With one of our founding offices located in Ghana and South Africa, our goal is to establish a presence in all African countries on the near horizon, it’s safe to say that we view the prosperity of Swipe and the prosperity of the African continent as closely intertwined. That’s why we couldn’t be more excited to introduce our burgeoning offering to businesses and budding entrepreneurs across the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
Representing the next generation of e-commerce, Swipe is a community focused, globally scaled, and cutting-edge online marketplace created with building a better tomorrow in mind. We aim to facilitate those looking to leverage the fast-evolving digital realm in conjunction with the AFCFTA trade agreement—not only increasing sales and productivity, but also eradicating poverty, enhancing gender equality, and improving well-being for a collective brighter future. The question is, are you ready to join us for the ride?
The ambitious AfCFTA agreement aims to unite 1.3 billion people across 55 countries, boosting intra-African trade as never before. The transition has already begun, and that means opening the door to lifting 30M people out of extreme poverty and generating a $450B income boost in Africa by 2035. To paint a picture of what this potential might look like, we can refer to recent figures on real-world examples.
Case in point—in 2017, intra-African exports represented just 16.6% of the continent’s total, while in the European free trade area, the equivalent statistic sat at a substantial 68.1%. Vitally, this tells us that when barriers to trade are dismantled, vibrant and ambitious brands and business owners can cast their nets wider, reaching new audiences with no obstacles beyond the strength of their vision.
Better yet, as we stand at the cusp of a new wave of virtual possibility, with advances in digital trust aligning with smarter devices in the hands of everyday consumers, those who grasp these opportunities stand to leapfrog over their peers, trailblazing in the global field of e-commerce. The sirens have sounded and its about time to get preparations under way.
In business, the contemporary game-changers are those who showcase the most intuitive and streamlined user experiences. Attention goes to the brands and brilliant minds who ensure that the road between a consumer knowing what they want—or even discovering what they want—and securing the results of their purchase is 100% engaging, personalized, and clear of obstacles.
This means achieving agility in the face of change, ensuring that factors such as convenient shipping, top-notch customer service, mobile readiness, and clear value are all on-the-pulse in terms of what modern shoppers and service seekers aspire to. With 72.9% of all retail e-commerce taking place on smartphone screens these days—up from 52.4% just five years ago—it’s clear that dynamism is going to be key for those making waves in the AfCFTA and beyond. Stripe is here to serve as an online marketplace that can ensure your business rides that groundbreaking wave with confidence
Swipe is a platform for both buyers and sellers, committed to making transactions easier and cheaper for universal reward, while striving to not only keep up with the technological evolution, but also help lead its charge. We provide a fun and adaptive online marketplace where you can realize any personal or business vision—whether that means paying a friend’s restaurant bill on the other side of the world, launching an environmental project, showcasing your latest content creation, or ordering products from incredible producers across the AfCFTA.
The United Nations defines major goals for the future world that we are shaping together, such as facilitating decent work and economic growth; driving innovation, industry and infrastructure; and laying a foundation for responsible production and consumption. But also, their list includes enabling the far more human fundamentals of eliminating poverty and hunger, increasing well-being, and elevating gender equality everywhere.
In step with this bold and broad vision, Stripe makes its possible for a diversity of entrepreneurs and startup brands to reach millions of customers worldwide—or simply their neighbors in the African continent—with ease. Are you ready to realize that kind of momentum? To discover what we can do to facilitate your vision, learn more about our services, or take the plunge and join us today. In building a better tomorrow, we can’t imagine a better collaborator.