allafrica.com - Photo: World Bank

Washington, DC — 

Washington, DC — When Chioma Achebe wanted to buy shares on the Nigerian Stock Exchange, she didn't want to open an account with a local broker because the process could take days.

So she decided to create a website platform that would allow investors like herself to buy shares through their mobile phones and the Internet. She will launch the site, Afritrade, in July.

"Retail brokers are more affordable but over-reliant on human intervention," she says. "AfriTrade solves cost and time inefficiencies with a low-cost, high-quality mobile investing platform that clients can use to directly access the market."

Her story is similar to those of many entrepreneurs who have used the power of the Internet to make cumbersome tasks simpler. But she is also part of a generation of western entrepreneurs who are attracted to the unique opportunities in Africa.