Africa 118 was founded in 2010 by Managing Director Ezana Raswork with the goal of improving the online discoverability of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) across the African continent. The company initially focused on gathering business listings, building the most accurate local business database in East Africa, with over 5 million listings.
Partnering with the Mastercard Strive Community, GSMA and UK Aid, Africa 118 launched its “Digital Presence Pack” pilot programme. This provides MSMEs with simple one-page websites, e-commerce mobile-payment integration, monthly business analytics and digital-skills training to help them access global markets.