How Kwanzar Eliminated Currency Friction and Streamlined Customer Notifications

Kwanzar is Angola's ERP built for the real conditions of running a business in Angola. AGT-certified invoicing, stock management, HR, payroll processing, and CRM, all in one platform. Since 2019, they have grown to serve more than 500 companies and professionals across the country, helping small and medium-sized businesses run their operations without the bureaucratic overhead that traditionally came with enterprise software.

Behind every notification Kwanzar sends to its users — account verifications, subscription confirmations, security alerts — there is an SMS API doing the work quietly and reliably. That infrastructure used to be Twilio. Today, it is Ziett.

The challenge: running a global SMS provider in a local economy

For a SaaS company operating in Angola, Twilio works — technically. The API is solid, the documentation is good, and it covers the networks you need. The problem is everything around the API.

Paying for Twilio means paying in US dollars. For a company billing its customers in Kwanza, that creates a constant operational burden: sourcing foreign currency, navigating Angola's exchange market, managing the conversion costs, and dealing with the friction that comes with every credit top-up. It is not a one-time problem. It compounds every month.

For Kwanzar, this was not a minor inconvenience — it was a structural cost built into every SMS they sent.

The switch to Ziett

When Kwanzar evaluated Ziett, the financial case was immediate. Ziett is a Luanda-based CPaaS, and its credits are priced in a way that lets Angolan companies pay without touching foreign exchange. The operational overhead that came with Twilio simply disappears.

But the decision was not only financial. The team needed to know the platform would hold up technically — fast API responses, clean integration, and reliable delivery across Unitel, Africell, and Movicel.

"It's a platform that offers an efficient bulk SMS service — easy to implement and very lightweight on API requests." — Eliúdy Tomás — CEO, Kwanzar

The migration was straightforward. Ziett's API is designed to be familiar to any developer who has worked with a modern messaging provider, and Kwanzar's team was able to integrate and go live without significant rework.

How Kwanzar uses Ziett

Kwanzar is a transactional platform at its core. When a user creates an account, recovers access, or confirms a subscription payment, the system needs to reach them immediately and reliably. SMS is the channel that works across all devices and all network conditions in Angola, without depending on an internet connection or a specific app.

Based on the nature of Kwanzar's platform, their primary use cases with Ziett centre on the critical moments in the user journey:

• Account verification — OTP delivery at registration to confirm identity before access is granted
• Account recovery — Secure one-time codes sent when users reset credentials
• Subscription confirmation — SMS alerts when a payment is processed, giving users immediate confirmation of their billing status

These are low-volume but high-importance messages. They need to arrive quickly, and they need to be trusted by the recipient. A failed or delayed OTP is not just a technical error — it blocks a user from using the product they are paying for.

The impact

Financial clarity

The most immediate benefit was the one Kwanzar's CEO named first: the financial question.

"We had a positive impact on the financial side, since the services are paid in Kwanza — it saved us from a lot of problems: currency conversion, buying foreign exchange, and everything that comes with that." — Eliúdy Tomás — CEO, Kwanzar

In Angola's current environment, every dollar-denominated SaaS dependency carries a hidden cost. Eliminating that dependency for SMS — even if it seems like a small line item — simplifies the company's finances and removes a recurring operational headache.

Technical confidence

Kwanzar's team did not find Ziett to be a compromise. The platform is efficient, the API is lightweight, and delivery is consistent.

"For SMS, I believe they are or will be among the best in the market. I already highlighted the efficiency of the platform and its services." — Eliúdy Tomás — CEO, Kwanzar

Honest assessment

One of the most telling parts of the conversation was when the CEO was asked where Ziett could improve. His answer:

"I can't really answer that question — because beyond SMS, I haven't explored the other features of the platform yet." — Eliúdy Tomás — CEO, Kwanzar

This is not a gap in the product. It is an honest reflection of where Kwanzar is in their journey with Ziett. The SMS channel is working well enough that there has been no pressure to explore further. The next step — for both teams — is to introduce Kwanzar to what else the platform can do.

Looking ahead

Kwanzar has built a communications infrastructure that works for Angola — payments in local currency, reliable delivery across Angolan networks, and an API their team can build on without friction. As the platform continues to grow and its feature set expands, the foundation is already in place to do more.

Ziett is ready when they are.

About Kwanzar

Kwanzar is an integrated ERP platform designed for Angolan SMEs. It offers AGT-certified invoicing, stock and inventory management, HR and payroll processing, CRM, and financial management — all accessible from any device. Founded in 2019 and used by more than 500 businesses across Angola.

Visit kwanzar.ao.