Digital Innovation in Microfinance: How Abramuke General Dealers Improved Efficiency

Digital Innovation in Microfinance: How Abramuke General Dealers Improved Efficiency

The financial world in Zambia is changing fast, and small businesses along with microfinance institutions are always on the lookout for fresh ways to work smarter, keep better track of clients, and build trust with their partners. Abramuke General Dealers (AGD) is a great example of how using technology can bring about some huge improvements, even when resources are limited and many processes have been manual for years. Since they started using Lendbox AGD has seen some exciting changes that are really shaping their future.

Who is AGD?

AGD was created with a big goal: to help women and young people in Zambia's informal sectors get access to financial services that suit their unique needs. They’re all about driving social and economic inclusion at the grassroots level. Here’s a peek at what they offer:

  • Marketeer Daily & Weekly Loans: Small loans for market traders who don’t have access to big banks or traditional financial services.
  • Motorbike Transport Services: Affordable rides serving both rural and urban communities.
  • Abramuke Rides: A digital taxi app aimed at addressing transportation needs in rural areas.

These services have had a solid impact on their communities, but keeping up with fast growth and managing everything manually made things tricky — especially when it came to tracking loans, checking performance, and proving their credibility to partners.

The Challenges

Before jumping on board with Lendbox, AGD had to deal with some sticky problems:

  • High Default Rates: Using spreadsheets to track loans wasn’t cutting it – mistakes were easy to make, and it was hard to spot late payments on time.
  • Limited Insight Into Staff Performance: Excel couldn’t give them up-to-the-minute info on how staff were doing, which made it tough to manage and improve their team.
  • Lack of Transparency: Making trustworthy reports took time and energy, and this made it harder to convince potential partners to work with them.
  • Stressful Operations: Handling everything from risks to compliance by hand took up a lot of valuable time, pulling focus away from growing the business.

With these challenges piling up, the AGD leadership team, led by the energetic Executive Director Abraham Mukelabai, started looking for a digital tool that could make a real difference.

Why They Chose Lendbox

AGD began their journey with Lendbox after seeing how well the platform fit their needs for improving their loan management workflows. From the start, they appreciated the intuitive design and powerful features, along with the prompt and helpful support from Lendbox’s technical team. This strong partnership gave AGD the confidence to fully embrace the platform and rely on it as a key part of their operations.

“What really made us switch fully was how scalable the software is and how responsive the support team is to our suggestions. We knew this could grow with us."
~ Abraham Mukelabai - Executive Director, AGD

Starting with a test run and moving to full adoption allowed AGD to get the most out of the platform with time.

Big Wins Since Using Lendbox

The results speak for themselves. After adopting Lendbox, AGD has seen improvements all around:

  • Better Staff Performance Tracking: The platform’s analytics made it easy to spot areas where the team could improve, helping AGD provide the right training at the right time.
  • Lower Default Rates and Stronger Collections: The loan data became much clearer, which helped the team collect payments more efficiently.
  • More Investor Confidence: Having reliable loan reports on hand helped AGD secure partnerships with two new investors.
  • Cracking Down on Fraud: With Lendbox’s AI tools checking documents for authenticity, AGD has raised the bar on client quality.

Saving Time and Money

With Lendbox automating loads of routine tasks, AGD saves a ton of time and stress.

“We’re no longer stuck watching pivot tables all day or chasing potential defaulters manually. Plus, the automatic audit trails give us peace of mind against fraud”
~ Abraham Mukelabai - Executive Director, AGD

This has freed the team to focus more on growing the business and serving their community.

Why AGD Recommends Lendbox

Abraham is clear about why others should consider Lendbox:

“If microfinance providers or SMEs want to get serious about running their lending operations professionally and turning everyday tasks into growth chances, Lendbox is a great place to start. It’s flexible, scalable, and keeps getting better thanks to user feedback. This platform has boosted our transparency, efficiency, and reporting. As we grow, I’m confident Lendbox will grow right alongside us.”
~ Abraham Mukelabai - Executive Director, AGD

Wrapping Up: A New Path for Microfinance

AGD’s story shows that even smaller businesses in developing countries can use tech tools to turn old, manual ways of working into a real business advantage. Lendbox has helped them sharpen everything—from managing risks and monitoring staff, to winning investor trust and fighting fraud.

With real-time data, smart automation, AI-powered document checks, and dedicated support, Lendbox is helping AGD make faster, smarter, and more reliable decisions. In today’s competitive world, having technology like this isn’t just helpful — it’s necessary.