Traditional sourcing agents charge 10-25% to find African suppliers, vouch for them, and shepherd the trade. They're a useful service when trust signals are weak - but they're also a black box: you pay the markup whether the supplier is a real fit or not. Afrikoni does what a sourcing agent does (verification, matching, dispute mediation) at a fraction of the cost, with AI ranking suppliers transparently and escrow handling the trust layer.
For highly specialized buys (custom industrial machinery, regulated pharmaceuticals) where deep relationship knowledge and on-site QC matter more than platform efficiency, agents still earn their margin. For most commodity, textile, art, and food-grade trades, Afrikoni is faster and cheaper.
KYC verification: handled by Afrikoni's KYC team. Supplier matching: handled by Leta. Quote negotiation: structured inside Afrikoni's quote workspace. Dispute resolution: structured process with funds in escrow until resolved. Logistics: end-to-end DDP partners on every major corridor.
Agents charge 10-25% of trade value. Afrikoni's commission is 6% in total - 3% shown to the buyer at checkout and 3% deducted from the supplier's settlement - dropping to 3% on a reorder. Freight, when we book it, carries its own stated markup.