African e-commerce company, Wasoko, has expanded its operations into Zambia, marking its entry into Southern Africa. The pan-African B2B e-commerce company, previously known as Sokowatch, operates in the informal retail supply chain. Wasoko enables informal retailers to order products through SMS or its mobile app, offering free, same-day delivery to their stores. The company will invest $1 million in its first year in Zambia to support local businesses and communities. Wasoko aims to tap into the estimated $600 billion to $1 trillion informal retail market in Africa. Additionally, the company plans to adopt a hub and spoke logistics network model and will use Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, as its central hub for the country. Wasoko's decision to launch in Zambia is driven by the country's high smartphone usage, pro-business government administration, and alignment with its current core markets. The company also intends to expand its service radius in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Uganda, where it has already built a network of over 200,000 informal retailers and fulfilled over 5 million orders.

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