Rapidly growing pan-African company, Mara Group has launched an online market place, Mara Sarkoni which forms an eco-system of mobile and tech platforms designed to connect Africans across the continent. This presents an opportunity for young and dynamic Africans to connect through e-commerce, m-commerce, last mile logistics, and a social media platform, under the leadership of a new, top-level management team.
Mara Sokoni, a market for general merchandise, will enable the world’s leading brands to sell to consumers across Africa and also local brands to sell nationally, regionally and globally. To ensure that these products are distributed efficiently , Mara Xpress, an innovative last mile logistics company will fulfill orders from distributors to end consumers, thereby ensuring that the client experience is controlled by Mara Sokoni.
Riding on the wave of Africa’s mobile revolution, Mara Sokoni will capitalize on the rapidly growing smartphone and internet penetration figures in Africa, creating a suite of platforms that are tailored to individual markets and are built on partnerships with local mobile operators and governments.
Serial entrepreneur Ashish Thakkar, the Founder of Mara Group and Mara Foundation will be the Executive Chairman of Mara Sokoni along with the appointed CEO’s of Mara Sokoni and Mara Xpress, Christian Unger and Charles Brewer.
“Mara Sokoni views these appointments as a sign of our commitment to being the leading e-commerce / m-commerce company in Africa. Africa is deserving of high quality, affordable technology platforms and products and the Mara Sokoni team looks forward to raising the bar on the continent – whilst doing good,” said Executive Chairman, Ashish J. Thakkar.
Mara has been active on the continent for 19 years with investments and operations spanning 25 African countries and 3 worldwide and employing over 11,000 people. The group’s growth has been driven by selectively partnering with multinationals and individuals with subject matter expertise – thus combining global best practices with Mara’s local knowledge and operational know-how.
This latest development will only add to the success of the group’s operations in banking, real estate, infrastructure, and technology. Established in 2013, Mara’s investment vehicle, Atlas Mara has acquired stakes in several banks across Africa in its bid to become the biggest bank in sub-Saharan Africa. Last year it purchased a 50.1 percent stake in Botswana-headquartered BancABC and increased its stake in Union Bank of Nigeria to 30 percent. The company also has operations or interests in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.
