APiF: Please introduce yourself.
Moulaye Taboure: I am Moulaye one of the co-founders of Afrikrea. I am a young Malian and grew up in Bamako. I studied and worked in Paris for 10 years, and now I am back living on the African continent – currently in Abidjan.
APiF: What is your cultural heritage and how does that inspire you?
Moulaye: I am lucky to have grown up amidst my culture, but even luckier to have realized afterwards just how much it was appreciated outside of Africa. That propelled me to show all the diversity born from our rich culture through Afrikrea.
APiF: When did you start Afrikrea and what was your objective?
Moulaye: We started initially as a side project in 2013 to help artisans in Africa. And since 2016 we went full time and rebuilt our platform with a bolder goal: to offer the best experience of selling and buying African-inspired creations anywhere in the world.
The end game was essentially to ensure that sellers on the platform have the tools and support to live from their craft and spread the wealth.
APiF: What differentiates Afrikrea from other online platforms?
Moulaye: We offer the largest choice of 40000+ African inspired clothing, jewellery, accessories, with a thousand new items every week. But also what generally sticks for both sellers and buyers is the interaction between each other, supported by our internal messaging system. Also when customers or sellers contact us, we respond within 3 hours guaranteed. I think the focus on operational excellence sets us apart .
APiF: So is Afrikrea the etsy of African Fashion and Designs?
Moulaye: Yes, one could sum it up as such for simplicity purpose. But we really aim to provide a better experience than etsy: for sellers first as well as for online shoppers. For example we give customers the option, to pay off orders above 70 USD over the time of 3 months.
APiF: What is your future vision for Afrikrea?
Moulaye: We hope to be able to build the largest inclusive community of Africa Lovers; showcasing that African culture and lifestyle can generate billions of wealth and touch millions of people all over the world.
APiF: Any tips for young entrepreneurs?
Moulaye: As long as you have a strong ambition from personal conviction, we can only recommend 2 things : humility & consistency.
Humility to serve your clients and learn from them, learn from people that tried to do what you do (failed or succeeded). And consistency to progress everyday to be the best in your field.
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