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He said: “When we acquired Konga from Naspers, one of Africa’s valuable company, and Kinnevik, a Swedish investment company, and merged it with Yudala, we faced a similar dilemma. Do we build just an e-commerce company or do we build infrastructure that can outlive us? We chose the more challenging path, to build the rails of digital commerce for Nigeria and, ultimately, for Africa. Because entrepreneurship that truly changes lives must solve real problems, not just build pretty apps. “Back then, small businesses couldn’t collect payments easily. Logistics was unreliable. Trust was scarce. A customer in Lagos couldn’t confidently buy from a seller in Aba. So, we built KongaPay to enable payments. We built Konga Logistics to move goods. We built a hybrid retail model that connected online trust with offline reliability. And we built Konga TV and radio channels to add lifestyle and to connect it all, giving merchants, customers, and partners a voice within the same ecosystem. “Today, over 250,000 merchants, 4 million customers and hundreds of logistics franchisees depend on Konga’s ecosystem. Every package delivered isn’t just commerce, it’s connection. It’s a small business in Enugu selling to a customer in Kano for the first time. It’s a logistics agent who now employs 100 drivers because of our franchise model. That’s what scalable social impact looks like; technology turning potential into prosperity.” According to him, “The Elon Musk business model matters because it reminds us that the world’s greatest innovations are usually not neat, or fully compliant with every framework, but they move humanity forward.” “In Africa, impact can’t just be theoretical. It must be tangible, food on tables, jobs created, families lifted, systems digitised. At Konga, our belief is simple: True social impact is not charity; it’s infrastructure for inclusion. When a merchant in Lagos has the same digital tools as a retailer in London, that’s equality of access. When a delivery rider in Kano builds a franchise from one bike to 100, that’s wealth redistribution powered by innovation. This is what it means to build a socially conscious business at scale ; where every commercial success expands opportunity for others”. “And that’s the future of entrepreneurship, especially in Africa: Build fast, build wide, but build with meaning. So, as we celebrate ESGs (Environmental Social Governances) and SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals), let’s not forget the real “G” that matters; GROWTH. Growth that includes people. Growth that lasts. Growth that transforms”. “The entrepreneurs who will shape the next decade will not be the ones who just fit into systems, but those who build new systems that fit more people in. That’s what we strive for at Konga; what I call commercial scale with social soul. And if that’s not good for business, then maybe we need to redefine what “good” really means,” he wrapped up his speech to a thunderous ovation.
