Gambia’s tech-enabled meals distribution platform

When Modou Njie launched Farm Contemporary in 2014, on-line procuring was a novel idea in The Gambia. Web penetration was low, digital funds have been nascent and most of the people most popular to purchase meals in open markets. Njie, who had labored in know-how and consulting for years, determined to take a danger on one thing new.

A decade later, Farm Contemporary has grown from a easy grocery web site into what Njie calls a “tech-enabled meals distribution platform.” The corporate now makes use of AI for analytics, integrates with cell and card cost programs, and is constructing cold-chain storage that can prolong the shelf lifetime of its produce.

The platform attracts between 3,000 and 5,000 every day guests, in keeping with Njie, with the bulk coming from Gambians residing abroad. This positions Farm Contemporary inside The Gambia’s rising e-commerce market which is projected to achieve round US$72.44 million in 2025.

From a $5,000 increase to a thousand-farmer community

A yr after launch, Farm Contemporary acquired a $5,000 increase from the 2015 Tony Elumelu Basis, which helped it strengthen operations and branding. On the time, Njie dealt with orders manually, saved accounting data on paper, and used his private automobile for deliveries.

“It wasn’t straightforward,” he stated. “However I had a ardour for innovation and wished to begin one thing new.”

Over time, Farm Contemporary’s impression grew. Njie stated Farm Contemporary launched 1000’s of Gambians to on-line procuring and impressed a wave of small Info Expertise (IT) companies to discover e-commerce.

“The Tony Elumelu Basis funding performed an enormous position right here as a result of it helped us perform branding and a variety of advertising which created the notice for one thing like procuring on-line,” he stated.

Farm Contemporary additionally tapped into a robust cultural dynamic: meals remittances.

“Many Gambians overseas have been sending cash to their households each month,” Njie defined. “We stated, why not ship meals as an alternative? Simply spend a small portion of your remittance to feed your loved ones straight.”

That easy thought now sustains the corporate. Sixty to seventy % of Farm Contemporary’s on-line orders come from the diaspora, particularly in Europe and North America. The corporate additionally ships dried merchandise like cereals, honey, and natural teas internationally, although recent produce stays a problem attributable to spoilage.

Clients typically depend on casual courier providers, travellers who convey packages for a charge, to keep away from costly delivery by firms like DHL.

“Gambians are at all times travelling and a few of these individuals have turned  shifting issues from the Gambia to different elements of the world a enterprise. Individuals at all times patronise them attributable to their low value,” he defined.

From a handful of smallholder farmers, Farm Contemporary now works with between 1,000 and 1,500 producers throughout peak season. The platform options over 80 domestically made merchandise, from greens and dairy to cereals, and natural teas.

“Strawberries are considered one of our bestsellers,” Njie stated proudly. “They’re grown domestically and the demand is at all times excessive from January to Might.”

The corporate operates on a ten% to fifteen% markup mannequin, shopping for at wholesale costs from farmers and including prices for packaging, branding, and logistics.

Farm Contemporary can be getting ready to begin its personal farming operations on newly acquired land, with plans to develop its personal greens and strawberries by early subsequent yr.

Expertise as a game-changer

When Farm Contemporary launched, the platform was a primary web site itemizing costs and merchandise. Funds have been dealt with in money. However as we speak, the platform is totally automated, with integrations by TablePay, a Gambian fintech that processes world funds through Visa and MasterCard, and Wave, considered one of West Africa’s fastest-growing cell cash companies.

The startup additionally makes use of AI-driven hybrid live-chat programs that mix bots with human brokers for buyer assist and reporting. “Our reporting course of is now quick and data-driven,” Njie stated. “We’ve come a great distance from doing every little thing manually.”

Farm Contemporary’s shift into automation has allowed it to broaden with out considerably growing its headcount, vital in a rustic the place dependable staffing stays a problem. “You’ll be able to’t copy and paste ardour,” Njie stated, referring to the battle of discovering dedicated workers who share the corporate’s imaginative and prescient.

Njie’s pivot displays a broader development in The Gambia, the place digitalisation has accelerated within the final 5 years. Web penetration now stands at roughly 1.28 million customers, about 45.9% of the inhabitants, whereas cell subscriptions exceed the inhabitants, making a basis for digital commerce.

Fixing the logistics downside

In The Gambia, logistics has lengthy been a serious bottleneck for e-commerce. Njie remembers making deliveries himself within the early days. As demand grew, Farm Contemporary acquired its personal supply bikes to deal with the workload. However sustaining the bikes proved costly, and the corporate finally shifted to partnering with third-party supply providers.

“Over the previous 5 years, there’s been an upsurge of supply firms,” he stated. “Many now supply monitoring codes and hourly supply. Costs are extra aggressive, and that could be a win for everybody.”

Nonetheless, Farm Contemporary’s largest breakthrough is underway. Via the World Financial institution’s Tourism Diversification and Resilience Challenge, the corporate was chosen as a part of 62 companies after a rigorous coaching course of. The undertaking is now funding the set up of Farm Contemporary’s first cold-storage facility and processing machines for oils and associated merchandise.

“It’s a game-changer,” Njie stated. “As soon as our chilly room is prepared, we are able to purchase in bulk, prolong shelf life, and management costs higher. We gained’t must rush to farms for each order.”

Earlier than this, Farm Contemporary operated on a just-in-time mannequin, sourcing produce from farms solely when orders got here in, a anxious and unreliable course of.

Constructing by infrastructure constraints

The Gambia’s infrastructure challenges have examined Farm Contemporary at each flip. Web knowledge prices stay among the many highest in Africa, averaging $3.56 per gigabyte in 2025, rating the nation 4th costliest on the continent. For a nation the place over half the inhabitants lives in poverty, this stifles each innovation and buyer entry.

Energy provide presents an equally persistent downside. Frequent blackouts and voltage fluctuations have turn out to be routine, with outages generally lasting a number of hours and even all day. The Nationwide Water and Electrical energy Firm (NAWEC), the nation’s sole electrical energy supplier, struggles with ageing infrastructure and outdated transmission networks that haven’t been considerably upgraded.

“Electrical energy is unquestionably nonetheless a problem,” Njie stated. “It’s been bettering, however at occasions it may be fairly irritating, particularly through the wet season.”

To handle this, Farm Contemporary plans to transition fully to photo voltaic vitality. “We simply need to solarise, guarantee that every little thing runs on photo voltaic, in order that we don’t have delays in our operations,” Njie defined. “Although the federal government is doing its greatest, we’d additionally love to do our half, in order that with or with out the federal government, we are able to nonetheless stay totally purposeful.”

For Farm Contemporary, funding stays a persistent problem. This displays the broader venture-capital drought in The Gambia. There are a couple of VC companies working domestically, and digital capital-raising within the nation stays negligible in comparison with its neighbours, in keeping with Statista knowledge. The few obtainable channels, such because the Gambia Angel Buyers Community (GAIN), launched by the Worldwide Commerce Centre, are solely starting to construct investor confidence and deal-flow capability. Most startups nonetheless rely on donor programmes just like the Youth Empowerment Challenge and on diaspora remittances, leaving growth-stage companies like Farm Contemporary largely self-funded.

“We’ve reached out to buyers,” Njie stated. “Some have been however didn’t discover the numbers compelling. Nonetheless, we’ve managed to develop with or with out funding.”

 The Gambian tech ecosystem and Farm Contemporary’s position

The Gambian tech ecosystem is evolving, with government-backed digital insurance policies serving to to form the way forward for the sector. The Nationwide Digital Financial system Grasp Plan 2024‑2034, as an example, outlines plans to enhance digital infrastructure and make e-commerce and digital providers extra accessible, with a deal with monetary inclusion, entrepreneurship, and digital authorities.

The federal government has additionally launched tax incentives for agribusinesses, as a part of its efforts to assist innovation within the sector. In line with Njie, these measures are set to ease operational burdens on startups like Farm Contemporary. Nevertheless, challenges akin to excessive web prices and unreliable energy provide stay, however initiatives just like the e-Authorities Technique 2021-2024 goal to deal with these gaps over time.

In step with these coverage shifts, Farm Contemporary is planning its growth into Ghana, Senegal, and Rwanda over the subsequent 5 years, aiming to ascertain a dependable export market to Europe and different elements of the world. Njie stays assured that authorities assist, coupled with regional investments and digital transformation, will permit Farm Contemporary to scale and deal with meals safety points extra successfully throughout West Africa.

Njie’s optimism for the way forward for Farm Contemporary aligns with the broader progress trajectory of The Gambia’s digital financial system. With ongoing investments in digital infrastructure, coverage reforms, and entrepreneurial assist, the approaching years will probably be vital for startups to make a major impression within the nation.