Background

Smart Africa Group (SAG) is a technology and venture-building organization operating across Africa, focused on digital commerce, financial inclusion, and scalable marketplace solutions. Through its venture studio, SmartFoundry, the group builds and scales platforms that connect merchants, distributors, and consumers to improve trade efficiency and expand market access.

Role Context

The Business Development Manager – Merchant & Distribution role is a commercial growth position responsible for building and expanding a large ecosystem of merchants, distributors, wholesalers, and channel partners for digital commerce platforms such as SokoLink. The role focuses on driving merchant acquisition, strengthening distribution networks, increasing revenue, and improving market penetration across multiple regions.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute merchant acquisition strategies across target sectors and locations
• Identify, recruit, and onboard merchants, ensuring strong pipeline development and conversion
• Evaluate merchants based on business viability, revenue potential, and product suitability
• Conduct merchant presentations, sales pitches, and negotiations while ensuring KYC and compliance requirements are met
• Support merchant onboarding and activation to ensure they become active and transacting users
• Maintain and update a structured merchant database and CRM system
• Improve merchant retention, engagement, and long-term relationship management
• Identify, onboard, and manage distributors, wholesalers, aggregators, and channel partners
• Build territory-based distribution structures and expand coverage across key regions
• Strengthen route-to-market strategies and improve distribution efficiency
• Monitor distributor performance and assess contribution to overall sales growth
• Generate leads and build relationships with business owners, retailers, procurement teams, and trade associations
• Prepare commercial proposals and support conversion from prospects to active customers
• Increase order frequency, basket size, and overall merchant lifetime value
• Manage key merchant accounts and provide ongoing business development support
• Monitor merchant performance, reduce churn, and support renewals and reactivation
• Design and implement expansion strategies into underserved territories
• Collaborate with field, operations, and distribution teams to improve market penetration and coverage

Qualifications

• Proven experience in merchant acquisition, sales pipeline management, and account development
• Strong background in distribution network development and channel partner management
• Experience in territory expansion and route-to-market strategy execution
• Strong knowledge of retail, wholesale, FMCG, or B2B commerce ecosystems
• Ability to manage CRM systems, merchant databases, and sales reporting tools
• Experience in revenue generation, sales forecasting, and performance tracking
• Strong negotiation, communication, and relationship-building skills
• Strategic thinking and strong problem-solving abilities
• Ability to work with SMEs, retailers, wholesalers, and multi-region operations
• Proven ability to meet or exceed commercial targets in competitive environments
• Strong stakeholder engagement and partnership management skills

Additional Notes

Candidates are expected to have strong experience in sales, merchant acquisition, distribution management, and commercial strategy, particularly within FMCG, B2B commerce, or digital commerce ecosystems.

• Develop and execute merchant acquisition strategies across target sectors and locations
• Identify, recruit, and onboard merchants, ensuring strong pipeline development and conversion
• Evaluate merchants based on business viability, revenue potential, and product suitability
• Conduct merchant presentations, sales pitches, and negotiations while ensuring KYC and compliance requirements are met
• Support merchant onboarding and activation to ensure they become active and transacting users
• Maintain and update a structured merchant database and CRM system
• Improve merchant retention, engagement, and long-term relationship management
• Identify, onboard, and manage distributors, wholesalers, aggregators, and channel partners
• Build territory-based distribution structures and expand coverage across key regions
• Strengthen route-to-market strategies and improve distribution efficiency
• Monitor distributor performance and assess contribution to overall sales growth
• Generate leads and build relationships with business owners, retailers, procurement teams, and trade associations
• Prepare commercial proposals and support conversion from prospects to active customers
• Increase order frequency, basket size, and overall merchant lifetime value
• Manage key merchant accounts and provide ongoing business development support
• Monitor merchant performance, reduce churn, and support renewals and reactivation
• Design and implement expansion strategies into underserved territories
• Collaborate with field, operations, and distribution teams to improve market penetration and coverage

• Merchant acquisition
• Sales pipeline management
• Account development
• Distribution network development
• Channel partner management
• Territory expansion
• Route-to-market strategy execution
• CRM systems management
• Sales reporting tools
• Revenue generation
• Sales forecasting
• Performance tracking
• Negotiation
• Communication
• Relationship-building
• Strategic thinking
• Problem-solving
• Stakeholder engagement
• Partnership management

• Proven experience in merchant acquisition, sales pipeline management, and account development
• Strong background in distribution network development and channel partner management
• Experience in territory expansion and route-to-market strategy execution
• Strong knowledge of retail, wholesale, FMCG, or B2B commerce ecosystems
• Ability to manage CRM systems, merchant databases, and sales reporting tools
• Experience in revenue generation, sales forecasting, and performance tracking
• Strong negotiation, communication, and relationship-building skills
• Strategic thinking and strong problem-solving abilities
• Ability to work with SMEs, retailers, wholesalers, and multi-region operations
• Proven ability to meet or exceed commercial targets in competitive environments
• Strong stakeholder engagement and partnership management skills