Multi-Country ERP Transformation at Kasha Global, Inc
Co-led the end-to-end replacement of a failing legacy ERP with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central across Rwanda and Kenya, partnering with the Product Manager who led vendor coordination while I directed process mapping, integration architecture, and technical implementation of a scalable, multi-country backbone.
Context & Business Challenge
In 2021, Kasha Global expanded into Kenya, significantly increasing operational complexity across supply chain, order management, finance, and fulfillment. At the same time, the existing ERP/OMS platform (TradeGecko) was deteriorating due to:
Chronic instability and downtime
Unreliable vendor support
Acquisition by Intuit and announced end-of-life
Inability to scale with multi-country integrations (e-commerce, USSD, payments, etc.)
These limitations affected timely support, stock visibility, regulatory compliance, cross-border coordination, and customer fulfillment experience. The organization required a stable, enterprise-grade ERP backbone capable of supporting growth across multiple markets.
The transition had to be executed without disrupting operations or investor confidence.
Objective & Success Criteria
The initiative aimed to replace a fragile legacy core with a scalable, integrated system that could serve as the operational foundation for regional growth.
Key objectives
Deploy a scalable ERP supporting multi-country operations
Integrate ERP with critical business systems (e-commerce, USSD, payments, CRM, finance, analytics)
Migrate order management, inventory, procurement, and finance into a unified environment
Standardize workflows to enable rapid country replication
Train cross-functional, distributed teams
Improve operational resilience ahead of fundraising
Success was defined by
Zero critical data loss during migration
Stable go-live across multiple geographies
Reduced downtime and improved fulfillment accuracy
Standardized reporting and improved financial visibility
Strengthened operational narrative for investors
My Role & Ownership
As Regional IT & Platforms Manager, I together with the Product Manager led the implementation end-to-end across Rwanda, Kenya, and distributed global teams. My responsibilities included:
Coordinating cross-departmental process mapping and redesign, and coordinating API development
Directing system administration, role design, permissions, and security
Planning and executing multi-country rollout and stabilization
Coordinating training for department heads and remote teams
Overseeing cutover planning, hypercare, and post-launch stabilization
The mandate was to replace the backbone of the organization without compromising operational continuity.
Platform Strategy & Execution
Platform Selection: After evaluating alternatives, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central was selected for its scalability, extensibility, API maturity, and enterprise support ecosystem.
Process Redesign
Rather than replicate legacy inefficiencies, we:
Documented As-Is workflows across Sales, Supply Chain, Pharmacy, Finance, and Customer Experience
Redesigned To-Be processes aligned with scalable, multi-country operations
Embedded workflow automation for approvals, procurement, and stock movement
Integration Architecture
A REST API-based integration layer was established to connect Business Central with:
E-commerce platform (order sync + fulfillment updates)
USSD ordering system
Payment gateways (M-Pesa, Direct Pay Online, card processors)
Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace
QuickBooks (financial posting)
Freshworks CRM (customer experience workflows)
PowerBI (analytics layer)
The architecture prioritized interoperability and future extensibility over rigid customization.
Rollout & Change Enablement
Implemented a structured train-the-trainer model across Rwanda, Kenya, and remote teams
Coordinated phased UAT and validation cycles
Led cutover planning and hypercare stabilization
Designed a reusable country deployment template for future expansion
Technical Architecture
Platform: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (SaaS)
Core Modules: Inventory, Sales, Purchasing, Finance, Warehouse, Supply Chain
Architecture Design:
Multi-environment setup (Dev/Test/Prod)
Country-specific instances with shared core configuration
Azure AD identity and role-based access controls
Segregation of duties and audit-ready logging
Customizations:
Lightweight adjustments for fulfillment workflows
Regional tax configurations
Approval hierarchies aligned with governance
Hosting & Resilience:
Microsoft cloud infrastructure
Built-in redundancy across Microsoft data centers
The design balanced standardization with regional flexibility.
Results & Impact
Operational Impact
Eliminated recurring downtime and instability from legacy systems
Unified order management, inventory, procurement, and finance into a single scalable backbone
Improved cross-border stock visibility, reducing stockouts and emergency procurement
Accelerated financial reporting through standardized workflows
Strategic & Scalability Impact
Established a repeatable deployment model enabling rapid country rollout
Strengthened governance, auditability, and internal controls
Enabled real-time cross-regional visibility through PowerBI dashboards
Investor & Growth Impact
The operational stability and scalability of the new ERP significantly strengthened Kasha’s fundraising narrative and contributed to building investor confidence ahead of closing a $21M Series B round.
Key Challenges & Approach
Knowledge Gaps: Teams were initially unfamiliar with Business Central.
Approach: structured train-the-trainer model, sandbox environments, guided demos, and documentation cascaded through functional leaders.
Change ResistanceReplacing familiar processes required behavioral shift.
Approach: demonstrated quick wins, empowered department champions, and tied improvements to measurable operational outcomes.
Data Migration ComplexityLegacy inconsistencies required careful cleansing.
Approach: implemented structured data-cleaning protocols, multiple validation passes, and parallel UAT cycles before cutover.
Vendor & Customization MisalignmentInitial workflow interpretations required adjustment.
Approach: tightened documentation, redesigned acceptance criteria, and held daily cross-team reviews to maintain alignment.
What I Would Do Differently
Begin departmental onboarding earlier to shorten learning curve
Run a dedicated pre-migration data cleansing sprint
Pilot in one country before scaling to additional regions but to be fair we didn't have the luxury of doing this since the End-of-life time window was quite limited.
Introduce automated regression testing for integrations