…and enhance Africa’s food security
By Segun Fatuase
Shadrack and Pretty Kubyane are your typical budding African youth, desirous of making a success of their lives through enterprise . Rather than follow the tough ‘japa’ route of finding their fortunes outside the shores of their country of birth, they toughened their resolve to make a name by hawking beauty products on the streets.
This pedestrian business venture which started with 500 dollars in 2013, paved the way for the establishment of Coronet Blockchain grew steadily and grossed over 2 million dollars in 36 months and created a dependable employment for 40 persons . Thus, the duo built an enduring brand and became the envy of many budding brands on the African Continent.
Industrious Shadrack and enterprising Pretty, offspring of sustenance farmers in their native South African base, became an item, high in demand at global speaking engagements and were sought after in building viable systems and ensuring the sustainability of business ventures.
Today, Shadrack and Pretty Kubyane intend using blockchain technology to put Africa first and leverage blockchain for social good. Having secured a grant from a Swiss based Foundation to build an impact based MVP for African small scale farmers, they dutifully built a block -chain based mobile application available on Google Store and IOS. ‘’So we decided to build it ourselves since we already had a demand for it” said Mrs Pretty Kubyane.
A depressing situation which strengthened the resolve of the Kubyane was the huge loss suffered by South African farmers when 10 million chickens died in January 2023 due to the shenanigans of big-time farmers . The many advantages of the eFama app include: easy and direct access to the market without the involvement of middlemen who will invariably eat into the profit margins of the struggling farmers; achieving product quality assurance and cost effectiveness as well as ensuring a sustainable business that can be funded and become a legacy for the children of the farmers .
And so, the decision to help and sustain farmers through a mobile application known as the eFama app (which they created) to sell their fresh produce and meat directly to commercial buyers and consumers without the involvement of middlemen was taken and fine-tuned.
The thrust of the business is that an initial 100, 000 farmers on the eFama app will benefit from the platform between now and 2030. The envisaged success of that pilot scheme will ensure that 33 million poor farmers (out of the estimated 40 million farmers in Africa) who lack access to local markets will eventually benefit directly from the eFama technology.
An effusive and confident Shadrack and Beauty feel that the challenge of helping African farmers to thrive and sustain their business is achievable. The eFama app, according to them, will serve as an alternative way for produce to reach the consumers and big time buyers .
‘’The Africa we see (is for) farmers (to) run sustainable businesses, consumers (to) have quality foods cheaper, (while) food about to be wasted is diverted to charitable organisations long before they pass their expiry dates’’