Raphael Afaedor: Transforming African Retail with Tech-Driven Solutions

Known for co-founding Jumia Nigeria, Africa’s first unicorn and e-commerce powerhouse, Afaedor has since pivoted his focus toward empowering small retailers and farmers by co-founding Kyosk Digital Services.

Based in Kenya, Kyosk is a platform that leverages technology to connect informal retailers, small shops, and kiosk owners directly with fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) suppliers through a data-driven mobile application.

Afaedor founded Kyosk in 2019 to address the deep-rooted challenges small retailers face across Africa—limited access to inventory, high supply chain costs, unreliable delivery networks, and exclusion from formal financial services.

Many of these stores, known as “dukas,” are lifelines in urban and rural communities but often struggle due to fragmented supply chains and high barriers to credit.

Through Kyosk, Afaedor has introduced a digital-first approach to an industry historically underserved by technology.

This platform allows small business owners to order goods directly from manufacturers at competitive prices and receive timely deliveries, effectively cutting out the numerous intermediaries that once drove up costs and created inefficiencies.

In addition to transforming retail, Afaedor has set his sights on Africa’s agricultural sector.

Through the recent acquisition of KwikBasket, Kyosk now connects farmers directly to urban markets, restaurants, and other end-users, providing them with fair pricing, consistent demand, and reduced post-harvest losses.

His focus on integrating smallholder farmers into Kyosk’s supply chain addresses critical issues of food insecurity, waste, and income instability, effectively supporting the livelihoods of thousands of farmers and offering fresh, affordable produce to urban consumers.

Afaedor’s vision is comprehensive. Beyond distribution, he aims to create a financial inclusion ecosystem by partnering with banks and financial institutions to provide retailers with access to micro-credit, buy-now-pay-later options, and insurance products.’

This strategy not only helps store owners stabilize their cash flow but also encourages business growth and economic resilience at the grassroots level.

Under Afaedor’s leadership, Kyosk has expanded to over 40 distribution centers across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Nigeria, serving hundreds of thousands of outlets and small retailers.

His commitment to ethical and transparent business practices, a principle reinforced after navigating operational challenges in Kyosk’s early days, has solidified the trust of stakeholders and investors alike, including Mitsui and the Export Trading Group, which back the platform’s ambitious growth.

Afaedor’s work at Kyosk reflects a broader ambition to revolutionize Africa’s retail and agricultural sectors.

With a hands-on approach and deep understanding of the continent’s unique challenges, he is not only modernizing how goods move from supplier to storefront but also providing crucial economic support to small businesses that form the backbone of African economies.