The international tech investors and VCs are already here in Nigeria and within the next 24months, succeeding as a small Nigerian internet entrepreneur will be very difficult and expensive. Before now, one can easily setup a small website using joomla or wordpress and be in business big time making substantial income monthly, but these has changed with the emergence of better funding and technology entering the market. Jobberman started with an opensource job board script and today they are job and career leader in Africa.

The Nigeria webspace is advancing at a rapid pace and small players with very little funds are finding it very difficult to scope. Jumia, Konga and the rest has taken over the online shopping market. You can no longer just open an online shop using a free open-source script and expect to compete with these big well funded platform.

The likes of OLX and Efiritin owned by Saltside Technologies of Sweden have taken over the classified ads and listing market. The Hotels and Booking market is already well represented by businesses with better funding from big foreign VCs.

How can the small Nigeria player get involved in real internet businesses

Most Nigerians go into internet business because they just want to make money. Many don't see it as a real sector they can pioneer some great businesses that will become a major player in the future. Nairaland is an example of an internet business that is a real player. We must focus on creating online businesses that solve real Nigeria or Africa problems.

There are a lot of internet business ideas Nigeria can start and can probably be pioneers and even position themselves to lead those markets. Here are some internet ideas you can implement right now and you will be a real winner:

1.) Nigeria, Africa trade and commerce portal just like Alibaba
There is a lot of commerce going on in Nigeria and Africa but we are yet to have a central platform and technology that help promote these business activities. Having a centralized platform will ease small import and export businesses activities in Nigeria, Africa.

2.) Artisans Portal
It is still a very huge challenge getting an artisan (e.g plumbers, electricians, painters etc) if you are new to an area. Even those that have lived in an area for a long time still find it difficult getting reliable artisans. With a central portal that connects all artisans, you can quickly locate reliable artisans. Artisans can be rated by their employers and even reviewed and starred.

Continued on the next thread.