Rebuilding Commerce for Africa’s Informal Economy: Kamel Is Powering a New Generation of Digital Retailers

Mandilakhe Somdle
2 days ago
4 min read

Portait of the CEO of Adashi, Ahmed. — IMAGE CAPTION: Founder of Kamel **Aminu Ibrahim Hashim** in a well tailored suite. *Image: Supplied /* Kamel

When Kamel was announced as a winner at the AfricArena Startup Awards, it marked more than just a moment on stage. For founder Aminu Ibrahim Hashim and his team, it was validation that a problem deeply rooted in everyday African life, informal commerce, youth unemployment, and access to opportunity, deserved global attention.

Pitching and winning at AfricArena connected Kamel to investors, ecosystem builders, and partners who immediately understood the scale of the challenge they were tackling. More importantly, it placed the startup inside a community of founders building solutions designed for African realities, not imported assumptions.

That moment became a catalyst, opening doors, sharpening conversations, and reaffirming that Kamel was building something both necessary and timely.

Inspired by Asia, Built for Africa

Aminu’s journey to founding Kamel didn’t begin in Nigeria. It began thousands of kilometres away, in China, where he spent eight years living and studying.

There, he witnessed how social commerce platforms like Taobao and Pinduoduo transformed ordinary people into entrepreneurs. With nothing more than a smartphone, young people built livelihoods as micro-retailers, resellers, and influencers, no storefronts, no massive capital, just access.

That experience left a lasting question:

If this works at scale in Asia, why not in Africa?

Africa has the population, the social networks, and the hunger for opportunity. What it lacks, Aminu realised, is the digital infrastructure that connects informal sellers to suppliers, customers, payments, and logistics, all in one place.

Kamel was born from that insight.

What Kamel Is Building and Who It’s For

Kamel is an all-in-one digital commerce platform designed for African SMEs, informal retailers, and young digital entrepreneurs.

At its core, the platform solves three interconnected problems:

Access: Reliable, affordable inventory sourcing for small businesses
Distribution: Sales tools, payments, and last-mile logistics
Opportunity: A pathway for youth to earn income as resellers and social commerce agents

By combining supplier access with community-driven selling, where individuals earn commissions by promoting products through social networks, Kamel mirrors the models that unlocked massive employment in Asia, adapted for African markets.

In a continent where informal trade dominates and trust in online commerce is still forming, Kamel’s hybrid approach blends technology with community trust.

Building Through the Post-Pandemic Reality

Kamel officially launched in 2022, in the shadow of the pandemic. Funding was scarce. Trust was low. Logistics were fragile.

But those constraints shaped the company’s DNA.

Instead of chasing scale too early, the team focused on listening closely to vendors and resellers. They tested, failed fast, and rebuilt, grounding the platform in how people actually buy, sell, and trust each other.

Starting with less than $2,000 in personal savings, the founding team bootstrapped their MVP, later raising $60,000 through grants and the MEST Africa accelerator. It was lean, scrappy, and deliberate.

A Defining Moment

Two moments confirmed the urgency of Kamel’s solution.

The first was seeing people sell supplier contact lists on Instagram, and watching others pay for them. The demand wasn’t for products; it was for access.

The second came from a Nigerian vendor who spent over $500 on online ads with almost no conversions. She had quality products, but lacked trust-based distribution channels.

For Aminu, the problem became clear:Commerce in Africa isn’t broken because of demand, it’s broken because of infrastructure.

“Winning at AfricArena reminded us that we’re not building in isolation. It validated that the challenges faced by informal retailers and young entrepreneurs matter at a continental level. That belief, from investors, partners, and the ecosystem, fuels us to keep going, even when the journey is tough.”— Aminu Ibrahim Hashim, Founder & CEO, Kamel

Impact Beyond the Numbers

Kamel measures success in two ways:

Economic empowerment: Small businesses generating income digitally for the first time
Access to opportunity: Youth and women earning commissions as resellers and agents

One moment stands out. A Nigerian vendor shared her Kamel store link with a customer in China and made the sale.

A local entrepreneur, selling globally, without a storefront or massive budget.

That’s the future Kamel is building toward.

Surviving the Funding Winter

When the funding winter hit, Kamel made a critical pivot.

Instead of operating purely as a marketplace, the startup transitioned into a subscription-based SaaS platform for SMEs, creating predictable revenue and reducing dependency on commissions.

They doubled down on:

Lean execution
Community-driven growth
Building only what customers truly needed

The result? Stronger fundamentals and a clearer path to scale.

What’s Next for Kamel

Over the next five years, Kamel aims to power 100,000 African retail brands and micro-entrepreneurs, expanding beyond Nigeria into Ghana, Kenya, and Côte d’Ivoire.

In 2026, the team is targeting a $1 million raise to:

Enhance product development and AI-powered tools
Expand reseller and vendor networks
Strengthen logistics and infrastructure
Enable cross-border trade for African goods

The goal is ambitious, but grounded in lived experience.

Want to Be Part of the Next Big Thing?

Whether you’re a startup founder looking to raise capital, a corporate ready to collaborate, or just someone who loves being in the room where Africa’s future happens, we’ve got a seat for you.

Apply to the AfricArise Program: pitch at one of our regional summits and get access to investors, partners, and accelerators across the continent.
Join us at the AfricArena Nairobi Summit 2026, happening 29–30 April, where Africa’s boldest founders, top investors, and ecosystem builders gather for two days of pure innovation energy.
Secure your super early bird tickets for Nairobi here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/africarena-nairobi-summit-2026-tickets-1980540202059?aff=oddtdtcreator