Raspberry Pi looks to set up African retail channel to make buying a mini computer there as easy as Pi

Raspberry Pi said yesterday it would beryllium pushing to get its miniature computers into much shops crossed Africa, admitting that its beingness connected nan continent was constricted to a azygous approved reseller pinch commercialized ops successful a fewer countries successful confederate Africa.

Writing connected nan company blog, Ken Okolo said he had been precocious appointed to attraction connected building a web of resellers and partnerships crossed manufacture and nan acquisition assemblage successful Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Rwanda, Cameroon, and Uganda.

Previously Raspberry Pi was disposable done a South African reseller pinch "some commercialized operations" successful adjacent countries, but nan remainder of nan continent was vastly underserved, relying connected e-commerce sites for illustration Amazon and their precocious shipping rates, to dispatch nan merchandise from different parts of nan globe.

According to Okolo, this load "undermines [the] extremity of ensuring affordability and readiness crossed nan continent."

Last period nan Raspberry Pi trading limb (not to beryllium confused pinch nan kindness Raspberry Pi Foundation, which was founded successful 2009 to beforehand nan study of basal machine subject successful schools) received a £33m finance ($45m).

One cardinal investor, Ezrah Charitable Trust, was founded by erstwhile Goldman Sachs vice president and Farallon Capital Management partner David Cohen successful 2016 to attraction "on nan poorest of nan poor, particularly successful Africa."

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The company's income are connected way to transcend 40 cardinal units crossed its merchandise scope acknowledgment successful portion to accrued demand during pandemic lockdown periods and nan high-profile placement of units, specified arsenic connected nan International Space Station.

"Africa has seen an detonation of technological advances successful caller years, pinch investors backing innovative businesses built astir technology," said Okolo. He added that what stands successful nan measurement for Africans erstwhile it comes to tackling its challenges is simply a deficiency of instrumentality and tools.

The comparatively inexpensive Raspberry Pi costs $35.

The World Bank lists Sub-Saharan Africa's 2020 GDP per capita astatine $1,483. ®