Non-Dev to Shipped: building Baraza Protocol with AI tools

A ZABAL Gamez session with Aziz (MotoMoto) of Build Africa DAO. Coming from media and production with no coding background, he built Baraza Protocol by directing AI tools - a mobile-first, no-jargon platform for the savings groups and cooperatives across Africa (chamas, SACCOs, stokvels) to run on-chain, plus Baraza TV, a decentralized broadcast layer. He traces the path from a non-technical-founders hackathon (40 dollars, 72 hours, Claude and ChatGPT) to a working build, why he put mobile and accessibility first (M-PESA, USSD, zero blockchain jargon), and his advice for non-coders: know the problem you can identify with, write the PRD that answers the real questions, then just ship and build in public.

• You do not need to be a coder. Aziz came from media and production, spent about 40 dollars on Claude and ChatGPT, and shipped a working build in a 72-hour hackathon for non-technical founders.
• Build for the people who will actually use it. If his mother or someone without formal education cannot use it, it does not work - so Baraza Protocol is mobile-first, runs on M-PESA and USSD, and hides all the blockchain jargon.
• Meet existing communities where they are. Chamas, SACCOs, and stokvels already run on a black book; the goal is to do business with them, not change how they do business.
• Sell the experience, not the technology. Like mobile money and Coca-Cola, adoption comes from the experience and the value, not from the word crypto.
• For non-coders building with AI: know the problem you can identify with, write the PRD that answers the real questions first, then just ship and build in public. Time in planning saves five times the time in execution.