Sookari

About the Project

🌱 The Inspiration

Sookari was born from what we observe every day in Kinshasa: local markets are vibrant and essential to the economy, but completely disconnected from the digital world.
Vendors work hard but have no tools to sell online, and consumers waste valuable time navigating crowded streets for basic shopping.
We set out to build a local, inclusive, and simple solution — a “connected marketplace” that digitizes neighborhood commerce without erasing its culture.

🛠️ Currently in Development

We are currently in an active development phase for the platform:

• The mobile app for vendors is under construction, with inventory management, order tracking, and mobile payment features.
  
• The courier interface is in prototyping, with real-time order dispatch and geolocation tools.
  
• The admin dashboard and website are being built iteratively, based on early user feedback.

💡 What We’ve Learned So Far

• Vendors want simple tools, not complicated dashboards.
  
• Couriers are ready to join if routes are well-organized and payments are fast.
  
• Users expect a platform that is reliable, fast, and adapted to their daily reality.

⚠️ Challenges We’ve Faced

• The UX design needs to be ultra-intuitive for users with limited tech experience.
  
• Delivery zone management requires highly accurate local mapping.
  
• Integrating mobile payments varies across operators and demands specific logic for the DRC.

🔜 What’s Coming Next

Our short-term goal is to launch a closed beta version in selected neighborhoods of Kinshasa (Gombe, Kintambo).
We’re also building a community of early vendors and couriers who will help shape the first version of Sookari with us.

💬 Why This Project Matters

Sookari isn’t just a sales platform — it’s a gateway to economic autonomy, the modernization of street commerce, and digital justice for thousands of small merchants in the Congo.

Built With

• expo.io
• postgresql
• react-native
• supabasa