In 2001, when online shopping was still a distant concept for many Nigerians, a visionary entrepreneur dared to reimagine how women could balance careers and home life. The idea was simple but groundbreaking: create a platform where working women could order fresh groceries online, delivered in ways that made cooking after long office hours faster and easier.
What started as a website development project quickly evolved into something much bigger. To make it work, she had to build not just a tech platform, but also manage sourcing, processing, packaging, and logistics becoming one of the first in Africa to pioneer online grocery delivery. From this vision emerged Easyshop Easycook, Nigeria’s pioneering multi-platform fresh grocery delivery company. For over 20 years, it provided tech-enabled domestic support services to working professionals, particularly women, before its closure in August 2023.
YOU CAN ALSO READ: “You’re Still Singing in the Shower”: Saudat Salami’s Tough Love for Founders
Reflecting on those early years, Saudat says: “Being the first at something gives you a missionary status. There are no rules, no case studies, and no roadmaps. You lay the foundation with scars and build the shoulders for others to climb on.”
Two decades later, she is telling her story in her new book, “Selling Pepper Online – How I Built Africa’s First Online Grocery Delivery Business and Lessons for Every Entrepreneur. The book captures her entrepreneurial journey, lessons learned, and the resilience required to create new paths where none existed. It will officially launch on September 26, 2025, a date that also marks her 50th birthday and the inaugural African E-commerce Summit.
“There was no way I wouldn’t write a book about this journey because we must tell our stories. We must hold the lamp for those coming behind us and we must take up space boldly,” she explains.
But beyond personal achievement, the project is about impact. All proceeds will go to the Saudat Salami Foundation, dedicated to empowering African entrepreneurs and building sustainable businesses. Pre-orders are currently open for Nigerian readers here, with an Amazon link to follow for international orders.
“This is more than just a book,” she adds. “It’s a torch to light the way for those coming behind us. We must tell our stories, take up space boldly, and continue to build platforms that transform lives.”
Beyond her entrepreneurial achievements, Saudat is a certified Entrepreneurship and Business coach, known for integrating practical spiritual life coaching strategies that give clarity to entrepreneurs while accelerating business growth. She has become a trusted mentor for SMEs, empowering them to birth ideas and scale into financially sustainable enterprises.
Her Saudat Salami Foundation continues this mission, focusing on transformational development and sustainable business-oriented programs for African entrepreneurs. Through initiatives like the Personal Home Shopping Business (PHSB) and Growing Your Own Food Business (GYOFB), she has trained, mentored, and empowered over 300 women to digitize home-based food businesses across Africa.
Her voice and expertise are widely sought after by local and international governments, development organisations, and corporate bodies, where she consults on food systems, e-commerce, empowerment programs, entrepreneurship, and policy formation.
YOU CAN ALSO READ: Forty Years, Forty Values: Leadership Insights from Kemi Ogunkoya
Saudat’s influence extends beyond Nigeria. She is an alumna of Global Women in Management (GWIM 73), African Women Entrepreneurship Cooperative (AWEC), United States International Visitors Leadership Program (USIVLP), Vital Voices Grow Fellowship, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women scholarship, the Certificate in Entrepreneurial Management (CEM) from the Enterprise Development Centre, Pan-Atlantic University, Fate Foundation Aspiring Entrepreneurs Program and Scaleup Agribusiness. She also maintains active membership in professional associations such as WIMBIZ, WEConnect International, the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and several others.
With the book’s release, She’s not only cementing her legacy but also investing in the next generation of African entrepreneurs. Proceeds from Selling Pepper Online will go directly into programs that support SMEs and drive sustainable economic empowerment across the continent.
