If you decide itʼs your mission in life to suffer, because youʼve chosen of your own free will to run a digital commerce business in Africa: 1) digitalize supply chains that move goods with large enough margins to “pay” for the digital infrastructure; or 2) in supply chains that transport lower-margin goods, figure out how to subsidize the main “trade” business until it reaches full scale. Once it does, the “U-Chop-I-Chop”* business model can kick in, and your distribution business will grow as the businesses it supports do. More thoughts here:

*Coined by Dr. Dotun Olowoporoku, Managing Partner of Ventures Platform