Africa’s trade market presents both opportunities and challenges. The continent boasts vibrant markets, abundant resources, and a strong entrepreneurial spirit. However, it faces fragmented supply chains, unreliable logistics, limited financing, and a lack of dependable market data. However, Anu Adedoyin Adasolum has co-founded Sabi to simplify African trade and e-commerce.
Even though the African informal sector employs about 90% of the labour force and accounts for roughly 62% of the GDP in sub-Saharan Africa, it bears many challenges. This sector often operates without proper documentation, leading to inefficiencies and missed business opportunities.
An SCM Globe article establishes that these issues translate into increased costs, delivery delays, and operational complexities for manufacturers, distributors, and retailers. Exporters, in particular, encounter unpredictable logistics, complex regulatory environments, and limited access to global markets. If Africa must unlock its economic potential, it must tackle these challenges.
In response, Anu Adedoyin Adasolum and Ademola Adesina had a vision to clarify the chaos of African trade in 2021. That vision became ‘Sabi’, a platform that uses market intelligence to simplify trade and empower businesses. Three years later, Sabi has processed over $1 billion in Gross Merchandise Value (GMV), served over 250,000 users, and facilitated 15,000 monthly transactions.
The Sabi Model
While many B2B e-commerce companies focus on retail distribution, this platform took a different route. Sabi helps African businesses—like manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and farmers—buy and sell more efficiently by providing payment tools, inventory management, logistics, and financing.
It collects and shares essential market data, making it easier for businesses to make wise decisions, avoid waste, and grow. Instead of owning warehouses or trucks, Sabi uses technology to connect businesses with their needed resources.
Through its TRACE platform, It helps African companies export goods like food, minerals, and other products to global markets, making trade more straightforward and profitable for everyone involved.
The company’s TRACE platform- Technology Rails for African Commodity Exchange—connects African commodities to buyers in Asia, Europe, South America, and the USA. This is helping African manufacturers and farmers tap into global markets. With the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) still in its early stages, Sabi is positioning itself as a key player in cross-border trade. It is one of the largest facilitators of exports from Nigeria.
Its success stems from Nigeria, where Sabi has become a key player in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), agriculture, and minerals. Further, the company has entered South Africa and Kenya and is preparing to bring its model to Tanzania and Senegal.
