of mouth, WhatsApp groups, or Facebook posts. While platforms like OfferUp, Kijiji, and Facebook Marketplace dominate the scene in North America, there's no dedicated, mobile-first marketplace app tailored for our local needs.

That’s a problem I believe we can solve.

📱 The Idea Behind Martge

Martge is my upcoming mobile app project aimed at giving people in Equatorial Guinea a simple, secure, and accessible way to buy and sell items directly from their phones — without needing complicated tech setups or international payment systems.

⭐ Key Goals

✅ Ease of Use: Designed for anyone to list an item in minutes — no tech expertise needed.
✅ Mobile-First: Optimized for low-bandwidth environments and older Android/iOS devices.
✅ Local Payments: Support for MTN Mobile Money, Orange Money, and cash-on-delivery options.
✅ Multi-Language: Spanish, French, and Fang (eventually), with a simple UI.
✅ Community Trust: User ratings, identity verification, and safety tips to reduce scams.

🧠 Why It Matters

People in Equatorial Guinea often don’t have access to formal e-commerce platforms. But almost everyone has a phone, and there’s a strong informal economy — whether you’re selling used furniture, clothes, tech, or food.

Martge empowers that economy with tech. It provides:

- Economic opportunity for local sellers
- Convenient discovery for buyers
- A trusted system for trade — made by someone who understands the local context

⚙️ My Planning Process (So Far)

This project is currently in the discovery and planning phase, and I’m using:

- Figma for early wireframes and UX
- SwiftUI for iOS development (Android will follow)
- Firebase for user auth, database, storage, and push notifications
- Notion for backlog and feature tracking
- Markdown & GitHub for transparent development logs

💡 Feature Ideas I'm Considering

- Smart categories (e.g., electronics, vehicles, housing)
- Listing boost for sellers
- Featured or trusted seller badges
- In-app messaging (with anti-scam filters)
- Offline-saving mode for slow networks
- Subscription model for businesses or power sellers

🔒 Data & Security

I take user data seriously. Martge will not harvest or sell data. Authentication will be minimal and privacy-forward — especially in a country where trust in tech is still growing.

🚣️ What’s Next?

I’m currently:

- Interviewing locals to understand real pain points
- Creating Figma wireframes
- Planning the MVP (Minimum Viable Product)
- Exploring how to integrate mobile payments and delivery partners

🙌 Want to Help?

If you're a developer, designer, business owner, or just excited about making Equatorial Guinea better with tech, I’d love to connect. You can reach out to me through my portfolio or LinkedIn.
Together, we can build something useful, inclusive, and impactful.

Stay tuned. Martge is coming.