Ghanaian startup Africa Goodnest is an e-commerce and logistics platform that creates access to local and external markets, supports smallholder agricultural businesses, and distributes value-added agricultural products. Africa Goodnest exists to support producers who manufacture finished, value-added goods, which in turn goes to support smallholder agricultural farmers, reduce Africa’s reliance on raw commodity exports and supports blossoming economies in Africa. Founded in 2021 by Bernice Yalley the first batch of funding came from the Tony Elumelu Foundation, which Yalley said was a key moment for the young business. “I was pretty excited about that just because it gave me some validation and confidence… Then we were selected to participate in the UNICEF Startup Lab, which brought a bit more funding, and now we are part of the MEST Express Accelerator sponsored by the Mastercard Foundation.” Africa Goodnest, which makes a margin on the products it sells while also charging its vendors a monthly fee for hosting and advertising their products, is primarily focused on its home market for now.
