Amaduka

With limited movement, closure of physical business premises, limited and unreliable transport means, gender roles in the home that prevent women from succeeding as entrepreneurs, lack of networks or access to new markets, women's businesses are failing faster than male owned businesses. Lack of financial literacy and financial systems, it's hard to show business credibility to financial institutions that provide business loans. 

Our solution is to provide a digital cashless marketplace across Uganda and East Africa to create access to new markets and stream line the value chain for women entrepreneurs. Without moving from one's home, our marketplace will allow women to sell their products and services across East Africa and globally allowing them gain economically without disrupting their daily lives. new businesses will be created by women who were facing a lack of access to markets barrier, Allowing even women who cannot leave their homes to get into business. 

Lack of access to markets and networks. Women are traditionally not allowed to leave their homes for long hours especially in rural areas. The care giving role takes so much out of women's time that creating and building networks is hard and this leads to many women's businesses staying small, never growing beyond their villages. Brick and mortar shops can only sell to those that have access and many women in business are not tech savvy enough to create online shops which could give them access to new markets. With the current pandemic, most businesses are closed and all those who have no Digital shops have not brought any income for the last three months, some have also lost their products due to expiry, spoiling especially produce traders. 70% of Uganda's private sector is in informal business 

A digital marketplace that provides various global and locally available cashless payment options and delivery options through partnerships with organized countrywide logistics companies like SafeBoda for local deliveries and international logistics companies for global deliveries. 

A woman entrepreneur will open up a shop on the platform or connect with one of our on boarding agents to train them on how to use the platform and if they do not have a smart phone or prefers not to do it themselves, the onboarding agents will help them upload their products for a small fee. We will market the platform across various media to attract buyers and support the buyers through the purchase process. 

We are using an e-commerce website as well as a technology network of riders(motorcycle) which will contribute to fast delivery times for purchases. We are also using cashless payment systems like Mobile Money, Visa, Mastercard through Flutterwave a payment gateway. 

Our solution serves women entrepreneurs both in rural areas and urban areas. Both underserved women and any woman entrepreneur who wants their business to have a digital presence. These are women who make products like crafts, soaps, clothes, local micro manufacturers, produce traders and farmers as well as resellers.  

To understand their needs, we have had consultative meetings, observed and interviewed them as well as us being part of them. We are women entrepreneurs whose main business is to get other women into entrepreneurship and work opportunities. Through the last 5 years of our work, we have been with these women and seen their challenges and will continue to listen to them as we build on to the program and modify it to ensure it truly serves them. This solution will not only bring access to markets but also reduce their operating costs since many will no longer need to have brick and mortar shops, they will not need to leave their homes in order to sell since products will be picked from their premises and delivered to the customer.  The solution is also going to create jobs for those women who had no capital to set up shops. 

Full time staff- 4

Part time staff - 6

We have worked with these women for over 5 years and have built technologies for rural and underserved communities. These technologies are in use and serving rural communities. We have the experience, passion and zeal to end this challenge for women. 

UNICEF in Uganda - We partnered to build digital games for learners in underserved communities. This solution was adopted by Uganda government,

We will take commissions from the sales made by women on the platform. With a 3-5% commission per sale made, we will sustain the businesses.

Grants We will be looking at other funders, We will also take commissions from the sellers on the platform.

We need exposure to build the brand and get more buyers for the women entrepreneurs, this will enable us to attract more buyers and sellers 

MIT Developers

Our program is focused on improving the lives of women across East Africa by brining economic gain right into their homes. We will use this to bring more women sellers on board, market the platform and grow the brand.