To help African entrepreneurs showcase their products across the continent and the world, a tech entrepreneur created a digital platform to facilitate commercial transactions within and beyond Africa.

Awalebiz is a digital marketplace developed by a Senegalese startup. It allows users, sellers, and buyers, to purchase and sell unique products online. The startup is based in Dakar. It was founded in 2014 by Nafy Diagne, to pool entrepreneurs from several African countries on a single platform where they could sell their products to people all around the world.

"In the spirit of the Awalé game, based on the idea of sowing seeds and reaping the fruit, our company focuses not only on online sales, our core business but also on promoting our artisans and African culture that we want to share with the world," the platform explains.

Available on iOS and Android, the platform is most accessed through its website. Users do not need to have an account, but when placing an order, the buyer must always provide their billing and delivery address.

"Sellers from all African countries are showcasing their products. The Cameroonian buyer gets delivered from Kenya, the South African buyer from Senegal, and the Australian buyer from Benin. We cast the net to connect the continent from all sides, and of course, to connect it to the rest of the world. The spirit is Pan-African. The ambition is global," the platform states.

Delivery times depend on the chosen delivery method, where the item will come from, and the buyer’s location. The platform provides a reasonable time range within which items are likely to be delivered.

In 2017, Awalebiz won the first prize in the third edition of the Linguère Digital Challenge. As a result, the startup received financial support, in the form of a check of CFA7.5 million (about $12,867), as well as technical support worth CFA2.5 million.

Adoni Conrad Quenum