If there is one thing that I have learned from travelling the world and visiting CX leaders with our company nexxworks, it is that (national or regional) culture deeply affects the notion of CX. Whereas the West is still deeply focused on convenience, efficiency or just pure fun (though we are really seeing a shift towards shared value the past years), Asian and African countries tend to lean more towards finding solutions for the greater good, with a higher purpose that not just serves the individuals but society as a whole.

In India, for instance, business philosophy is deeply rooted into the concept of Sevā or Sewa – which means service – which is woven through the fabric of their culture. Even if a person owns very little, they will always share whatever they have. This Sewa tradition is exactly the reason why so many of the Indian unicorns and corporates are focused on building great societies first.

In several African countries, then, there is the beautiful concept of Ubuntu which is sometimes translated as “I am because we are” or “humanity towards others”. Ubuntu is a set of closely related African-origin value systems that emphasize the interconnectedness of individuals with their surrounding societal and physical worlds. And we see that focus on the collective reflected in Hofstede’s country comparison tool, too, which measures the cultural values of countries along 6 different dimensions. You can see that, for instance, Morocco, Senegal and South Africa are much more collectively driven than the highly individualistic US:

So it should be no surprise that this propensity towards others and deep sense of purpose is reflected in the African business world as well, where the fastest growing and most innovative industries are cleantech, healthtech, edtech, e-commerce, logistics, agritech and fintech.

Here are some great examples of such purpose-driven brands:

Energy: Hohm Energy

South Africa has been dealing with significant and increasing electricity shortages since 2008, leading to electricity rationing and widespread daily power cuts of up to 10 hours in various regions. The urgency for alternative energy solutions has never been more critical.

Hohm Energy responds to this need by facilitating access to sustainable solar energy solutions, thereby not only offering a practical alternative to the unreliable grid but also contributing to a broader societal goal of energy sustainability. But Hohm Energy is not only solving a pressing need, but it does also so in the most convenient ways, deeply focused on offering a frictionless customer experience. It simplifies the complex process of adopting solar energy, through a marketplace model that connects homeowners and businesses with accredited solar installers and finance providers. This minimizes the hassle and confusion typically associated with solar installations and handles everything from system design to procurement and scheduling and complying with technical and legal standards.

Its commitment to exceptional CX is also reflected in its strategic partnerships with major financial institutions to provide its customers with tailored financing solutions, like home loan finance, solar loans, and lease-to-own options. These partnerships alleviate a significant barrier to solar adoption—the high upfront costs—by offering flexible and accessible payment options that fit different financial capabilities.

The energy sector in Africa is unsurprisingly also a fast-moving one, with Kenyan M-KOPA – which offers pay-as-you-go solar power to off-grid homes in underserved communities – probably being one of the most well-known ones. But there are lots of others, like IoT.nxt which developed a software that predicts power cuts before they occur and is now also used by the European Space Agency. Or Nuru, the largest solar mini grid in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Fintech: M-Pesa

The mobile phone-based money transfer and financial service M-PESA is probably one of the most well-known examples of how African technology can drive significant social impact. This service, launched by Vodafone and Safaricom, was originally designed to cater to the unbanked population in Kenya, providing them with an accessible financial platform.

By enabling users to perform a variety of financial transactions – depositing, withdrawing, and transferring money, as well as paying for goods and services directly through their mobile devices – M-PESA has significantly enhanced financial inclusivity. Physical bank visits can be both time-consuming and costly – particularly for rural populations in Kenya – so M-PESA’s ease of access to financial services has really help drive socioeconomic development.

The success and social impact of M-PESA has also helped reduce crime in cash-based societies and increase financial security. On top of that, the ability to transact securely has encouraged more people to engage in economic activities, thereby contributing to overall economic growth and stability. M-PESA not only enhanced customer experience through its functional offerings but also aligns strongly with a social purpose, making it a model for how financial technology can positively transform societies.

Edtech: Eneza Education

Every year 200+ million children in Africa are not able to move from primary school to secondary school. That’s because they do not have any access to quality and affordable revision materials to help them pass the exams that are necessary to help them move to secondary.

Kenyan Eneza Education revolutionized the African EdTech industry with low-tech solutions that are readily available. It provides revision notes and material that are aligned to the local curriculum through SMS. The web solutions are designed to consume low data bandwidth for those areas with limited accessibility. In doing so, it turns any mobile phone into a virtual classroom with high-quality content and resources and makes education accessible to underserved students in Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, and Zimbabwe

It may be a low-tech and seemingly underwhelming approach but that is exactly what makes it so high impact, because it fits the environment in which its users operate. Their mission is to make 50 million learners in Africa smarter.

Agtech: Twiga Foods

Twiga Foods is one of the most successful tech-enabled B2B food distribution companies in Kenya. In a local sector that is known to be inefficient (with high food waste) and complex, it connects farmers with small and medium-sized vendors and, in doing so, provides consumers with access to high-quality products and retail services.

Perhaps one of the unique features of Twiga’s business model is its work with vulnerable populations, including youth and women business owners. More than 65 percent of Twiga’s vendors are women and at least 45 percent of all its vendors are youth ages 25 to 34.

It also provides business training and support to the micro, small and medium-sized in its network, sharing insights on inventory management, pricing strategies, customer relations, and other relevant topics. This support helps retailers improve their operational efficiency and enhance their business experience.

It also contributes to waste reduction and lower food prices in urban centres. It offers higher quality products at lower prices (up to 10 to 15 per cent cheaper than the traditional wholesale market). Furthermore, Twiga Foods-managed direct deliveries save vendors time and money as they do not have to pick up the products themselves twice a week. It’s the perfect combination of offering convenience and efficiency at lower cost, while still empowering everyone in the value chain.

Agtech is another hot industry in Africa, with many successful companies. Like Farmerline’s Mergdata, which connects farmers, agribusinesses, governments and development organizations to form an end-to-end, holistic solution to the sector’s challenges. Or Terraa, a Moroccan B2B tech-enabled food distribution platform.

Insurtech: Pula

Pula provides agricultural insurance to small-holder farmers across emerging markets. By addressing the significant challenges faced by these farmers – including risks from pests, diseases, and extreme weather events – Pula offers security and stability to a vulnerable demographic.

Its insurance solutions have a deep transformative impact on the livelihoods of their smallholder farmer customers. They see significant improvements in farm investment, yields, and household savings. Pula also keeps innovating and expanding into new markets and tailored products to meet the evolving needs of their customers: like livestock insurance, for instance.

Another successful Insurtech company is Turaco, which redefines healthcare financing in emerging markets. With a mission to make insurance accessible and affordable, it has insured nearly 2 million people, offering medical coverage for as little as USD 1.00 per month.

Healthcare: Almouneer

The MEA region has very high levels of obesity and prediabetes – affecting over 40% of its population. Egypt has 15 million diabetics alone (20% of adults). And diabetes-related blindness is the leading cause of blindness in Egypt and the Middle East. Almouneer wants to end diabetes-related blindness by providing easy access and low-cost clinics that provide specialised treatment for chronic eye diseases.

It patient-centric app, DRU, lies at the heart of its fight against diabetes-related blindness. It allows patients to upload their medical records, including vital metrics such as blood sugar and blood pressure. The app provides access to their most recent medical data and current medications and allows doctors to view these records. Additionally, the subscription-based app offers teleconsultation options, enabling patients to connect with healthcare personnel via chat or phone.

In the long term, Almouneer aims to expand and enhance its service offerings with patient-customized treatment and nutrition plans. Patients can subscribe to personalized plans for uncontrolled diabetes and obesity, focusing on blood pressure and blood sugar improvement.

Healthtech is a booming sector in Africa, with many companies combining healthcare solutions with a deep social purpose. Like Access Afya, which offers affordable access to professional healthcare clinics for people living in slums in Kenya. Or Medsaf which combats the supply of counterfeit drugs in Africa, where there is a high rate of fake drug supply. And Dove Air, which provides urgent delivery of medical products and vaccines with drones.

E-commerce: Jumia

Jumia is the Amazon of Africa, an e-commerce platform that operates in 11 countries, including Nigeria, Egypt, Senegal, Morocco and Kenya. It is built around three main pillars:

1. Jumia Marketplace, which offers goods from a large and diverse group of sellers across a wide range of categories including apparel, smartphones, electronics, homeware and beauty.
2. Jumia Logistics – a large network of warehouses, pick-up stations for consumers, drop off locations for sellers and logistics service providers – which facilitates the convenient delivery of goods.
3. JumiaPay, its payment service, is designed to facilitate online transactions between sellers and consumers and provide certain participants with access to financial services.

Jumia is not just focused on selling products, through seller and brand building support, it helps local entrepreneurs scale-up their businesses and improve their revenues. In areas with limited internet access, it even works with a network of sales consultants – called JForce – that place Jumia platform orders on behalf of consumers in a commission-based program. What’s more, Jumia University provides technical education for SMEs to help grow their business. The platform also empowers women entrepreneurs, with 51% of Jumia sellers in Nigeria and Kenya being women.

Jumia is not just an ultra-convenient local e-commerce platform. It has a true social purpose by promoting economic empowerment and entrepreneurship, empowering women entrepreneurs and connecting SMEs to consumers and financial services.

What are your favorite African CX stories? Let me know via my socials.