Amazon has been in Africa for decades now. Sure, they don’t have a constellation of highly modern warehouses in Niger as we speak, nor do we see tons of Amazon Flex drivers trundling through the streets of Maputo quite yet. Its important regardless to recognize that while not a major commerce marketplace quite yet for the American tech company, that there are still deep fragments of Amazon even in a continent they haven’t quite prioritized yet.
Going forward, Amazon’s internal codename for its African expansion, Project Fela, casts the grand ambitions the company has for Africa. Just as Fela himself once dominated the continent’s music scene, Amazon foresees a dominating presence for itself. It envisions a major engineering presence in Africa, a dramatic commerce marketplace entrance in both Nigeria + South Africa, and also investments in the continent’s entertainment industry as a whole. E-commerce in Africa is poised to get far more interesting with the entrance of the American tech champion.
Fela Kuti. One of Africa’s 20th century icons, even beyond his musical contributions. As large a political figure as he was a musician.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Ok Then Africa to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.