Osman Ali

I’m the lead engineer responsible for the backend systems powering Tap & Hop’s transit fare collection platform.

My work spans the core services behind trips, users, authentication, payments, transit cards, and notifications.

The environment is challenging. Network connectivity is not always reliable. Transactions can be delayed, retried, or processed more than once. The system still has to remain correct.

I design reliable microservices for these conditions. I build idempotent payment flows. I work on offline-capable systems, transaction reconciliation, and automated settlement processes.

The platform handles thousands of transactions each day. Data loss and incorrect balances are not acceptable.

• Python
• Microservices
• PostgreSQL
• Distributed systems
• Offline-first

I built and operate UniPlan, a platform helping Ghanaian students explore university programmes and understand their admission options.

University admission requirements are often buried in PDFs and long blocks of text. There is no standard format. There is no reliable API.

I built a data pipeline to collect, extract, and structure these requirements into a normalized dataset. On top of that, I designed a deterministic rules engine that evaluates student results and produces clear, explainable eligibility outcomes.

I handle the full product. From data engineering and backend systems to the web experience, infrastructure, and day-to-day operations.

UniPlan has served more than 20,000 users. It continues to grow with every admission cycle.

• Python
• PostgreSQL
• Data engineering
• Rule engine
• 50k+ users