Kenyan startup Chpter, which enables businesses to sell via chat platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram, has announced a major expansion into 11 new African markets.
The move comes through a strategic partnership with fintech giant Flutterwave and builds on Chpter’s current operations in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.
The expansion brings Chpter’s footprint to 14 African countries, including Ghana, Egypt, Uganda, and Rwanda. Through the partnership, merchants in these new markets will gain access to Chpter’s social commerce tools, allowing them to accept payments in local currencies or USD via mobile money, cards, and bank transfers. Flutterwave will handle payment processing and settlement in the background.
This expansion taps into a growing shift in how commerce is conducted on the continent. With WhatsApp users in Africa projected to surpass 135 million by 2029, digital storefronts rapidly give way to conversational commerce. Chpter says 60% of its inbound traffic now comes through chat apps, a signal that e-commerce in Africa is increasingly unfolding in direct messages rather than on websites.
Thousands of merchants have already signed on, drawn by the ease of using familiar platforms to drive sales and customer engagement.
As part of its aggressive growth strategy, Chpter is also going “AI-first.” The company has deployed AI-powered sales and support agents, which now handle 45% of all customer interactions. It aims to push this figure to 80% as the technology matures.
To support this vision, Chpter recently launched Pluto, its WhatsApp API suite, allowing developers and businesses to build full customer experiences within the messaging app—from first contact to checkout.
The startup is betting that combining smart automation with localized pricing could finally make Software-as-a-Service viable at scale across Africa—something that has eluded many tech firms on the continent.
While the expansion marks a bold step forward, Chpter’s AI-heavy, subscription-based model will face a test in these diverse new markets. The company is banking on its infrastructure and early momentum to give it staying power.
As it enters 14 distinctly different African economies, the question remains: can Chpter’s digital-first, chat-driven approach prove sticky enough to sustain growth and outpace emerging competitors?
