LORE
Africa’s trade infrastructure – Built from the inside
LORE is The Gravel Company’s market access and distribution engine for African manufacturers ready to scale. It connects verified manufacturers to vetted distributors through established trade corridors, while providing the structure, funding, logistics, and distribution support required to move efficiently across borders. Through compliance automation, logistics routing, and local-currency payment settlement enabled by its strategic partnership with PAPSS, LORE reduces the friction that has long constrained formal intra-African trade.
“16% → 50%, that is the target. AfCFTA projects it, PAPSS enables it and Lore makes it operational.”
Capabilities
Building Africa’s Trade Rails
Intra-African trade reached $220 billion in 2025. It is still only 16% of total continental trade. The gap is not demand — it is connectivity. LORE is building the rails, unlocking $20 million in trade finance for scale across the continent in FY1.
Market entry assessment
Evaluate demand conditions, competitive intensity, regulatory realities, and execution barriers before committing capital.
Sector and competitor mapping
Understand who is winning, where value pools are shifting, and which market structures create strategic advantage.
Partner and ecosystem analysis
Identify credible distributors, operators, suppliers, and institutional stakeholders essential to successful expansion.
Risk and opportunity signals
Track the commercial, political, and infrastructure factors that can accelerate growth or undermine performance.
How engagement works
Each engagement is structured to move from uncertainty to action through a clear, evidence-led process.
PHASE 1
Manufacturer Readiness Evaluation and Market decision
We assess legal verification, export licensing, production capacity, KYB compliance, and value-addition readiness. Then we define priority markets and commercial outcomes with clarity and discipline.
PHASE 2
Funding
We assess the capital required to meet proven demand in selected markets and help secure the funding needed to support expansion.
PHASE 3
Regulatory and Logistics
We manage the entire cross-border trade process. Handling all essential documentation and certifications, including certificates of origin, while optimising routes and assigning the right freight partners. To maximise efficiency, we apply AfCFTA preferential tariff schedules and pre-assess destinations for NTBs. We manage in-country regulatory clearance, labelling compliance, and local registration.
PHASE 4
Local Distribution and Payments
Access Lore’s verified distributor network without cold calling. Reduce counterparty risk and settle cross-border transactions in local currencies, without USD routing or correspondent bank delays.