Why African Brands Are Going Global — And How to Join Them
The narrative is shifting. Africa isn't just a market to sell into — it's a continent of brands ready to sell out of. Here's how the outbound opportunity works.
For decades, the cross-border conversation about Africa has been one-directional: how do we get products into the continent? But a new wave of African entrepreneurs, manufacturers, and brands are flipping the script — building products that compete globally and looking for the infrastructure to reach international customers.
The African Brand Renaissance
Something fundamental is changing across the continent. A generation of African founders has grown up digitally native, globally aware, and deeply connected to both local culture and international consumer trends. They're building beauty brands with indigenous ingredients that outperform imported alternatives. They're creating fashion labels that merge traditional textiles with contemporary design. They're manufacturing home goods, wellness products, and specialty foods that global consumers actively seek out.
The demand signal is clear. African-made products are trending on international marketplaces. Consumers in Europe, North America, and the Middle East are actively looking for authentic, ethically sourced products with unique origin stories. The problem has never been demand — it's been access. Getting an African brand onto Amazon EU, into a UK retailer's supply chain, or listed on a Middle Eastern marketplace requires navigating a maze of export regulations, international shipping, foreign market compliance, and marketplace onboarding that most growing brands simply can't resource internally.
The Barriers to Going Global
Export Compliance & Documentation
Every destination market has its own import requirements. EU CE marking for products, FDA registration for goods entering the US, GCC conformity certificates for the Middle East — each requires different documentation, testing, and certification. For a brand doing R2M in annual revenue, the cost and complexity of navigating even one new market can feel prohibitive.
International Logistics & Fulfilment
Shipping from Africa to global markets is expensive and complex. Consolidation, freight forwarding, customs clearance at destination, last-mile delivery infrastructure, and returns handling all need to be solved — ideally before the first order ships. Air freight preserves margins on high-value, low-weight products, but sea freight is necessary for scale. Neither is straightforward from most African origin points.
Marketplace Access & Localisation
Getting listed on Amazon, eBay, Noon, or other international marketplaces requires a registered entity in the destination market, compliant product listings, localised content, competitive pricing that accounts for shipping and duties, and ongoing account management. Most African brands lack the operational bandwidth to manage even one international marketplace effectively.
Payment & Currency Management
Receiving international payments, converting foreign currency, and repatriating revenue back to Africa involves navigating multiple banking systems, foreign exchange regulations, and settlement timelines that can tie up working capital for weeks.
The MoreShores Outbound Model
MoreShores operates as a two-way commerce bridge. While much of our work focuses on enabling international brands to sell into Africa, our outbound capability is designed for exactly this moment — helping African brands reach global consumers without building international operations from scratch.
We Handle the Export Side
From your warehouse or production facility in Africa, we manage consolidation, export documentation, freight booking, and shipment tracking to destination markets. We work with established logistics networks to optimise routes and costs, ensuring your products arrive on time and within budget.
We Act as Your International Presence
Through our network and partnerships, we can provide the registered entity, compliance documentation, and marketplace accounts needed to sell in target markets. You don't need a UK subsidiary to sell on Amazon UK — you need the right partner structure.
We Manage Marketplace Operations
Listing creation, content localisation, pricing strategy, inventory management, advertising, and customer service — we handle the day-to-day marketplace operations so you can focus on product development and brand building.
We Close the Financial Loop
International sales revenue is collected, converted, and repatriated through compliant channels. You get paid in your local currency on a predictable schedule, with full transparency on fees, exchange rates, and settlement timelines.
Who This Is For
Our outbound service is designed for African brands that have proven product-market fit locally and are ready to test international demand. Ideal candidates include beauty and personal care brands using African ingredients with compelling origin stories, fashion and accessories labels with distinctive designs and reliable production capacity, specialty food and beverage producers with products that travel well and meet international food safety standards, home décor and lifestyle brands creating unique, handcrafted products with global appeal, and health and wellness brands with proprietary formulations or traditional ingredients gaining international recognition.
If you're doing R1M+ in annual revenue locally and your customers are already asking whether you ship internationally, you're ready.
Take Your Brand Global
The infrastructure to sell internationally from Africa has never been more accessible. Let's explore which markets make sense for your brand and build a launch plan.