Let's Take Retail In Africa Back To The Basics!

A couple of years back, I embarked on a journey of trying to transform Dukas in Africa to operate like Supermarkets by empowering them with simple, affordable, and innovative technology. Crazy idea, right? "What value would a duka owner get from using an App to record their sales instead of doing it on the book they are already used to?" I often questioned myself. "Probably there are bigger problems to solve for this duka owner, like access to loans, or access to consistent real-time and affordable supply of stock for their shop or even access to e-commerce now that traditional brick and motor stores are starting to phase out."

However, I believe nothing is farther from the truth. Hear me out for a second and reason with me. But before I explain why most companies revolutionizing retail in Africa aren't the cornerstone of the problem, allow me to give you a bit of context from my research.