Ghanaian logistics startup Boxconn has already launched operations in Nigeria and Botswana, and plans further expansion across the continent, having already facilitated thousands of deliveries.
Founded in January 2021 after the team formed during the MEST Africa programme in Accra, Boxconn is a logistics software platform that allows businesses and individuals to deliver on-demand.
It offers a white-label delivery service that allows businesses to promote delivery through their own channels and get access to an on-demand fleet of riders.
“We realised that businesses had a need for a logistics software management tool that provided them with just more than on-demand delivery,” said Emmanuel Asamoah, the startup’s co-founder and business lead.
“We realised that businesses needed a central platform to manage all their logistics while getting delivery orders through their very own channels. This saved them a lot and helped them build stronger relationships with their clients. This applies to businesses of all sizes from SMEs to enterprise.”
Uptake has been swift. Boxconn has already completed more than 30,000 deliveries for over 120 businesses, including Jumia and KFC, and it is already active internationally. The Boxconn team is from Ghana, Nigeria, Botswana and Mali, so it is going where it knows. Operations have already started in Nigeria and Botswana off the back of the successful Ghanaian launch, and Boxconn is considering launching in Mali soon. Other countries will follow by 2023.
Asamoah said the team has significant ambitions in terms of building out its offering as well.
“We envision this for the general logistics industry, from warehouses to vans to trucks. We have even held talks with drone delivery companies and have a lot of interesting projects in the pipeline,” he said.
Funded by MEST and a couple of angel investors, the startup monetizes through subscriptions and commissions, depending on the type of business onboarded and the particular service it is providing.
“We have saved businesses that work with us over US$100,000 in money that would have otherwise been lost through commissions and inaccessibility,” Asamoah said.
“Scaling was hard at first but we cracked the code when we started listening closely to users and building what they wanted instead of what we thought was right. Users will show you what to build – it’s really as simple as that.”
