Meet Sakuti, Africa’s cultural networking and marketplace platform
As a marketer, hustler or passive income hunter it helps to know which of the digital tools out there can help you reach your goals. In today’s post, I’ll share with you my detailed analysis of Sakuti, a brand-new cultural networking and marketplace platform that presents a huge potential for Africans across the globe. I must admit that this is probably the first platform that was made with Africa’s needs in mind. You are probably familiar with social media websites such as Facebook and instant messaging services such as WhatsApp. Beyond the social networking capability that you’ll find on such platforms, Sakuti presents very unique value angles. I’ll give you three reasons why this platform pinged my interest. Let’s jump right in!
1. Africans in Africa
Sakuti provides the African Youth with a place to find a reliable customer base for their goods and services, raise capital, and highlight the continent’s talent. This is something that’s very close to my heart. I love seeing Africa’s economic potential get a front seat. Hustling is in the African DNA. Whether you are in the streets of Nairobi, Johannesburg, Lagos or Cairo you’ll be impressed with the entrepreneurial spirit of the young men and women knocking on your window to propose that you do your last-minute grocery shopping as the rush hour traffic snarls out of town into the suburbs. Talk about customer service, where else can you do your shopping right from the convenience of your car? With less than 20% permanent employment across the continent, the African youth is especially adept on side hustles – for many it is the only way to make a living.
The African youth is not afraid to work hard, they already do. The greatest factor limiting their earning potential is the scarcity of customers, as illustrated by car chases in rush hour traffic in an attempt to make a sale. Sakuti Marketplace completely changes this dynamic. Instead of chasing customers at a physical location, for instance chasing tourists at local marketplaces such as Kenyatta Market in Nairobi, Lekki Arts, and Craft Market in Lagos or Makola Market in Accra to sell them African crafts, the African youth can sell their goods online through Sakuti Marketplace to a vast global audience. This will increase African exports, create new income streams for Africa’s youth and ultimately reduce unemployment. Additionally, since they no longer need to spend all day chasing customers, Africa’s youth can now spend their time developing new skills to create more globally competitive goods and services, resulting in sustainable jobs for the youth. Show me any other social media that is currently positioned this way. There is none.
2. Africans in Diaspora: contemporary immigrant groups
Sakuti provides the Africans in Diaspora a forum to form a cohesive constituency. Unlike other immigrant communities, the Africans in the diaspora have been unable to come together as a group that can advocate for its members’ social and economic interests. Let me provide a quick example. There are more than 2 million Africans currently in the USA. Many Africans we spoke with said they are usually surprised when they go to an African gathering only to discover their African neighbors whom they had not previously met despite living literally next door for years. Africans in the USA, for the most part, operate either as individuals or as micro-groups. Since most of these groups are based on country of origin, tribe or religion, they are narrow, unsustainable and ineffective. They are toothless when it comes to global economic influence. Consequently despite their huge population Africans in the USA as a block have very little clout. They miss out on attractive economic opportunities such as business partnerships, contracts or jobs. Likewise, they are unable to engage with decision-makers in a meaningful way to address community concerns, influence policy, access credit, form large corporations or become registered as minority suppliers. To be fair, this diminished impact is not limited to the US alone. Africans in diaspora worldwide remit billions to the African continent but they have almost zero influence on policy matters back home. Unity is strength. Sakuti provides these folks the ability to connect, develop new relationships, increase their market base and grow their economic clout.
3. Africans in Diaspora: Second Generation and Beyond
Sakuti provides away for generations of Africans in the diaspora whose ancestors left the continent hundreds of years ago to connect with their heritage. The total African Diaspora worldwide is around 140 million. People of African ancestry living outside the continent consider themselves an important part of the African continent. They are always searching meaningfully ways connect with “the motherland” as they call it. Let’s look at African Americans for instance. Their thirst for “Africanness” is on display during afro-centric events, festivals, Black History Month and Kwanzaa period. Many of them rely on DNA tests to trace their origins and others have attempted to create family trees to trace their roots. But there have been no easy answers. Suppose the DNA works and you find out that your ancestors are from the Mende tribe, what do you do next? You will probably spend years searching for Mende tribe articles to try to learn about your heritage. Here comes the solution. Through the cultural biography feature on Sakuti a young woman on a quest to reconnect with her roots can easily learn about her ancestors and experience things just as her ancestors experienced: their food, music, dance, heroes, values and so on. Perhaps more interesting is that, in Sakuti she can meet the Mende people of today and share such experiences with them. These people are potentially her great cousins. What a feeling!
Sakuti as a platform
The first thing I noticed is the crisp modern look, the clean design, and the warm inviting colors. There is definitely “the new car smell” to it. Here are the highlights of my test drive. I found the platform relatively easy to navigate. A quick zoom into any country in the world brings a list of small towns nicely organized. I liked the fact that users can form dynamic communities based on affinity (such as wine lovers), culture (such as Igbo speakers in New York), experiences (such as first corporate job), stage of life (such as thirties singles), location (such as Africans in the USA), and so on. That’s not something you are able to do on other platforms with such ease. I’d love to hear your feedback when you do your own test drive.
Africa Economic Summit, the company.
Africa Economic Summit expects Sakuti to have a significant impact across Africa’s economic landscape according to David Maina, the CEO and the platform creator. Maina, a graduate of NYU Business School and the author of “10 Things I Learned About Leadership From an Elite Business School” is part of a new breed of Africans who are taking a novel approach to rebuilding Africa. Their current mission is to connect every single African in the world on a single platform. Ancient Africans had this unwritten law “never eat alone”. Now that I have shared this exciting platform with you, I hope you’ll also share this post with others. Actually, it’s the African thing to do.
To learn more about Sakuti Platform check out its website here.
To learn more about Africa Economic Summit check out its website here
“10 Things I Learned About Leadership From An Elite Business School” by David Maina is currently available on Amazon.
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Mahugu Nuthu is a content creator known for his compelling and well-researched business analysis. His blog MHGcode.com, provides insights and proven strategies for effective entrepreneurship, side hustle hunting, passive income pursuit, small business ideas, saving and tips on slashing costs.
This information is for educational and entertainment purposes only. The information that is shared on MHGcode.com shall not be interpreted or construed as financial, accounting, legal or tax advice and should not be acted upon without further professional advice.
