INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Jake Bright
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Jake Bright is a writer and author in New York City
He is co-author of The Next Africa.
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MallforAfricaand DHL are giving African merchants a global
This week the online retailer and delivery giant launchMarketPlaceAfrica.com: an e-commerce site for select African artisans to sell wares
to buyers in any of DHL 220 delivery countries.
The site will prioritize fashion items—clothing, bags, jewelry, footwear, and personal
care—and crafts, such as pictures and carvings
MallforAfrica is vetting sellers for MarketPlace Africaonlineand through theAfrica Made Product Standardsassociation (AMPS), to verify made
in Africa status and merchandise quality.
&We&re starting off in Nigeria and then we&ll open in Kenya, Rwanda and the rest of Africa,
utilizing DHL massive network,& MallforAfrica CEO Chris Folayan told TechCrunch about where the goods will be sourced
&People all around the world can buy from African artisans online, that the goal,& said Folayan.
Current listed designer products include
handbags fromChinwe Ezenwaand Tash women outfits by Tasha Goodwin.
In addition to DHL for shipping, MarketPlace Africa will utilize
MallforAfrica e-commerce infrastructure.The startup was founded in 2011 to solve challenges global consumer goods companies face when
entering Africa.
MallforAfrica payment and delivery system serves as a digital broker and logistics manager for U.S
retailers, who partner with MFA to sell their goods online to African consumers.
The venture has backing from UK private equity firmHelios
Investment Partnersand alliances with companies such as consumer electronics chain Best Buy and department store Macy&s.
In 2016
MallforAfrica partnered with eBay to launch theeBay Powered by MallforAfricaplatform allowing U.S
vendors to sell in Africa.In 2017 eBayopened its U.S
platformto select sales from African vendors through MallforAfrica website.
Africa e-commerce space—expected to exceed$75 billion in
revenue by 2025—has been one of the continent most active, with a number of well-funded startups focused on mastering mega-market Nigeria
before expanding outward.
E-commerce minted the continent first unicorn in 2016, when Rocket Internet backedJumia achieved a $1BN
valuationafter a $326M funding round that included Goldman Sachs.
Africa digital retail race produced one of the continent notable tech
exits whenRingier acquired Nigerian startup DealDey in 2016.
E-commerce shops in Africa have also struggled to reach profitability—though
after years of losses Jumia apparentlygetting closer
And digital retail on the continent has seen some big fails, namely the folding of South Africa Khalahari.com in 2015 and thedistressed
acquisition of Konga.comearlier this year.
MallforAfrica CEO Chris Folayan said his company does not release financial performance figures,
but noted it now ships to 17 countries, averages a ton a day of goods shipped to Africa, and plans to grow by 3-4 times this year over
2017.
With MarketPlace Africa, Folayan sees an opportunity to open the sales channels both ways
&Our MallforAfrica platform is really about helping people in Africa buy products from places like the U.S., this is the return ticket for
Africa products,& he said.
