Kenya’s informal economy constitutes of US$136 billion. Today we are seeing large companies including leading supermarkets beginning to sell open sacks which will allow Africa’s Informal markets to cut their cloth according to the size of their pockets.  Today, package unit size no longer work, Africa wants what they can afford.

Kenya’s Safaricom and Airtel have realized Africa’s micro mass market is the way to go.  And they have literally disrupted if not taken business away from many leading companies that provide pay television and high-speed internet services such as Zuku. Kenya’s Safaricom and Airtel hit the “Kadogo Economy” by selling their products and services at their lowest divisible level and allowing consumers to make small daily purchases.

Vitual tills either for shops, banks, or other services providers in the form of Mpesa Tills, Poshi La Biashara and Paybills are very important services and products offering from Safaricom and Airtel in on boarding Africa’s micro and small entrepreneurs into mobile money.  Kenya is virtually using mobile money to pay for everything.  This has also seen the rise of several mobile applications that are taking part in the mobile money space. 

Did you know Kenya leads in the world Tiktok usage? According to Reuters Institute Digital News report 2023, Kenya has 54% of global TikTok usage, followed by Thailand and South Africa. Tiktok has created one massive platform that allows every African to showcase their talent and compete with many internationalbrands.  Many micro entrepreneurs are turning smart phones into virtual shops, wallets, as well as electronic transaction receipts especially when dealing with taxes, which drastically cuts down on operating expenses.

The entertainment industry in rural Africa is booming business.  Young African MC’s who would never compete with celebrities are making serious money, by simply showcasing their services online.  Today, we can truly say the world is flat, it is an even playing ground for all entrepreneurs across the globe regardless.