Wasoko, the African e-commerce company leveraging innovative technology to transform the informal retail supply chain has announced its expansion into Zambia – the company’s first location in Southern Africa. Following the launch, Wasoko will invest over USD 1 M in its first year of operations to support local Zambian businesses and communities to get more essential goods for less through the power of e-commerce.

Launching its central hub in Lusaka, Wasoko’s operations will enable small retailers across the city to access an affordable range of products for same-day delivery and working capital financing solely through the convenience of a mobile app. The formation of Lusaka as a central hub is also part of Wasoko’s company-wide pivot to a hub and spoke logistics network to drive stronger operational efficiency and significantly boost its capacity for faster regional expansions. In addition to its latest expansion, Wasoko will also be doubling its service radius across all its existing locations in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Uganda. It marks the latest milestone for the company, which raised a USD 125 M Series B round.

Speaking on the launch, Daniel Yu, Founder, and Global CEO at Wasoko, says, “As we drive ahead with the next phase of our growth journey, it’s vital that the operating environments of our future markets are conducive to our ambitions and Zambia provides exactly this. With high smartphone usage and a pro-business government administration keen on expanding the country’s digital economy, Zambia is an ideal environment to launch our model and strongly aligns with our current core markets, both in terms of similar regulatory practices and a supplier base that is intertwined with East Africa.”