One Ugandan Developer Is Tackling Waste And Need With A Free Sharing App
Neibar is a social platform that helps people give away home, school, and workplace items they no longer need. The company, founded by software developer Roland Namwanza in July 2025, offers a diverse range of products, including household goods, office supplies, clothing, electronics, books, groceries, and university past exam papers.
Namwanza told Techpoint Africa that it was hard to overlook the significant waste co-existing with the apparent need in his community. So, instead of creating a platform to buy and purchase products, he built one where people could give without expecting money in return.
Africa’s first digital platform listing free products
Neibar allows users to list items they no longer need and offer them to others for free. Users can swap items if they wish, but the platform’s core principle remains that giving and receiving are entirely free. When an item is listed, users are notified by email, and they can reserve it on a first-come, first-served basis.
The platform, currently available only as an Android app, features a built-in messaging system. This allows the user who reserves the item and the giver to arrange a safe, public meet-up location for the exchange.
Every user is restricted to picking only two items per day to prevent users from reserving multiple items for commercial purposes. “The reason behind this is that we want to have equal distribution of resources and ensure that everyone can have something,” Namwanza says.
Neibar running without external funding
Neibar is an entirely free service, with Namwanza saying: “We wanted to build a system where there was no money involved. These days, everything is about money, but we want people to be able to give and receive freely.”
But users can contribute to and support the platform if they want to. The platform has not received any external funding and is not primarily concerned with that, Namwanza says. It is currently funded entirely by Namwanza’s job earnings and limited family contributions.
He plans to expand to more urban areas and work with local governments and NGOs to scale Neibar’s impact.
Image: Valdhy Mbemba
