At ANDE’s 2024 Global Conference, Tapfuma Musewe from EYELLIANCE painted a hopeful picture of how software can empower small businesses to bring life-changing products—like eyeglasses—to underserved communities.
With over a billion people lacking access to vision care, Tapfuma highlighted the incredible impact that better sight can have on someone’s life.
How SaaS is Empowering Retail SGBs to Scale and Deliver Impact: Insights from the Optical Industry
In today’s retail landscape, SaaS solutions are emerging as a critical tool for Small and Growing Businesses (SGBs) striving to expand their reach and create meaningful social change. The optical retail sector, where EYElliance has partnered with over 17 entrepreneurs and 20+ investors, exemplifies this trend. At the 2024 ANDE Global Annual Conference, Tapfuma Musewe, Associate Director of Sustainable Finance at EYElliance, shared how SaaS is driving efficiency, impact measurement, and innovation in retail SGBs, underscoring the potential of the optical industry to transform lives.
Musewe’s presentation highlighted the vast opportunity for SGBs to address the global need for improved vision care, with over 1 billion people lacking access to glasses and 2.2 billion experiencing poor vision. By adopting SaaS solutions like Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), SGBs can streamline operations, reduce costs, and track their social impact—all while improving the quality of life for their customers. Musewe emphasized the vital role of the private sector in bridging the gap between need and access, promoting not just business growth but lasting benefits for communities.
Musewe also showcased real-world examples of tech-enabled optical retail businesses that have successfully leveraged SaaS to optimize their operations. These case studies demonstrated measurable improvements in both business performance and social impact, illustrating the power of technology to catalyze change in emerging markets.
About Tapfuma Musewe
Tapfuma Musewe brings over 15 years of experience in global trade and investment to his role at EYElliance, where he focuses on empowering retail eyewear entrepreneurs in emerging markets through innovative financial solutions. With a strong commitment to African socio-economic development, Musewe also founded Afrifursa, a platform connecting global markets to African business opportunities.
Musewe serves on the board of Firemen Movers and has been recognized for his leadership in Canada-Africa relations. He holds an MBA from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management and has received multiple awards for his contributions to community engagement.