Emerging Markets
250 articles · Africa Informal Business
Most kiosk and roadside vendors in Uganda still track sales in an exercise book, if they track them at all. AskBiz turns…
Between MTN Mobile Money, Airtel Money, and cash, a Ugandan market trader can lose track of who actually paid within a s…
Fresh produce vendors at Owino and Nakasero markets lose a real share of their stock to spoilage, spillage, and quiet sh…
Ugandan market and kiosk vendors negotiate on almost every sale, but many do not actually know their cost price well eno…
Giving goods "on credit" is common practice in Ugandan markets and kiosks, but tracking it on scraps of paper means debt…
When the rains hit Kampala, roadside vendors can lose half a day's customers to flooded paths and sheltering commuters. …
Many successful Ugandan vendors want to move from a roadside table or wheelbarrow stand into a proper shop but hesitate …
Hiring an accountant is out of reach for most informal traders in Uganda, but running a business with no records at all …
Savings groups among Ugandan market traders — often called merry-go-rounds or table banking — run on trust, but paper re…
Informal cross-border traders around Busia, Katuna, Elegu, and other crossing points juggle multiple currencies and unpr…
Machinga hawkers and market stall traders in Tanzania lose track of their real daily earnings because sales happen fast,…
Vendors in Tanzania accept payments across M-Pesa, Tigo Pesa, Airtel Money, and HaloPesa, plus cash, but rarely have a s…
Traders at Kariakoo Market lose real money every week to spoiled produce, forgotten stock at the back of a stall, and it…
Many kiosk and market stall owners in Tanzania price goods based on what feels fair or what competitors charge, without …
Traders across Tanzania regularly extend credit to loyal customers, especially mama ntilie serving regulars at lunch or …
When the rains hit Dar es Salaam, street vendors see foot traffic and sales drop fast, but expenses like rent, stock rep…
Moving from hawking as a machinga to running a registered shop in Tanzania requires more than saving capital — it requir…
Most informal traders in Tanzania have no accountant and no formal bookkeeping training, yet still need to know if their…
Upatu, the rotating savings groups common among Tanzanian traders, run on trust but often lack clear records of who has …
Informal traders working near Tanzania's borders with Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Malawi, and the DRC deal with multiple curr…