FOUNDATION

Tokata Foundation

Advancing digital payments for people, not just profits.


Tokata Foundation is the philanthropic arm inspired and founded by
Transact Connect Training CEO, Estevao Tokata, together with his sons
Kyle and Adé. Where Transact Connect Training focuses on professional,
paid capacity-building for the payments industry, Tokata Foundation exists
to ensure the benefits of digital payments reach ordinary people, informal traders,
youth, and underserved communities across Africa.


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Our Shared Purpose

Digital payments are transforming how Africa earns, saves, trades and grows.
But too many people still lack the skills and confidence to use digital tools
safely or effectively. MSMEs and informal traders often don’t know which
solutions to adopt, youth and women struggle to access market-relevant skills,
and community organisations want to support digital inclusion but lack
specialised payments knowledge.

Where Transact Connect Training focuses…

Transact Connect Training builds the skills of professionals in banks, fintechs, telcos, regulators and retail merchants.

Where Tokata Foundation Steps In...

Tokata Foundation takes that same deep payments expertise and pushes it outward, into communities, MSMEs, young people and ecosystem partners who would not otherwise have access to this level of training.

“Business builds capabilities. The Foundation unlocks inclusion.”

Why Tokata Foundation Was Created

Tokata Foundation was created to separate commercial operations from philanthropy, while staying closely connected in mission.

It exists to make sure that as digital payments grow, no one is left behind – whether they are a street vendor, a township spaza, a rural youth, a social grant recipient or a community organisation.

Founder-led

Established by Estevao Tokata, a payments practitioner with over three decades of industry experience.

Family governance

Guided by a leadership board comprising Estevao and his sons, Kyle and Adé, who share a passion for the future of payments and inclusion.

Clear impact focus

Channel expertise, content and support into initiatives that may be free or heavily subsidised for those who need them most.

What the Tokata Foundation Does

Tokata Foundation focuses on practical, outcomes-driven programmes that make
digital payments safer, more inclusive, and more useful for everyday life and business.
Our work spans individuals, communities, MSMEs, non-profits, and ecosystem partners across Africa.

Workforce Capability Development                  (Inclusive Pathways)

Introductory and foundational pathways designed to help young people, career-changers, and entry-level professionals build relevant skills for roles in payments, banking, fintech, and digital commerce. Where possible, programmes include subsidised or sponsored access to selected learning resources.

Merchant & MSME Digitisation

Practical training for micro, small, and informal businesses on accepting and managing digital payments. This includes understanding cards, QR codes, mobile money, online payments, fees, reconciliation, and choosing the right tools for different trading environments.

Community Digital Payments Literacy

Accessible, multilingual education for everyday consumers on how digital payments work, how to use them confidently, and how to avoid common mistakes. Content is designed for delivery through community partners, schools, NGOs, and local organisations.

Financial Inclusion & Vulnerable Communities

Programmes aimed at rural, underserved, and vulnerable groups, including social grant recipients and migrant workers. Initiatives focus on using digital payments as an enabler of safer transactions, better access to services, and improved financial resilience.

Youth & Women Empowerment

Targeted skills development for young people and women to support participation in the digital economy, whether through employment in the payments ecosystem or entrepreneurship. Content supports both career pathways and small business growth.

Ecosystem-Level Enablement

Knowledge-sharing and capability support for regulators, industry bodies, development partners, and donors. This includes contributing expertise to ecosystem initiatives, pilots, and programmes that strengthen payments infrastructure and inclusion outcomes.

Digital Safety, Fraud Awareness & Consumer Protection

Awareness campaigns and practical learning focused on safe digital behaviour, fraud prevention, and consumer protection. Content helps individuals and communities recognise scams, protect personal information, and build trust in digital payment systems.

Capacity Building for Non-Profits & Community Organisations

Training and toolkits for NGOs, CBOs, and social enterprises to help them understand digital payments and use them effectively for donations, disbursements, and operational efficiency, enabling them to better serve their beneficiaries.

How Transact Connect Training Supports Tokata Foundation

Tokata Foundation is closely connected to Transact Connect Training, while remaining purposefully separate
in structure and governance. This relationship allows the Foundation to draw on deep industry expertise,
proven learning frameworks, and operational capability, without compromising its philanthropic mission.

A deliberate and responsible relationship

Transact Connect Training operates as a commercial training and consulting business serving banks, fintechs, payment service providers, regulators, and large merchants.

Tokata Foundation exists alongside this business to ensure that the knowledge, frameworks, and insight developed through industry work can be responsibly extended to communities, MSMEs, youth, and non-profit organisations that would not otherwise have access to them.

The Foundation does not sell training. Instead, it leverages Transact Connect Training’s intellectual capital, experience, and delivery capability to design inclusive programmes, community-facing content, and ecosystem initiatives focused on long-term impact.

When you invest in training with Transact Connect, you’re helping ensure knowledge doesn’t stop at the corporate boardroom, it reaches taxi ranks, spaza shops, youth hubs and community halls.

Shared Expertise

The Foundation draws on Transact Connect Training’s subject matter experts, curriculum designers, and facilitators, ensuring that all programmes are grounded in real payments systems, frameworks, and operational realities.

Content Reuse & Localisation

Professional-level training content is adapted into simpler formats, shorter modules, and community-appropriate language. Where relevant, materials are localised for different regions and audiences.

Course-Linked Impact

Over time, selected Transact Connect Training courses, partnerships, or corporate programmes may contribute sponsored learning access, subsidised seats, or funding support to Tokata Foundation initiatives.

How You Can Get Involved

Whether you’re a bank, fintech, donor, development partner, corporate or community
organisation, there are practical ways to support Tokata Foundation’s work.

Sponsor a Cohort

Fund a sponsored learning cohort for youth, women, MSMEs, or community organisations. This may include access to curated learning content, facilitated sessions where appropriate, and practical toolkits designed for real-world use.

Co-Create a Programme

Partner with Tokata Foundation to design a targeted initiative aligned to your inclusion, ESG, CSI, or ecosystem objectives. Programmes may focus on areas such as digital payments literacy, MSME enablement, fraud awareness, or workforce readiness.

Enable Your Value Chain

Support digital payments capability across your merchant base, agents, partners, or customer communities. These initiatives help improve adoption, responsible usage, trust, and long-term sustainability across your value chain.

Support Research & Insights

Sponsor research, guides, and practical toolkits that translate complex payments topics into clear, accessible knowledge for communities, MSMEs, and emerging market contexts. Outputs are designed to be shared widely and reused by partners.

Partner as a Community or Non-Profit Organisation

Work with Tokata Foundation as a local delivery partner. We collaborate with non-profits, community-based organisations, and social enterprises to deliver programmes on the ground, equipping partners with content, tools, and support to reach beneficiaries effectively.

Interested in partnering with the Tokata Foundation?

Visit the Foundation Website
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