About us
Kupanga Global connects African trade to the world.
Kupanga Global is a trade and logistics company dedicated to connecting African enterprises with global markets. Founded with a vision to simplify cross-border commerce, we provide reliable sourcing, logistics, and digital trade solutions that help businesses scale beyond borders. With a strong focus on transparency, innovation, and partnership, Kupanga Global bridges the gap between local producers and international buyers empowering Africa’s economic growth through smarter, technology-driven trade systems.
Who We Are
Kupanga Global is a collective of thinkers, movers, and innovators shaping the future of African trade. We go beyond logistics we build relationships that empower businesses to grow confidently beyond borders.
Our Story
Kupanga Global was born from a vision to connect Africa’s potential with the world’s opportunities. We started in Malawi with a simple belief that African businesses deserve easier access to global markets. Today we help enterprises move goods, ideas, and innovation across borders through reliable sourcing, logistics, and digital trade solutions.
Our story is one of collaboration, technology, and purpose: building bridges that turn local ambition into international growth.
Our Values
Our vision is to make Africa a global hub for fair, transparent, and sustainable trade. We aim to empower local producers, exporters, and innovators with tools that remove barriers and open new markets. Kupanga Global envisions an Africa where businesses thrive internationally while uplifting communities and driving lasting economic transformation.
Our Vision
Our vision is to make Africa a global hub for fair, transparent, and sustainable trade. We aim to empower local producers, exporters, and innovators with tools that remove barriers and open new markets. Kupanga Global envisions an Africa where businesses thrive internationally while uplifting communities and driving lasting economic transformation.
Our Mission
Our vision is to make Africa a global hub for fair, transparent, and sustainable trade. We aim to empower local producers, exporters, and innovators with tools that remove barriers and open new markets. Kupanga Global envisions an Africa where businesses thrive internationally while uplifting communities and driving lasting economic transformation.
What we do
Handwoven Baskets
Each basket is a work of African artistry, handwoven from sustainable materials to blend function, beauty, and tradition.
African Jewelry
Kupanga Global showcases handcrafted jewelry that celebrates African culture and beauty while empowering the artisans who create it.
Wall Décor & Home Art
Our wall décor captures the spirit of Africa through unique designs that blend natural textures, cultural symbolism, and modern elegance.
Lampshades & Interior Pieces
Our lampshades and décor pieces blend traditional African design with modern style, adding warmth, creativity, and purpose to any space.
meet the artisans
Ng’ombe, Lusaka, Zambia
Jewelry & Chandeliers
A group of young women make copper jewelry and chandeliers from electrical wire and upcycled hot water heaters in one of Lusaka’s peri-urban communities. FREE’s jewelry makers are largely self-taught, passing on their skills to new participants in the group.
meet the artisans
Mayukwayukwa, Zambia
Baskets & Rugs
Mayukwayukwa Refugee Settlement is home to our largest group of women. Approximately 70 women weave baskets from the vegetation they find in the bush. To add consistency to the incomes of the women, 10 were trained to weave banana fiber rugs in 2025. This initiative is a part of UNHCR’s Made51 program, providing opportunities for refugees to earn income through handmade products.
meet the artisans
Kanyama, Lusaka, Zambia
RUGS
A group of eight women, comprising refugees and Zambians are weaving rugs from fabric offcuts on simple wooden frames. The group is an initiative under UNHCR’s Made51 program which offers refugees opportunity to earn income through handmade products
meet the artisans
Mongu, Zambia
Baskets, Bags & Brooms
Several groups of women and some men weave FREE’s bespoke designs in the Mongu area of Zambia’s Western Province. The Mongu area is known for its rich heritage of weaving, a skill that some fear is dying out as weavers are so poorly paid that the younger generation is uninterested in learning the skill. Changing this is what brought FREE into basketry. Providing a living wage to our weavers is one of our core values.
Meet The Team
Dawn Close
Founder/CEO
Dawn has lived in southern Africa for over forty years. Her background in international development led her to found FREE, with a strong focus on value addition and women’s empowerment. Through FREE, Dawn continues to support women in building sustainable livelihoods and strengthening their sense of value and identity.
Memory Kunda
Team
Memory began working with the FREE women’s project in Ng’ombe at a young age. Through her involvement, she developed skills that led her to train women and refugees in weaving and craft production. Memory continues to work with FREE, supporting women’s livelihoods through training and hands-on production.
Elina Chandipo
Team
Elina began making jewelry with the FREE women’s project in Ng’ombe. The self-confidence she acquired through her success with FREE led her to other employment though she maintained her involvement with the jewelry making activities and community engagement. Elina joined FREE as part of the administrative staff in 2025.