Today was episode #6 of African Tech News. Hosted by Owuraku Sarpong and me.

You can join us live every Tuesday at 7 PM (Ghana) / 8 PM (Nigeria) / 10 PM (Kenya) / 12 PM (Los Angeles) / 3 PM (New York).

We spoke with Yoni Shivalila Co-Founder of UK-DUKAS. Which allows people in Kenya and Nigeria to shop directly from ANY UK store including Amazon and eBay. Delivered anywhere in Kenya and Nigeria within 10-14 days.

I learned about some amazing services that UK-DUKAS provides. Picture this. You are in the diaspora, for example the United Kingdom. And your friend or family member. Asks you to bring back an item with you, a pair of jeans from Zara. Or a specific watch sold on Amazon. But the watch only ships to the U.K. Your friend or family is asking you to bring the said item with you on your flight back to Kenya. You now have to use precious luggage space for these items. Or worse, you have to pay a lot in baggage fees. Well UK-DUKAS solves this problem!

If you are in Kenya or Nigeria you can order and pay directly with UK-DUNKAS. For ANY item that sells in the UK (as well as the United States, if you are in Kenya). And receive that item in up to 14 days. They handle 100% of the logistics of shipping, custom costs, and any other applicable fee. To reach you in Kenya and Nigeria. And you can order with them via SMS (meaning with NO Internet connection). Or via WhatsApp or through their website. Unbelievable, yes!

UK-DUKAS services encompass concierge service as well. Say you don't know the exact brand you want of a product. But instead of an idea of what you want. They will suggest products from reputable brands for you to purchase from. Again you pay directly to UK-DUKAS both the price, shipping, and any additional fees. Which ensures you get your product hassle-free. UK-DUKAS is able to accomplish this by partnering with public entities and private companies to ensure your ordered items arrive on time and are not damaged. Imagine a world where your item isn't stuck at customs with a "hostage" fee :).

In the future, UK-DUKAS foresees the ability to expand to other countries in Africa. And most importantly provide the reverse experience. That is, providing the ability for anyone in the world to order from an African company and have the items shipped. For example, a United States resident ordering from a Tanzanian company.

My hats off to Yoni Shivalila Co-Founder of UK-DUKAS and their team for solving a real-world problem and being a customer-centric company.

Learn more about UK-DUKAS, currently accepting customers in Kenya and Nigeria:

For the recording of today's and previous live sessions visit here: anchor.fm/african-tech-news. Note that the recordings are posted a few days after the live session.

See you next Tuesday at 7 PM (Ghana) / 8 PM (Nigeria) / 10 PM (Kenya) / 12 PM (Los Angeles) / 3 PM (New York).

If you are African descent and would like to be featured by African Tech News you can email me at farah@hey.com. Or DM Owuraku or me.

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