Students in Ghana launch Panta marketplace for small businesses
Three students at Heritage Christian University in Accra, Ghana, have created the Panta online marketplace for small businesses. The platform is intended to enable entrepreneurs to launch online storefronts and accept payments without the cost of developing a separate website, MyJoyOnline reports.
Panta was founded in 2026 by Edmund Alagpulinsa, Selasi Nyatepe Attipoe and Kwabena Boa Larti. Sellers can create storefronts from a smartphone, add products, set prices and receive orders through a separate link. The platform operates under an e-commerce model: businesses list products, while buyers can order them through the service.
Free storefronts
According to Alagpulinsa, small businesses in Ghana often spend thousands of Ghanaian cedis on developer services, a domain name and maintaining their own website. Panta offers sellers a free online storefront after they join the platform.
“When you join as a seller, you automatically get a free website. You do not need to pay a developer and you do not need to pay for a domain name,” the platform founder said.
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Alagpulinsa is Panta’s founder, chief executive officer and chief technology officer. He developed the platform, including sellers’ storefronts, the marketplace, the payment system and the mechanism for payouts to sellers. According to him, the service was designed so that sellers could open a store from a smartphone without technical skills.
Payments and delivery
Buyers can pay through the MTN MoMo, Telecel Cash and AirtelTigo mobile money services, as well as by card. Transactions are conducted in Ghanaian cedis. Sellers receive funds after customers confirm delivery of an order. Panta charges a commission on the value of sold goods but does not charge a delivery fee.
The platform is at an early stage of operation: the team is expanding its seller base and building delivery infrastructure. Currently, delivery may take about a week, according to Alagpulinsa. In the long term, the team plans to reduce this time to 48 hours.
As chief operating officer, Attipoe is responsible for order processing and interaction with delivery and logistics partners. Larti, the marketing director, handles marketing strategy, branding, customer research and content.
