The Shop Africa 2016 report, an inaugural review of sub-Saharan Africa’s retail markets reveals that Nairobi is the largest mall development hotspot in the region, with an estimated  470,000 square metres of shopping centre space in the pipeline. Luanda in Angola comes in second; Lagos in Nigeria third; Dar es Salaam in Tanzania fourth; with Maputo in Mozambique ranking fifth.

These findings aside, about 90 percent of commerce in Africa occurs at informal retailers, including small independent stores, kiosks, and informal open-air markets. Formal retail—such as malls, shopping centers, and other defined retail spaces—remains in the nascent stages in most Sub-Saharan Africa countries.

Africa whose markets fall into three main stages: basic, developing, and mature ought to address the supply chain challenges, underdeveloped infrastructures and the fact that local producers and manufacturers – who form the bulk of the business community – are not adequately represented in these malls.