The African Diaspora: A Lever for Intercontinental Commerce

The African diaspora in Europe represents over 30 million people, including 6 million in France, 3 million in the UK and 1 million in Belgium. This community maintains strong economic ties with the continent: in 2024, remittances to sub-Saharan Africa reached $49 billion, exceeding official development aid.

Beyond money transfers, the diaspora generates a little-known but massive trade flow. Package shipments — clothing, electronics, medicine, European food products — represent an estimated market of 8 billion euros per year. Conversely, demand for African products (food, cosmetics, traditional textiles) from Europe continues to grow.

Specialized diaspora e-commerce platforms address a specific need: enabling a Senegalese person in Paris to gift a refrigerator to their family in Dakar, a Malagasy woman in Brussels to send school supplies to Antananarivo, or an Ivorian in Amsterdam to order attiéké delivered to their home. The model combines e-commerce, intercontinental logistics and cross-border payment.

The family events market (weddings, baptisms, funerals) generates predictable order peaks. The diaspora regularly sends financial and material contributions for these occasions. Platforms offering adapted catalogs — traditional fabrics, jewelry, ceremony supplies — capture recurring and emotionally driven demand.

Trust is the key conversion factor for the diaspora. Years of scams on informal transfers have created mistrust toward intermediaries. Solutions offering transparent package tracking, delivery guarantees (escrow) and customer service available in origin languages convert significantly better than generalist platforms.

The diaspora also plays a prescriber role for African products in Europe. Diaspora influencers on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram introduce continental products to a broader audience. Shea butter from Burkina Faso, Ethiopian coffee, Ghanaian wax fabrics thus find an audience well beyond the origin community, creating scaling opportunities for African exporters.