eMsika Services Limited today announced a new partnership with ZPOS. Their partnership will help agro-dealers with their business operations by providing ZPOS point-of-sale machines in retail locations currently working with eMsika on the Musika Development Initiative Agribusiness Accelerator Initiative (AAI) programme. The AAI programme is targeting 600 agro-dealers to adopt digital platforms to help sustain and grow their agro-businesses.

Speaking at the MoU Signing Ceremony held at BongoHive today, Gilbert Mwale, Cofounder and CEO of eMsika said “Partnering with ZPOS will help us streamline our services to agro-dealers as we work to help them become more productive and profitable. We hope that this will contribute to the growth of the Zambian agriculture landscape.”

“Small businesses are the backbone of emerging economies and that’s why we need to help them grow because that inevitably helps the entire economy grow. We are excited about agriculture because of the potential it poses as it employs the highest number of working adults in Zambia but continues to lag behind in terms of GDP contribution. If we help the players in the sector with the right tech tools, we should expect their output to improve”, said ZPOS CEO, Chisepo Chirwa.

BongoHive Cofounder and Executive Director Lukonga Lindunda added saying that it was encouraging to see startups that have been a part of the BongoHive Entrepreneurship programmes go on to form partnerships that will impact other SMEs around the country, which is a testament to the value of the programmes hosted by BongoHive. The businesses are both alumni of the Launch Accelerator Programme – ZPOS was in cohort 4 and eMsika was in cohort 7 of Launch.

The benefits of this new partnership include:

• Provision of an inventory and retail management system through ZPOS and a procurement channel through eMsika for stock replenishment.
• Agro-dealers will be able to keep digital records of their business, which can help to track business performance and improve creditworthiness.
• Traceability of farm inputs from supply to farmer through the agro-dealer.
• Timely re-stocking of agro-dealer shops reducing income loss from lack of stock.
• Farmers will have improved access to inputs because of well-stocked agro-shops.

The partnership is valid for 2 years and the two entities will evaluate the impact of their partnership following that time period.

About eMsika: 

eMsika Services Limited (eMsika) is an e-commerce company launched in 2016. It is an online marketplace where farmers and agro-dealers can source and pay for agricultural inputs such as agrochemicals, seeds, and machinery which are delivered to them. The company has served over 1200 farmers across the country, with 14 suppliers registered on the platform, including ETG Zambia, CAMCO, Saro Agro, Eggtech Incubators, and CropChem Services. 

About ZPOS: 

ZPOS, launched in 2016, helps small scale retailers in tracking inventory and profitability. Using an Android mobile app, the retailer is able to record sales, track stock levels, and access stock and profit reports. With over 100 active stores using ZPOS, the likes of Cake Bar and Meraki, ZPOS is well-positioned to help businesses have better insights into their operations. 

For further information, please contact:

Ms. Kyansenga Kibela, Consumer Marketing Officer (eMsika) at +260 970 160639, 

E-mail: [email protected]