Global Head of Operational Excellence at Sokowatch, East African E-commerce Start-up | Fatma Nasujo is AfriTech Verified

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Hey guys, we are back with another exciting episode of AfriTech Verified! In this month’s episode, our host, Tosin Omowole spoke to Fatma Nasujo, the Global Head of Operational Excellence at Sokowatch, an e-commerce start-up at the heart of the informal retail industry in East Africa - managing the movement of tonnes of goods and food. Fatma is a financial services professional with over 12 years of experience working in fintech, edtech & banking, and she has used her skills to serve multiple businesses across East Africa.

Approximately $850 billion worth of consumer goods are sold in Africa and 90% of these transactions occur through the informal retail sector. Using the power of technology and the power of data, Sokowatch is providing these retailers with access to credit and other financial services that are not typically available to their businesses.

Sokowatch is an e-commerce start-up enabling informal retailers to order essential goods at any time via SMS or mobile app for free same-day delivery to their store and financial services to help them grow. Ever since launching in 2016, the company has built a network of over 25,000 local shops, operating across the nine largest cities in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, and Uganda.

Fatma is passionate about financially empowering the under-served, and to that end, has worked with various companies including 4G Capital where she was the Chief Operations Officer, assisting them in designing products for this market. She’s the founder of Nasujo.com, a blog on financial literacy and digital finance trends.

During our chat, Fatma spoke about all things Sokowatch, her career growth and Africa’s tech ecosystem. She also talks through her passion for travel and experiencing diverse cultures.

Finally, she gave her thoughts on access to finance for small businesses in Africa, as well as the differences between each East African market served by Sokowatch, in terms of tech adoption. 

Listen to the full episode here.

You can connect with Fatma Nasujo via LinkedIn.