LUSAKA, Zambia — A Zambian startup is working to revolutionize Africa’s peanut trade by introducing a digital platform designed to connect farmers directly with consumers, aiming to overcome prevalent cash-based transactions and limited digital access in rural areas.
Petruwalus Food Production is building a web portal and mobile app that integrates agriculture, e-commerce and financial technology to modernize the peanut supply chain.
“This platform enables secure digital payments for peanut snack lovers, especially in underserved rural communities. It’s about breaking the cash barrier,” said Naluca Waluka, CEO of Petruwalus.
Beyond retail, the platform is designed to facilitate direct digital payments to farmers for raw materials, fostering efficiency, transparency and inclusivity.
FinTech Empowerment
Petruwalus was one of 16 startups that participated in the 2025 COMESA Women in FinTech Hackathon, an event organized by HiPipo in partnership with the COMESA Business Council. The experience significantly reshaped their approach.
“Before the Hackathon, our solution was mostly product-focused. But the mentorship helped us reframe it with FinTech at the core ensuring market access and financial empowerment for farmers,” said Gladys Mwandila, a team member at Petruwalus.
Inspired by training on Mojaloop, the team plans to integrate instant payment clearing into their system, aligning with Level One Project principles of inclusivity, interoperability and instant push payments.
“We want clearing to happen in just one second,” said Philip Green from Mojaloop, highlighting the team’s forward-thinking vision.
Broader Impact
Petruwalus’ mission extends beyond peanuts to promoting financial inclusion, rural empowerment and modernizing agribusiness across Africa. By digitizing payments and linking smallholder farmers to a wider market, the startup aims to contribute to the continent’s growing digital economy.
The company’s story is part of the #40Days40FinTechs Zambia and Malawi Edition, a HiPipo initiative showcasing innovative financial technology companies. The campaign has featured over 200 FinTech innovators from East and Southern Africa, offering them visibility, mentorship and resources like the Level One Project and Mojaloop Open Source Software to help scale their impact.
