About
Credit scoring for markets without credit bureaus
AfriScore builds credit scoring infrastructure for emerging markets — transforming mobile money transactions, airtime patterns, and device metadata into explainable credit decisions for financial institutions across Africa.
Our Approach
Alternative Data
Mobile money transaction histories, airtime purchase patterns, and device metadata, ingested through a secure API. No traditional credit bureau data required.
Explainable Scores
Every credit decision is accompanied by SHAP feature contributions and counterfactual explanations. No black boxes.
Real-World Calibration
The engine is designed to calibrate against real repayment outcomes during pilot deployment, learning a partner’s specific portfolio rather than a generic benchmark.
Founder
Charles Mfouapon
Charles Mfouapon is the founder of AfriScore. He works at the intersection of quantitative finance, credit risk, and financial infrastructure for emerging African markets.
He holds a First Class Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the Catholic University of Central Africa (UCAC), and is currently pursuing an MSc in Financial Engineering (MScFE) at WorldQuant University.
He built AfriScore’s scoring engine himself — a Rust-based backend with a Python ML pipeline, calibrated Random Forest ensemble, and SHAP-based explainability.
Publications & Research
The Architecture of African Financial Infrastructure
A book examining the overlooked structural foundations of financial systems across Africa.
View on Amazon →Alternative Data and Credit Risk Assessment in Emerging African Economies
A quantitative and regulatory framework for alternative-data credit scoring — the academic basis for AfriScore’s methodology.
Read on SSRN →The 2026 State of Alternative Credit Scoring in Sub-Saharan Africa
Mapping the data, the market, and the policy frontier for alternative credit scoring across the region.
Read the policy paper →Deploy with AfriScore
AfriScore is currently seeking its first pilot partners across Africa. For deployment inquiries, get in touch.
Apply for the pilot