Soko is an e-commerce and mobile platform that enables artisans, particularly women, in Sub-Saharan Africa that are outside the digital economy, to access global markets for their products. Soko has developed a mobile-driven value chain that enables artisans to engage the international marketplace, even if they lack access to the internet, a computer, or a bank account. Soko revolutionises the supply chain by facilitating peer-to-peer and business-to-business exchanges using a simple SMS query system. The potential impact on earnings, and what this means in terms of education, health, and empowerment, especially for women, could be sizeable.
Soko
Soko is currently working with more than 1,000 artisans in Kenya, who have sold to more than 30 countries. There has been on average a 4-times increase in the artisans’ household incomes within 2 months of joining Soko.
The Meghraj Charitable Foundation has supported Soko because it helps artisans to become increasingly economically self-sufficient, which leads to a sustainable positive impact on the artisans, their families and their communities.
