African e-commerce and m-commerce platform MallforAfrica has announced a broadening of its partnership with American ecommerce company eBay which it says will boost the sale of handmade African products to customers in the United States.
According to the two companies, only African entrepreneurs based in Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, and Burundi will be able to access the newly launched Africa online store on eBay to sell their artisan products into the US.
Chris Folayan, CEO of MallforAfrica says the improved deal with eBay will encourage cross-border trade and help broaden the reach of African entrepreneurs.
“We couldn’t be more pleased with extending our partnership with eBay as we empower, expose, and positively affect thousands of hard-working artisans while making it convenient for US shoppers to purchase African made products that would otherwise be unavailable to them.
“As someone who grew up in Africa, became an entrepreneur, and who currently does business in Africa, I know first-hand the importance of cross-border trade and having the opportunity to expand a business internationally.”
The MallforAfrica store on eBay.com will have product categories that include fashion, art & collectibles, jewellery, and clothing according to eBay and MallforAfrica.
The two also revealed that plans are in place to expand into other categories and additional African countries in the upcoming months.
Sylvie De Wever, eBay’s General Manager of Latin America and US Exports says the addition of a MallforAfrica store will bring more selection for those shopping on eBay.
“eBay’s vision for commerce is one that is enabled by people, powered by technology, and open to everyone. This expanded relationship with MallforAfrica will not only bring great inventory and more selection to our marketplace, but will also create greater economic opportunity for African artisans looking to expand their reach.”
MallforAfrica’s says its shipping partner, DHL, will be responsible for shipping goods purchased through the new store.
DHL published research in the past year predicting that in 2020, 1 out of 5 e-commerce dollars around the globe will be generated cross-border along with annual market growth of 25%.
The expanded partnership with eBay comes a few months after MallforAfrica opened its first physical office outside Nigeria in Kenya’s capital Nairobi.
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