In a deal that marks a significant moment for Africa’s digital economy, United States-based Global Shop Group (GSG) has acquired Ivory Coast-founded e-commerce platform ANKA, expanding its reach into Africa’s fast-growing online fashion and creative market.
The acquisition gives GSG a firm foothold in African e-commerce, positioning it to tap into the continent’s expanding digital trade ecosystem.
ANKA’s co-founder Moulaye Tabouré said, “We built the infrastructure for global African commerce. To accelerate, we needed to move beyond technology.”
This hints that the acquisition will enable broader global expansion and deeper integration with established retail ecosystems.
What Is ANKA?
ANKA is a pan-African e-commerce platform originally launched in 2016 under the name Afrikrea by founders Moulaye Tabouré, Abdoul Kadry Diallo, and Luc Perussault-Diallo.
It began as a niche marketplace dedicated to African-inspired fashion, art, and handmade products, helping African creators sell directly to buyers around the world.
Over the years, the company rebranded to ANKA, meaning “Ours” in Bambara, to reflect its mission of empowering African entrepreneurs through digital trade routes.
ANKA’s Journey and Milestones
From its beginnings as a fashion marketplace, ANKA evolved into a multi-service commerce ecosystem, integrating payment processing (Anka Pay) and logistics support (Anka Shipping) for global deliveries.
This expansion turned ANKA into more than just a sales platform, it became an all-in-one digital trade enabler for Africa’s creative economy.
To date, ANKA has facilitated over US$60 million in transactions, serving 22,000 sellers across 47 African countries and reaching customers in more than 170 countries worldwide.
The company has raised US$13.5 million in total funding, including a US$5 million round in September 2023, underscoring strong investor confidence in its business model and growth trajectory.
What Is Global Shop Group (GSG)?
Global Shop Group is a US-based e-commerce company focused on integrating global online marketplaces and scaling retail solutions across continents.
The firm provides infrastructure that connects regional e-commerce brands to international markets, combining logistics, marketing, and financial technologies to simplify cross-border online trade.
By acquiring ANKA, GSG extends its network into Africa’s fashion and creative export industry, a sector that has gained global attention for its growing digital adoption and cultural influence.
Why Did GSG Acquire ANKA?
The acquisition represents GSG’s strategic entry into the African e-commerce and fashion-tech market, leveraging ANKA’s strong presence across the continent.
ANKA’s established digital infrastructure, linking thousands of African merchants with buyers in the diaspora, offers GSG a ready-made platform to scale its operations.
For ANKA, the deal brings the resources and global network needed to expand faster. As co-founder Moulaye Tabouré noted, the company’s next phase requires moving “beyond technology”, suggesting that partnerships, logistics, and global integration are key to unlocking its full potential.
Why This Matters
The acquisition is a milestone for Africa’s digital economy, showcasing how homegrown tech startups are becoming attractive acquisition targets for global companies.
ANKA’s story also highlights the rising demand for African products and the continent’s potential in cross-border e-commerce.
With over 22,000 active merchants and US$60 million in sales, ANKA’s model demonstrates how digital tools can empower small businesses to access international markets.
By acquiring ANKA, Global Shop Group not only enters a high-growth market but also strengthens global recognition for African creativity and innovation, signifying that the continent’s digital commerce revolution is not just emerging, but expanding onto the global stage.
Talking Points
ANKA’s acquisition by Global Shop Group represents a pragmatic and forward-looking move in Africa’s startup ecosystem, especially at a time when many tech ventures across the continent are struggling to stay afloat amid funding slowdowns and operational constraints.
Rather than following the unfortunate path of several promising African startups that have shut down after exhausting capital or facing scalability hurdles, ANKA’s decision to merge into a larger ecosystem underscores a critical truth, acquisition can be a lifeline, not a loss.
It allows founders to preserve their vision, sustain jobs, and continue serving customers under a stronger operational and financial framework.
More importantly, it ensures that the years of innovation, data, and market insight accumulated by the startup are not wasted but leveraged on a global scale.
In essence, ANKA’s move exemplifies strategic survival, one that prioritizes continuity and growth over ego or ownership, while speaking to other African startups that being acquired can sometimes be the smarter route to long-term impact.
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