Guides for entrepreneurs, traders, and freelancers operating across African markets. Covering pricing, cross-border trade, mobile money, and regional regulations.
The Wholesale Trap: Why Direct Import Beats Sourcing Agents in Lagos (With Real Numbers) A wholesale trader in Lagos’s Balogun market has seen every option. She can go to Guangzhou and spend two weeks vetting factories. She can use an agent she knows who charges 20% markup. She can wait for the next import cycle … Read more
6 Profitable Businesses You Can Start in Sub-Saharan Africa With $250 Most business advice aimed at African entrepreneurs starts with the assumption that you have a bank account, a credit score, and seed capital measured in the tens of thousands. You do not have time for that conversation. Here is a more useful one: what … Read more
The True Cost of Importing Goods into Ghana: Duties, Levies & Hidden Fees Explained A trader in Accra’s Kantamanto market orders GHS 60,000 worth of fabric from Turkey. By the time the consignment clears Tema port, the real cost is closer to GHS 105,000. No theft, no corruption — just Ghana’s full import levy stack … Read more
Import Duty in Kenya: What Every Trader Needs to Know Before Shipping A Nairobi importer orders KES 800,000 worth of electronics from Shenzhen. The supplier quotes clean. The freight forwarder quotes clean. Then the KRA assessment comes back and the actual landed cost is KES 1.3 million. No fraud, no error — just every levy … Read more
Generator vs Grid: What Power Really Costs Nigerian Business Power is the lifeblood of any business, but in Nigeria, it’s also one of the biggest drains on your bottom line. Whether you rely on the national grid or run your own generator, the true cost of powering your business is often hidden in plain sight. … Read more
How to Price Your Products Across 5 African Markets at Once You quoted a Kenyan client in USD. A Nigerian buyer saw the same figure on your website and thought it was overpriced. Your Ghanaian distributor negotiated you down to a margin you couldn’t sustain. And your South African wholesaler is still waiting on a … Read more
The Rise of African Entrepreneurship and the Enormous Inter-Africa Trade Opportunities You Cannot Afford to Ignore There is a revolution taking place across the African continent, and it is not being televised. It is not being led by governments, multinational corporations, or foreign aid agencies. It is being led by entrepreneurs, millions of them, operating … Read more