Safaricom Sees Amazon as Model for Kenya E-Commerce Platform
- Company in discussions with logistics companies in Kenya
- Plans to start service before end of first quarter of 2018
Rebecca Wambua, holds a mobile phone charging at a Safaricom electrical unit using M-Kopa solar technology in Ndela village, Machakos country, Kenya.
Photographer: Waldo Swiegers/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Safaricom Ltd. of Kenya plans to introduce an e-commerce platform within eight months targeting formal retail and informal online trading in East Africa’s biggest economy, directors at the company said.
Known as Masoko, Swahili for markets, it will offer products ranging from electronics to beverages and cosmetics, and provide a tool for people currently buying and selling goods on social-media platforms such as Facebook, Director of Enterprise Business Rita Okuthe said in an interview. The portal is currently undergoing in-house testing, Safaricom Chief Executive Officer Bob Collymore said.