How to modernise African markets without losing flavour and identity

BY pooling commodities from diverse production zones, African territorial mass markets have become genuine centres of excellence on food systems where a question about any food commodity receives answers from farmers, traders and consumers who interact in the same space.

However, the pace at which these markets are growing calls for creative innovation in how they can be modernised without losing the African flavour and identity which make them different from shopping malls and supermarkets.

Some of the unique African flavours that should be retained in the modernisation process include playful haggling for customers, same pricing models for the same product, knowledge as a public good and diverse measurements.

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