International rating agency eMarketer estimated that the global e-commerce sector would be worth USD27 trillion in 2020. This may not be anything near what the world’s e-commerce market expected when Phil Brandenberger of Philadelphia, the man famed to be the initiator of the e-commerce revolution, made his first purchase on August 11, 1994.

Prior to 2012 when this revolution extended to the country, most Nigerians used to hear of people who shop at the comfort of their homes and have their orders delivered to them. This used to be one of those foreign stories, told by the privileged few who have lived overseas. Today, e-commerce has grown to become a big part of Nigerians with many platforms offering general and specialised products and services. The burgeoning market could only be as a result of the many benefits that accrue to all the touchpoints in the value chain – e-commerce platforms, manufacturers, wholesalers, logistics services providers, customers and many others.

The success of the e-commerce platforms in the country, which play mostly in the business-to-customers (B2C) subsector spurred many other players who see a big opportunity in extending such services to the business-to-business (B2B) subsector. In the past few years, many platforms like Alerzo, Omnibiz Africa, Wabi Nigeria, Chooya etc have sprung up and are helping to facilitate the estimated USD100+ billion informal retail market in the country.

Just like the B2C e-commerce platforms are positively touching the lives of their stakeholders, the B2B platforms, with their niche offerings, are positively facilitating the businesses of their stakeholders, especially the manufacturers, the wholesalers and the retailers, who have latched onto their platforms.

Among other things, the manufacturers and distributors benefit from the logistics services offered by platforms like Alerzo as these platforms transport the ordered goods from manufacturers’ and distributors’ warehouses to the target retailers, scattered all over the country at no cost to these manufacturers and distributors.

Perhaps, one of the most strategic offerings of the B2B e-commerce platforms for manufacturers and distributors in the country is market intelligence. They collect data of, and develop insights around, consumer behaviours and preferences. Manufacturers and distributors can partner with these B2B companies to share these insights and use them to guide their production and supply respectively, ultimately giving them a better understanding of their end consumer.

For the retailers, the B2B e-commerce platforms have not only boosted their profitability but have also reduced the burden that comes with the day-to-day running of their businesses as well as making their businesses more sustainable. These platforms buy from the manufacturers and/or the big-time distributors at good prices and through their scale sell to the informal retailers at prices below what are obtainable in the open markets where third party costs are factored into the prices.

Another major gain of the informal retailers from the emergence of the B2B e-commerce platforms is that they can sit in the comfort of their shops or homes and, with a click of a button on any of the multiple channels open to them, restock their shops. Alerzo, for instance, enables this through its retail app, Alerzoshop.

Some of these B2B platforms even go the extra mile of delivering these retailers’ orders to their shops at no extra cost to them. For example, Alerzo has been delivering the orders of the over 80,000 informal retailers across the country who have signed up to its platform, and in the process, is elevating their health status, improving their quality of family life and saving them huge resources that would have been expended in the running of their businesses.

The icing on the cake for these retailers is that many of these B2B platforms offer book-keeping applications for retailers to track their sales, cost, price, profit and manage their customers, as well as payment platforms (which manufacturers and distributors can also take advantage of) like AlerzoPay and Veedez by Alerzo.

With an increasing number of retailers adopting smarter ways of doing business, it is expected that more manufacturers will take advantage of this trend, especially in a growing competitive market.


Written by Lere Ojedokun, a Communications Expert based in Lagos

Jumia consumers will enjoy exciting deals from top-tech brands as the Jumia Tech Week officially kicks off today, March 21st and will run until April 3rd, 2022. During the two-week-long campaign, Jumia will be providing consumers with the opportunity to get the best deals on the latest tech devices such as mobile phones and accessories, TVs, computers, cameras, video games and much more.

Jumia is giving consumers a wide selection of products to shop through its partnership with global tech brands such as Samsung, HP, Umidigi, Fitbit, Oraimo, Edifier, Anker and Xiaomi.

Speaking on the campaign, Jumia Nigeria CEO, Massimiliano Spalazzi said the Jumia Tech Week allows consumers to buy tech-related items at the best prices. “This year, we have extended the campaign to two weeks to give our consumers more time to shop for their tech devices. The campaign caters to everyone with tech-related needs: working-class professionals and students in need of laptops and storage devices; gamers in need of the latest game console and video games; gadget lovers wanting to upgrade to the latest phones and entertainment lovers in need of speakers and television sets to create a home cinema experience. Consumers can shop for all their devices during Tech Week by simply downloading the JumiaApp or visiting the website.” said Spalazzi

The campaign will feature explosion days on March 21st, March 28th and April 1st during which consumers can get products from their favourite tech brands at further discounted prices. Consumers will also stand a chance to win prizes and enjoy more exciting deals during daily Check-In, Flash sales, Treasure Hunt, Jumdle (word game) and social media photo challenge.

E-commerce is a global phenomenon that is reshaping economies and redefining development metrics. To an average Nigerian, e-commerce connotes shopping online and getting your orders delivered. But in a real sense, a lot more investment and business activities make up the e-commerce space, and e-commerce has far more impact in today's economy than many people imagine. Discussed in this article are some of the impacts and contributions of e-commerce to overall economic development.

Boosting local businesses: The e-commerce wave enables hundreds of SMEs across Nigeria to run profitable and sustainable businesses, benefiting from the economics of digitization to achieve a significant increase in their activity level. For instance, B2B platforms like Alerzo, TradeDepot and others are transforming the informal retail market with services targeted at improving businesses of rural sellers. With e-commerce, prospective entrepreneurs don't have to think about huge capital to actualise their dreams. Also, existing businesses are leveraging online platforms for more reach and ultimately business growth.

Economic development: Since the covid-19 took the world by storm, conversation has since increased on the impact of e-commerce and the immense economic potential it possesses. For instance, the Nigerian government has woken up to the economic contribution of e-commerce and its potential to overall economic development of the country. The current e-Commerce spending in Nigeria is estimated at $12 billion, and is projected to reach $75 billion in revenue per annum by 2025.

Shaping Nigeria’s economic narrative: By and large, e-commerce has contributed to shaping the Nigeria narrative by showcasing the attractive investment opportunities to the world. Also, it has helped project Nigeria's talents and cultural elements across the globe. The biggest beneficiary of this has been the fashion industry. Several fashion brands have blossomed thanks to online shopping platforms, while several brands are reaching and making sales to global audiences.

Prompting ingenuity: E-commerce contributes to the economic development in Nigeria by allowing many entrepreneurs embark on new innovative projects. The availability of online markets is prompting and actualising innovative business ideas across Nigeria. Today, many are able to launch businesses with little capital, as virtual markets save them the cost of rents for physical shops or stores.

Connecting rural areas: The ability of e-commerce to penetrate the rural locations and communities in Nigeria is also noteworthy. Deploying different innovative measures, e-commerce brands encourage and promote digital economy in rural communities by extending catalogue of product and logistics services to residents.

Job creation: Despite being a virtual platform, e-commerce is a chain of activities that creates rooms for employment. From processing of orders to packaging and final delivery, humans work behind the scenes to ensure customers' demands are met. E-commerce platforms in Nigeria employ hundreds of thousands directly and indirectly. If well explored, experts have projected that the e-commerce sector is capable of creating about 23 million jobs in the country.

Driving financial inclusion: Lastly, another huge impact of online shopping platforms is how they facilitate financial inclusion through digital payment solutions. With payments apps of e-commerce platforms, several Nigerians previously excluded in the conventional banking system are being serviced digitally. And this is going a long way in expanding the financial ecosystem.

It is no longer news that Nigeria shares the unenviable status of being among countries with the highest unemployment rate in the world. However, e-commerce can help change the narrative about opportunity, inclusion and balance in the Nigerian economic landscape, especially for Nigeria’s teeming youth population.

A joint research by the World Bank and Alibaba Group revealed that ecommerce can be a powerful instrument for employment for semi-skilled workers and women in developing countries and in rural areas.

The job creation figures of leading global e-commerce brands should be an encouragement for more focus and investment in this sector of the economy. America’s Amazon disclosed recently that over 200,000 small businesses on its platform have created over 1.8 million U.S jobs. The Amazon brand alone has over 100,000 employees on its payroll. Today, China has the fastest and largest growing e-commerce market in the world, accounting for more than 40% of the total value of ecommerce transactions worldwide. Simply put, more than 5% of employment in China is in e-commerce.

One might wonder how an industry that limits human contact holds such a huge employment prospect. A local example thus suffices. Alerzo limited, a business-to-business e-commerce platform commenced operations less than three years ago. Presently, it directly employs more than 3,000 people in its chain of activities. Jumia, a b2c platform, currently has over 15,000 sellers on its platform.

If well explored, experts have projected that the electronic commerce sub-sector of the economy is capable of creating about 23 million jobs. Tech enthusiast Samuel Elegba, is of the opinion that this is achievable given the exploit of e-commerce brands in recent years. “Things have changed globally. Technology is eroding every aspect of business. I visualise e-commerce companies becoming large employers of quality human capital in Nigeria within the next decade, and maybe the highest taxpayers if given a chance to survive by the government during their incubation period.

"Our league of e-commerce players have shown in a short period of time what they can do in terms of innovative solutions, human capacity development and employment. Cumulatively, they have created hundreds of thousands of jobs directly and indirectly," he said.

Despite the fact that contact and face-to-face interactions are limited in the ecommerce service space, the interconnectedness of the industry requires that thousands of individuals work behind the scenes to ensure orders are processed seamlessly to customers’ preference and satisfaction. Aside from customer service representatives who interact with customers, take orders and customer complaints, the shipping clerks, order fillers, hand packers, packagers, keep records and ensure orders are properly packaged and in good condition for transportation.

Apart from managers who oversee the daily operations in warehouses, there are also the market research analysts who study market conditions to examine potential sales of products. Ecommerce thrives on technology, which thus provides job opportunities for young software and web engineers who create programmes and also handle online stores’ technical aspects.

Also critical in the chain are the last mile delivery agents. The immense employment and growth impact of e-commerce on logistics cannot be overemphasised. The recent boom in logistics business in major economic cities of Nigeria is being driven by e-commerce. A crucial point to also note in the chain is that as e-commerce firms expand their operation in major cities and rural areas, they bring with them economic opportunities for these residents of local communities.

If given more attention, support and infrastructure investment, ecommerce will not only help in development of rural communities, but immensely reduce employment deficit in Nigeria.

During the covid-19 lockdown restrictions, e-commerce was critical to the survival of thousands of SMEs, and it also offers significant growth opportunities for this vibrant sector of the economy. Businesses without a digital footprint will struggle to stay relevant in the new normal ushered in by the epidemic. Today, Nigerian entrepreneurs are leveraging the reach and cost effective features of e-commerce like never before.


Speaking on how selling online has impacted her business, Bukola Ogundijo, owner of Purple Lining Ventures, said selling online via Jumia has helped grow her business. Like the story of several small enterprises, Ogundijo started her business in her living room with funds from her personal account coupled with loans from family and friends.


She explained that joining Jumia in 2014 has since opened her to expansion opportunities through the Jumia Lending programme. "At the start, it was difficult to get loans from the bank due to extensive documentation. The initial startup capital came through my savings and loans from family and friends. Jumia gave me access to alternative sources of funding which helped me expand my business and grow faster," she said.


According to her, selling online comes with immense benefits for female entrepreneurs. There is no need to spend money on helping hands as she can do much of her daily house chores while running her online electronics store concurrently. "Selling online helps me reach a wider audience. From my shop I can sell to people in Kaduna, Abuja, Port Harcourt and that has increased my sales.


One of the challenges I face as a female entrepreneur is balancing responsibilities. I have to look after the children while also taking care of my business. Jumia has been helpful in managing the business side. I don't have to be concerned about warehousing and delivery. I can be at home, looking at my phone, attending to business while caring for the family," she said.


The story of Purple Lining Ventures shows the wide range of opportunities available to entrepreneurs looking to expand their business and achieve financial stability. The cost effectiveness and reach of online stores will help SMEs play their pivotal role in building a strong digital economy for Nigeria.

Beyond the lenting period which often takes the whole of the month of March, the month in the modern era, has also become known for its wave of gender equality campaigns hinged on the celebration of International Women's Day, and 2022 is not an exception.

With the theme 'Gender Equality Today For a Sustainable Tomorrow', several forums and platforms are being deployed to keep the conversation going on the need for a world that gives equal opportunities to the female gender in every sphere of human activities. Information technology has made the day a global phenomenon by driving huge awareness about the needs for female gender empowerment.

Technology is also making life better for the female folks in Nigeria through e-commerce. Digital commerce is a huge lever for the SMEs sector in which Nigerian women play a significant role. There are over 41 million SMEs in Nigeria, and female owned businesses take 40% of the market. Research from United Nations Informal Sector Development and the Bank of Industry demonstrated that women are the principal labour force in the informal economy, particularly in agriculture, food and beverages, retail, textiles, and cross-border trade.

The increasing rate of internet penetration in the country is birthing e-commerce activities and is opening new doors for female entrepreneurs. Thousands of female owned businesses today would not be in the marketplace, if not for e-commerce. Several women have leveraged e-commerce to grow their businesses by listing products on e-tailing platforms. Also, female retailers in the informal sector are joining the fray by shopping for inventory on B2B online platforms.

Aside from the empowerment of e-commerce breeds for the female gender, it has also eased the pressure of combining business with family activities. The challenges of combining business or formal jobs for any woman are many. "I had to quit my job after I got married four years ago. I opened this store with my savings and soft loans from my husband. It made raising a family easier for me to some extent. Last year, I discovered how to do it better by ordering goods online. Now I don't go to the market before restocking my shop. I order and the company delivers.

"I also have a friend who operates an online store from her room in Iju, in the outskirts of Lagos. She often tells me how she's been selling to customers in other states. They order, she gets one of these logistics companies to help her deliver them. At times, she goes to the car park to deliver through interstate buses. A lot of women are having better lives today thanks to e-commerce. And you earn more respect from your husband as a woman when you are productive," said a mother of two who runs an Informal retail store in Lagos.

Retailers like her are having better days with the help of Alerzo, TradeDepot, Market Force and the rest who connect them to manufacturers and distributors via mobile app. They not only enjoy the ease and convenience of these services, they also get goods at better prices.

According to industry expert and CEO of Alerzo Limited, Adewale Opaleye, e-commerce is driving the inclusion of women in economic activities, and championing the cause of hitherto marginalised markets dominated by women. "Driven by the conditions these women have had to endure, we made them our target audience. We serve women who have been marginalised for years, many of whom bear the responsibility of providing for their families.

We serve women who, driven by the fiercest form of protection known to mankind, are determined to provide a better life for their children. We serve neighbourhood friendly informal retail stores to grow their businesses by providing both logistic and financial services," he said.

Many industry observers are of the view that driving awareness around the possibilities in the e-commerce space will go a long way in empowering several Nigerian women, increase their productivity and increase opportunities for them in the general scheme of things.

E-commerce continues to thrive in Africa and in recent times, the conversation has shifted from whether it can work to how the work done can be sustained. While the market is still far from what is obtainable in the developed world, online marketplaces have contributed to the continent's economic growth over the last decade.

One of the major benefits of internet commerce is that it is helping to close the gender gap in Africa, among other things. According to a report by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in partnership with Africa’s leading e-commerce firm Jumia, women account for half of all active e-commerce sellers in Africa. In Nigeria and Kenya which are key markets for Jumia, 51% of sellers on the platform are women.

E-commerce marketplace platforms are well-positioned to provide training to women-owned businesses and encourage women to participate in higher-value segments like electronics. "We had a recent survey, and what I found really interesting is that women said they find e-commerce attractive because it's a gender agnostic environment. In a physical market, someone can make a gender-related decision of maybe not buying an electronic product from a woman," said Juliet Anammah, Chairwoman Jumia Nigeria and Chief Sustainability Officer of Jumia Group.

E-commerce encourages African women to be more entrepreneurial, allowing them to focus in other areas of interest whilst also owning and managing their own businesses. The access by women to much needed financial opportunities is also noteworthy as they can now enhance their businesses through several financing offerings like in-platform loans, at lower rates.

Anammah explained further: "It is also giving women the flexibility to manage their homes while still running their own businesses. Furthermore, women said they appreciate selling on Jumia because of the training which includes digital marketing, online selling, and account statement reading. The importance of this basic training to SMEs cannot be overemphasized.

"Access to capital is also available through Jumia lending, a platform-administered lending initiative that provides sellers with short-term working capital. We connect sellers on our platform, leveraging their transaction history to finance providers who are Jumia partners."

E-commerce has also contributed to the career growth of several African women, with many others going on to establish reputable names and brands in the online space.

As the world shines a spotlight on women's equality in honor of International Women's Day in 2022, it's safe to say that e-commerce has been a driver of economic growth, employment, and empowerment for women. Africa is only at the beginning of its e-commerce growth journey and with e-commerce at the heart of the digital economy, women entrepreneurs have a significant opportunity to contribute to and lead Africa's digital transformation.

E-commerce is an integral part of the global digital economy. While advanced economies of the world are vastly exploring other aspects of the digital economy, e-commerce remains the major driver in third world markets. The Nigerian narrative has largely been of the latter. E-commerce has been a huge lever for Nigeria's digital economy with online shopping platforms leading the charge by thrilling consumers. Presently, e-commerce accounts for a huge share of transactions in Nigeria's digital space.


Notably, digital commerce activities have drawn attention to the possibilities of a robust digital economy. Recently, the European Union, under its Gateway Initiative disclosed plans to invest £820 million in the Nigerian digital economy sector over the next three years. “Nigeria has immense potential for digitalisation and with a combination of 160 million Euros in grants and 660 million Euros in loans, the EU aims to comprehensively support Nigeria’s digitalisation strategy,” said The Executive Vice President of the EU, Margre Vestager.


While B2C models have shown the way, some B2B platforms are reshaping the informal retail sector. Top among them are Alerzo, TradeDepot, Market Force and Omnibiz. According to tech enthusiast Samuel Elegba, the transition of the informal retail market will not only help address challenges in the sector, but could be the push that takes Nigeria's digital economy to the next level. "Come to think of it, the informal retail sector is estimated at $100 billion. Majority of these transactions are done in cash! For years, we were advocating cashless policy, yet not much was done to bring this sector into the digital space.


"This appears to be a gold mine that has been neglected so far. Imagine converting 20% of that market into the digital economy. Yes, the challenges there are much: the market is fraught with loads of hiccups: unauthorised marketer peddling adulterated products, lack of access to funds, mass literacy among retailers, clustered market, and logistics are just few of the lot.


"But the motivation should be the end benefit. And with the increasing number of investors pumping money into this digital market, the gap will gradually shrink. When the likes of Jumia started, there were reservations that it can't work. But see what we have today. If you look at the business models of some of these brands, their operations will solve challenges in the sector. This could just be the needed push for our digital economy boom."


Industry observers are also of the view that with technology connecting manufacturers, distributors and retailers, B2B online platforms will go a long way in curbing the menace of adulterated products in circulation. This will also lead to massive improvement in volume of online payments and financial inclusion. With the help of these digital solutions, retailers can build transaction history which will boost their chances of accessing loans.

It's the digital age and a smart world. Easier ways of doing things emerge on a daily basis; thanks to technology. A lot can now be done without the need for physical presence or contact. Several business deals are being sealed virtually. Customers make purchases from anywhere and get items delivered wherever it's needed.

Likewise, technology is making business easier for retailers in the informal sector. Without leaving the shop, retailers now restock as simple as pressing some buttons on their phones. Here are five smart benefits for informal retailers through e-commerce:

Better bargain: Prices of goods in the market are rarely stable. In most cases, it's sharp rise in prices of goods which tends to affect retailers’ inventory, by reducing the quantity of goods that can be acquired. Creating a network of manufacturers and distributors, B2B online platforms shield retailers from unstable prices. Further adding to the appeal, it has improved informal retailers' access to a wider range of products to meet their customers’ needs.

Reliable delivery network : While retailers go through a lot in the process of transporting goods from the market, ordering online leaves the delivery in the hands of experts. B2B e-commerce platforms have a logistics network that makes good delivery seamless for retailers.

Ease and convenience: Going to the market is a major stressor for informal retailers. A typical market day is full of uncertainties. "Before I started ordering my goods online, going to the market was stressful and time consuming. As a result, I would always lose some potential customers while I was at the market. Alerzo has further improved my business by giving me a stress-free, safe and quick delivery on all my orders," said Mrs. Dasola Eleshinmeta, owner of DASOLA STORE, Molete Ibadan.

Profit increase: Research has shown that the average informal retailer spends at least N1,000 transport fare on every trip to and from the market. For a retailer who stocks up 3 times in a week, they end up spending N3,000 every week, with an annual expense total of around N144,000. Added to the expense of transportation is the fee paid to market authorities. If the same retailer spends N500 on this fee each time she goes to the market, she will spend N72,000 per year. This means that each year, she spends at least N216,000 on trips to restock her inventory, this takes out a huge proportion of their profit margins. Restocking online this helps retailers to save cost and increase profit margin.

No out of stocks (OOS): One of the ways retailers build good customer relationships is by always being a reliable stop shop. Like "if she doesn't have it, then there's real scarcity." Such testimonials are what give retailers a lifesaver status. Ordering for inventory online frees up time and enough window for planning against stock-outs.

Overall, B2B online platforms provide easier and safer restocking options for retailers. The beauty of it is that it's all available at their fingertips.

Iya Beji is a popular retail trader on the mainland axis of Lagos, Africa’s most populous city. Whenever she went to get new supplies from the market the whole neighbourhood would be aware-she usually would ask the young men in the area to help offload and carry her goods to the shop.

It’s been over three weeks since anyone was approached by the middle-aged trader. What has changed? Her neighbours are curious as her shop is filled with new supplies.

She got introduced to one of eCommerce platforms that are riding on technology to redefine the industry growth. The technology and services platforms are transforming how informal retail stores operate. She was enabled by one of the players to order goods and get them delivered to her shop. She has been quick to show anyone who cares to see the app through which she made the order.

“Our mission is to empower these informal retailers through our ecosystem of digital products, so they are equipped to run profitable and sustainable businesses. We strongly believe that technology has the potential to transform the way informal retailers conduct their businesses, by using it to facilitate – with just a click of a button – fast and easy access to a wide assortment of consumer products at zero delivery cost to the retailers,” Alerzo CEO, Adewale Opaleye said in a statement.

Some of the eCommerce platforms that are leveraging technology to empower the entire value chain- manufactuers, distributor and retailers include TradeDepot; TradeDepot enables Factory-to-Retail distribution for Consumer Goods companies, Omnibiz, Omnibiz; a unified distribution platform, digitizing the chain from distributors to retailers and Alerzo; an all-in-one technology partners for informal retail store operators.

Checks by BusinessDay shows that through the tech-driven retail platforms, retailers can order products via SMS, voice and WhatsApp and deliver them to their stores in less than 10 hours. Many of the eCommerce companies who recently entered the sector to close the industry gaps own and operate full-stack tech-driven supply chain and logistics to process these orders. Some of the companies provide warehousing and fulfilment solutions to suppliers and storefront delivery to informal retailers.

While some the new ‘guys on the block’ are seen as disruptors and competition to already established distributors, checks by BusinessDay shows that, on the contrary, the value offering of the tech-driven players is a win for all.

The eCommerce platforms do not only improve and upgrades the informal market and drive the digital economy goal, they also help manufacturers and distributors to become more efficient. They are helping to include all players in the informal retail market worth $100 million on board. Among other things, they also drive financial inclusion.

Narrating the story behind Alerzo, the company CEO, Opaleye said growing up, he watched his mother burn both ends of the candle to provide for both him and his siblings. She owned one informal retail outlet. Like everyone who owned similar outlets, she went through many challenges including inconsistent inventory availability, limited access to financial aid and unreliable market pricing trends.

“While studying at a university in China, I saw firsthand how technology could transform and empower communities. Seeing the challenges my mother went through spurred me to drop out of school and create a similar solution for the Nigerian informal retail community. Since 2019, Alerzo has continued to grow and expand into most of the states in the South West, and more recently, North West & Central,” he said.

According to Opaleye, the e-commerce sector holds so much potential, and Alerzo operates where it matters: the informal retail sector.

“In Nigeria, the informal sector is classified into micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The sector makes up 50 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP), making it the major source of economic growth, productivity, and competitiveness. Moreover, 90 percent of Nigeria’s retail market transactions happen in the informal channels, and the Food & Consumer Goods-retail market is worth (estimated) over $40bn,” he explained.

While there is a plethora of challenges within the informal retail sector, the eCommerce plaftorms say they also see opportunities. They aim to solve the challenges by creating digital products that will make the lives of informal retailers easier.

Nigerian retailers usually take a day off from the store to visit a central market, pay for transportation and haul a large amount of inventory back to the store, avoidable stress, they players replace this stressful experience by not only reducing costs and time spent running a retail shop but also improving the livelihood of these working women.

The informal retail market is characterized by challenges such as limited inventory due to high demands (the market is underserved); retailers have less access to finance which sometimes lead them to buy adulterated products; the market is clustered and products are often overpriced because prices are largely unregulated; distance to market; opportunity costs; dangers of travel; inadequate transport for purchased goods - all of these are some of the challenges impacting informal retailers. But the good news is that the eCommerce players are helping to solve these challenges one after the other.

Alerzo created a marketplace, 'Alerzoshop' to distribute FMCG goods using a first-party relationship platform which allows suppliers to clear inventory faster and lets Alerzo control the supply chain and delivery. The platform connects retailers to local and multinational distributors of consumer brands, like Unilever, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, Dangote, and PZ.

Like the eCommerce platforms did with Iya Beji, the technology-driven companies have huge potential to create value and support for players in the entire value chain, that is why market players that are familiar with the companies describe them as a new marketplace product that allows manufacturers and distributors to sell directly to retailers.

With the business models of some of the players, their partnership with industry players in the manufacturing and distribution value chain could increase inclusion, particularly with the informal retailers in the sub-urban and rural areas.

A PwC MSME Survey conducted in 2020 showed that Nigeria’s informal retail sector comprises widely-spread open markets, where commodities such as, food, clothes, electronics, building materials, furniture, and so on are sold; and they include neighbourhood stores ranging from large to small operators as well as kiosks, roadside food sellers, and street hawkers.

The mission of the eCommerce platforms as gathered from their website is to empower informal retailers through its ecosystem of digital products, so they are equipped to run profitable and sustainable businesses.

“We strongly believe that technology has the potential to transform the way informal retailers conduct their businesses, by using it to facilitate - with just a click of a button - fast & easy access to a wide assortment of consumer products at zero delivery cost to the retailers. With our digital platform, retailers are now saving money on the cost of products because it’s cheaper on our platform versus the open markets - and on delivery fees, these savings, in turn, provide the needed boosts for their businesses and widen their profit margins,” an executive of the eCommerce platforms said in a statement.

Acknowledging the potentials of the industry players and following the growth in Nigeria’s ecommerce market, many of the young companies redefining the retail have been attracting investment from both local and foreign investors.

For example, Alerzo in 2020 announced a $10.5 million Series A round led by London-based Nosara Capital. FJ Labs and several family offices from the U.S., Europe and Asia, including Michael Novogratz’s.

In total, the young company has raised more than $20 million since its launch. Early investors include the Baobab Network, an Africa-focused accelerator based in London, and Signal Hill, a Singapore-based fund manager that participated in its $5.5 million seed round last year. The company also said it closed a $2.5 million working capital facility to serve its customers.

In summary, the core business of these b2b platforms is to distribute FMCG goods using a first-party relationship platform which allows suppliers to clear inventory faster and lets the platforms control the supply chain and delivery using their technology network.

Given the lack of trust in the marketplace and the requirement to pay on delivery, Opaleye says this was the most inclusive business model where the economics made sense for the companies involved.

From all indications, the efforts of these digital platforms will further open the Nigerian informal retail market to more possibilities. In the long run, it would be a win-win situation for the sellers, manufacturers, distributors and buyers. And ultimately help drive a virile digital economy for Nigeria.

At the 5th edition of TechSummit Ogun State, an Information Technology Expert, Olaniyi Ayoola, said Nigeria is still scratching the surface as regards the immense economic opportunities technology offers. “As a nation, we are yet to take advantage of technology to improve and grow the GDP, considering the rate at which other nations have developed and integrated using various technologies. Digital Economy for instance, Nigeria is just implementing like 10% of what it entails, the opportunity is endless," he said.


The major drivers of the economy are the SMEs. Presently, experts are of the view that this sector, especially the micro businesses' potential for expansion, are under-exploited. It is widely held that when providers of financial services create innovative and inclusive products for this sector, as well as the retail market, Nigeria’s digital economy will flourish.


The retail market commands huge patronage in Nigeria. For instance, the Nigerian food & grocery retail market had total revenues of $45.7bn in 2020, representing a compound annual growth rate of 5.8% between 2016 and 2020. The Nigerian informal retail market is generally estimated at over $100 million.

In recent years, some innovators in the ICT space have initiated services targeted at this crucial sector, with the aim of digitizing the process of restocking and improving the supply chain of manufacturers. Providing a marketplace built on technology, platforms like Alerzo, TradeDepot and others are also leading financial inclusion in the retail sector.

A Nigerian, Adewale Opaleye, founded Alerzo as a last-mile distribution platform that helps retailers stock inventory directly from manufacturers. Alerzo’s core business distributes FMCG goods using a first-party relationship platform which allows suppliers to clear inventory faster and let Alerzo control the supply chain and delivery. "The company is at the beginning of a compelling multi-decade opportunity to streamline and digitize Nigeria’s retail supply chain,”said Ian Loizeaux, the managing partner at Nosara Capital.

Digitization of informal retail markets is an emerging global business model. According to the Nigerian government, the aim is to tap the opportunities in the digital space for more revenue for the country. “We want to get to the level of the advanced countries, where we can generate more revenue from tapping into ICT than crude oil,” said the Director General of National Information Technology Development Agency, Kashifu Inuwa.

A lot is there for the country to explore given the nation's population of digital natives, and increasing internet connection. Digitizing some aspects of the informal retail market is one of the many ways the country can achieve the set goals

Operating in every nook and cranny, informal retailers are life savers in Nigeria. They are often the go-to people for everyday essentials for the majority of Nigerians. As a Nigerian, either rich, average or poor, you must have patronised them at one point or the other for a last minute purchase to meet a pressing essential need.


While these enterprises fill this crucial gap, they put in a lot for every kobo of their profit. The process of restocking their shops is not as easy as the quick dash customers make for purchases. For many of them, a trip to the market takes a whole day. The fares also eat deep into their profit. However, being an informal retailer is becoming easier with e-commerce.

With communication technology putting smartphones at the fingertips of millions of Nigerians, an informal retailer can do much more to make life and business easier and smoother. For instance, there are business-to-business e-commerce platforms linking retailers in the informal market to manufacturers. Alerzo, Omnibiz, TradeDepot to mention a few, are providing reliable links. With app download on their mobile phone, retailers can place orders.

"We are empowering retailers in the informal sector through our ecosystem of digital products, so they are equipped to run profitable and sustainable businesses. We believe that technology has the potential to transform the way informal retailers conduct their businesses, by using it to facilitate - with just a click of a button - fast & easy access to a wide assortment of consumer products at zero delivery cost to the retailers," said Adewale Opaleye, Alerzo Limited CEO.

Market prices are hardly stable, hence retailers are forced to buy less than they planned on a market day. Joining e-commerce and restocking directly from manufacturers will save them such constant market inflation. These savings, in turn, provide the needed boosts for their businesses and widen their profit margins.

Some b2b platforms go as far as offering additional free delivery service to their customers. Another added advantage is that business-to-business shopping platforms are run by professionals with apt business knowledge which they can impart on informal retailers to help grow their businesses. Adopting a digital shopping network also frees up more customers/family time for these sellers, majority of whom are women who run hole keeping duties along with business.

Running informal retail in the digital age is becoming easier, retailers only need to open their minds to more possibilities. A lot is there to benefit from digital commerce, and everything is just a click away on a smartphone.

Technology advancements had continued to enhance the standard and process of business operations across the globe. From its telling impact on global communications, to manufacturing and transportation, technology provides a springboard for enterprises to flourish and efficiently accomplish their business initiatives on a daily basis. Today, every nation looks to explore the loads of possibilities in the digital economy driven by technology.


Nigeria is not an exception to this. The federal government is pushing for Nigeria to key into opportunities in the digital space to grow the economy. Policies have been formulated, with a digital masterplan to guide the process of attaining the set goals. There has also been a machinery in motion to sensitize the people on the opportunities open to them in the digital economy space.


While several social and economic investments combine to make up the digital economy, e-commerce and its chain of business activities has so far been the major driver of Nigeria's digital economy. Thousands of sellers are connected to millions of consumers through the likes of Jumia, Konga and Jiji. Hundreds of Thousands of informal retailers are stocking directly from manufacturers through platforms like Alerzo and TradeDepot.


The Federal government recently said the current e-commerce spending in Nigeria has grown to $13billion per annum and is expected to hit $75billion in revenue per annum by 2025. It also said e-commerce grew in Nigeria from 14% in 2019 to 17% in 2020.


The Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Adbullahi also touched on the impact of e-commerce on everyday life and its crucial space in the digital economy. "The most profound impact for me is how it makes life more convenient and less disturbing. When covid came, we were disrupted and the only way to keep going was these online services. E-commerce is critical to any online services or digital economy because when you consume a service, you need to make a payment and you can only do that through e-commerce," he said.


The place of e-commerce in the Nigerian economy is being boosted by gradual transition of informal retailers into the online shopping community. Informal retailers have been an integral part of the Nigerian economy since inception. Majority of the nation's SMEs operate in this space. "The informal sector is classified into micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The sector makes up 50% of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP), making it the major source of economic growth, productivity, and competitiveness. Moreover, 90% of Nigeria’s retail market transactions happen in the informal channels, and the Food & Consumer Goods retail market is worth (estimated) over $40billion," said Adewale Opaleye, Chief Executive Officer of Alerzo Limited.


Commendably, e-commerce in Nigeria is attracting interest from investors pumping millions to set up technology needed to drive the sector. Given its growing importance and acceptance, getting more Nigerian Customers sellers and informal retailers onboard e-commerce will no doubt be key to Nigeria's digital economy success.

By Victor George


Twitter is now back in business in Nigeria. Having taken a hiatus from conversation on the bird app after the suspension by the federal government, I returned sometime last week. As usual, Twitter Nigeria is a no dull moment space. The African Cup of Nations is on and memes were flying regarding the big name casualties of the tournament. African football powerhouse, Ghana was dumped out of the tournament at the group stage after losing to debutants, Comoros Islands. “What is a Comoros?” “Trouble be like Comoros” were some of the trending hashtags on twitter.


In the midst of the fun and banter, something caught my attention: a retweet popped up on my timeline of a tweet by @ajalayemi. It was something different from the flow of things in space. The author of the tweet is based in Ibadan. His tweet was about branding by Alerzo Limited, a business-to-business e-commerce platform delivering goods with vans and buses. He was fascinated by what he saw and decided to do some little search about the company.


From his findings, Alerzo’s business model was designed to make business seamless for informal retailers. Unlike the Kongas and Jumias that connect sellers to customers, Alerzo is connecting informal retailers to direct supply from manufacturers. An informal retailer is that woman with the small shop on your street who sells almost everything. Yoruba call them “gbogbo lowo”, meaning “I sell all you need”. These sellers are forced to close their shops when going to the market to restock. Some of them lose customers in the process. The stress of frequent market trips also takes a toll on them both mentally and physically. So what Alerzo service implies is that instead of market trips, they simply pick up their phones to restock, or order via Alerzo app and get their stocks delivered at their shops.


The idea sounded novel to me. I’ve not heard or seen such in Nigeria. At that point, I decided to do some digging about the company. Alerzo started off in Ibadan almost two years ago as a brainchild of the son of an informal retailer. In one of his interviews, the Chief Executive Officer of Alerzo Limited, Adewale Opaleye said he witnessed first hand the ordeals of his mother who went through a lot to keep her retail business going while managing the family. He saw the gap that could be bridged by e-commerce technology and decided to make it a reality in Nigeria.


Alerzo is not the only company offering this type of service, there are others like Omnibiz, TradeDepot. Their services are already being enjoyed in other parts of the South West, North West and North Central. Apparently, I've been missing a growing trend, just like many of my readers right now. Thousands of retailers are already enjoying the ease and convenience of e-commerce. Improved lifestyle, increase in profit and savings are the immediate benefits that come with the service.


On a broader scale, these platforms with their services will spike huge business activities in the digital space in the next few years. This is due to the fact that informal retail is a multimillion dollar business in Nigeria. Imagine the economic benefits Nigeria will derive from bringing just 50% of those retailers into the digital economy space.


The increasing rate of mobile phone adoption in Nigeria makes this a possibility. In 2021, the number of mobile internet users in Nigeria amounted to over 101.7 million, with over 32% using smartphones. The rate of smartphone usage is increasing and many of these sellers can afford the cheaper versions. As a matter of fact, many informal retailers have tech savvy children who indirectly hijack their phones for games and internet surfing. With the help of these young ones, they can easily make their orders and get them delivered.


For all tech enthusiasts, this is an interesting trend to watch. There are reports of millions of dollars investment by external investors in the B2B e-commerce platforms. This shows the faith and belief that the model can work in the country. From all indications, there are interestings times ahead for informal retailers in Nigeria thanks to a new wave of innovators opening up the market to new possibilities.

Worth over $100 billion, the Nigerian retail market is one of the most vibrant sectors of the Nigerian economy. There's hardly a Nigerian street without a retailer. Such is the importance of these businesses to everyday life in the country. As common as their services are, retail ventures in Nigeria are not for the faint hearted. Their day-to-day business life is full of challenges. From uncertain market prices to transportation hazards, a Nigerian retailer faces it all in the quest for survival.

One of the major challenges facing these sets of people is the restocking and transportation of their wares. Business-to-business e-commerce platforms are bridging the shopping gap by bringing retailers online and linking them to manufacturers. The infrastructure deficits make transportation of goods after purchase more difficult. Many retailers incur losses in this process; either on damaged goods or high transportation charges.

Innovative B2B platforms identify this infrastructure deficit, and deploy their technology to change the delivery landscape for informal retailers in the country. Due to limited infrastructure, informal retailers have to go to great lengths to obtain inventory. Distance to market, opportunity costs, dangers of travel, inadequate transport for purchased goods all impact informal retailers. Emerging technology trends are creating an environment where informal retailers no longer have to deal with these issues, thus changing the landscape for them one step at a time.

“For the past two years, we have delivered to informal retailers at no cost. With our delivery services, retailers save time, energy, and resources that they would have otherwise expended in restocking. These benefits have resulted in 85% of our retailers reducing their 2 – 4 times a week restock trips to zero," said Alerzo Limited CEO, Adewale Opaleye.

This crucial sector of the economy is dominated by women who combine household roles with their business. Linking them up directly with manufacturers via the internet opens up more hours for family and other business activities. It also eliminates the goods transportation risk associated with loading and handling during the offloading process. With B2B e-commerce platforms providing logistics solutions, retailers are assured of quality and safe delivery.

Interestingly, the various industry players offer delivery services with different incentives to make their platforms preferred shopping options for retailers. Notably, Alerzo, a leader in the B2B e-commerce space offers free delivery for retailers stocking on their platform. Another industry player, TradeDepot, also offers free delivery for those who meet their required inventory value. This also saves them transportation costs and increases profit margins.

As more retailers embrace the online inventory channels, the delivery infrastructure of B2B e-commerce platforms might be key in filling a major infrastructure gap in the economy, just like the delivery network of B2C platforms is doing with third party service delivery for SMEs.

Jumia consumers will enjoy free delivery on Jumia Express orders as the company pushes its Free Delivery campaign within Lagos and Abuja. The campaign is aimed at incentivising consumers to shop daily on the platform.

“We want Nigerians to conveniently shop online without having to worry about delivery fees. That is why we are introducing the cost-saving promo to enable them to buy more while spending less.,” said Jumia Nigeria CEO Massimiliano Spalazzi.

The deal will be valid for all Jumia Express (items stored at the Jumia warehouse) orders above 4,999 Naira in Lagos and Abuja, excluding large items. The campaign, one of the first for the year, is among several initiatives the company is putting together to encourage consumers to continue shopping on the platform while enjoying a rewarding online shopping experience.

The Nigerian digital economy holds immense potential for the overall growth of the economy. In recent years, the government and other stakeholders have woken up to the possible contribution of the ICT sector to the development of the country. To propel the country towards attaining a vibrant digital economy, the federal government unveiled a roadmap in the form of a National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) 2020 to 2030.

Led by the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy, government agencies such as National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) have been formulating policy directions towards a vibrant digital economy for Nigeria.

Achieving a digital economy however goes beyond policies. To spark digital activities and generate traffic needed for the desired growth, more businesses, especially in the retail sector, have to transit online. At the forefront of this transaction is e-commerce. With 58 online marketplaces in the Nigerian e-commerce space, activities in the business-to-consumer segment of the market have been remarkable. While the B2C segment gained acceptance, the informal retail sector which is an integral part of Nigeria's economy was hitherto left behind.

In the last three years, innovative e-commerce brands like Alerzo, TradeDepot, Omnibiz have taken up the challenge of bringing the $100 billion Nigerian informal retail market into the growing digital community. As evident in advanced markets, bringing hundreds of thousands of retailers online tends to have a ripple impact on the development of the economy. By their business models, B2B e-commerce platforms are a chain of activities that open up economic opportunities such as job creation, financial inclusion and technology advancement.

An industry innovator and expert, Adewale Opaleye, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Alerzo Limited, explained that through their activities, B2B e-commerce platforms allow local retailers to improve their businesses and become profitable and thus encourages them to hire more staff to support their production and/or distribution activities. Beyond this, he explained that there are far reaching impacts of these platforms combined to drive overall growth of the economy. "B2B digital platforms enable hundreds of SMEs across Nigeria to run profitable and sustainable businesses, benefiting from the economics of digitization to achieve a significant increase in their activity level. This facilitates economic development in Nigeria by allowing many entrepreneurs (retailers) to embark on new innovative projects.

B2B platforms like Alerzo are also shaping the Nigeria narrative by showcasing the attractive investment opportunities to the world, while also reaching people in rural areas and giving them access to extensive catalogue of products and logistics. We also facilitate development and financial inclusion through digital payment platforms. For instance, Alerzo, through AlerzoPay, is contributing to the development of dematerialized payment solutions which are key to the success of e-commerce and an important asset for Nigeria when it comes to development prospects," Opaleye explained. According to him, Alerzo directly employs more than 1,700 people in its operational chain.

The Federal government recently espoused the improving impact of e-commerce on the country's economy, saying the current e-commerce spending in Nigeria has grown to $13billion per annum and expected to hit $75billion in revenue per annum by 2025. It also said e-commerce grew in Nigeria from 14% in 2019 to 17% in 2020. The government has also expressed passion about the growing investment opportunities in the e-commerce value chain, which are capable of contributing significantly to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

With increasing internet penetration riding on mobile smartphone adoption, the pillars for a vibrant digital economy are gradually falling in place. At this point, it can be safely said that Nigeria's digital economy plan is heading towards the right direction; thanks to innovative e-commerce brands facilitating needed activities.

The e-commerce section of the Nigerian digital economy holds immense potential for the overall growth of the economy. With 58 online marketplaces in the Nigerian e-commerce space, the contribution of companies such as Jumia, Konga, Jiji, in recent years are exceptional and the economic outlook for the next few years of stability and consolidation.

Recently, the federal government revealed the improving impact of e-commerce on the country's economy, saying the current e-commerce spend in Nigeria has grown to $13billion per annum and is expected to hit $75billion in revenue per annum by 2025. According to Dr. Evelyn Ngige, Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, e-commerce grew in Nigeria from 14% in 2019 to 17% in 2020. She stated that her ministry was passionate about the growing Investment opportunities in the e-commerce value chain, which are capable of contributing significantly to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Statista's digital market outlook for Nigeria's e-commerce also said the number of online shoppers in the country, which was at 76.7 million in 2021, is expected to hit 122.5 million by 2025. A report by Agusto & Co predicted new entrants into the small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) segment of the Nigerian economy thanks to the emerging e-commerce sales trend.

"Through e-commerce, players enjoy a wider customer reach with the ability to simultaneously connect to millions of consumers locally and globally. We note that the emergence of COVID-19 positively impacted the sector, with players recording a gush of customer orders particularly during the lockdown period. We expect this trend to continue into the emerging post COVID-19 era premised on the rising rate of adoption of online shopping by consumers on the back of the relative convenience it offers,” the report stated.

Commenting on this development, Jumia CEO, Spalazzi said: “It shows that Nigerians are embracing e-commerce more, and the services are becoming part of their daily lives. Importantly, this also shows that consumers are getting value from e-commerce services. This has been our aim at Jumia from the onset, and we are happy that the country is gradually seeing the impact of e-commerce to the economy."

He added that e-commerce holds a lot of economic potential for Nigeria if given the needed support. "This is just like a tip of the economic benefits the country stands to get from e-commerce. A huge chunk of the market is yet to be exploited. The industry holds a lot of economic potential for Nigeria in terms of employment, technology development and overall GDP of the country," Spalazzi said.

Figures by the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS), also showed that Nigeria’s e-payment transactions increased by 85.5% year-on-year to N171.99tn in August 2021. Little wonder the Nigerian government is paying more attention to this sector and formulating policies to facilitate a vibrant digital economy.

Abdullahi Kashifu, the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in his congratulatory message to Jumia on its 9th anniversary said that the federal government is visibly at work to improve digital economy activities in the country, especially seeing as it provided immense support to the government during the covid lockdowns.

He stated that Jumia has had an impressive nine years of e-commerce journey which has seen it expand to several African countries, creating employment opportunities and becoming a good reference for innovative startups on the continent.

He said “These are the kind of startups we encourage, an innovation-driven enterprise. You look at the global market and huge capital investment and job creation. And also you are innovative and creating a lot of jobs in the ecosystem.”

According to the Ministry of Communication and Digital Economy,“Internet penetration in Nigeria in the last one year is unprecedented. Based on available records, the internet came to Nigeria most probably around the year 2000. Up to 2919, the penetration was 33%. Averagely, that's about 1.7% penetration annually. But from August 2019 to November 2020, the penetration catapulted to 47%. That is about a 12% increase within one year. It is expected that, by the end of 2021, we could have more that 50% internet penetration in Nigeria and this is encouraging indeed. E-commerce, leverages on internet penetration, without it's very difficult. So the more broadband penetration, by implication, the more e-commerce activities in the country.”

Going by these indices and other pillars falling into place, e-commerce is set to be a major contributor to the direction of Nigeria's digital economy as the nation surges towards the projected 2025 growth mark.

The Nigerian Immigration Service has refuted claims in a trending video of an alleged incident involving an out-bound passenger at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Ikeja Lagos.

NIS Acting Comptroller General, Idris Jere, in a statement signed by NIS Assistant Comptroller, Amos Okpu said the video in question is the handiwork of mischief makers who have decided to re-trend a false video which first surfaced in August 2017.

He explained that NIS had investigated the video when it first appeared online, and nothing of such was found in the system.

"The Service would have ordinarily ignored the re-trend but for the need to inform unsuspecting members of the public that the re-trending of the video is the handiwork of mischief makers who have been struggling and indeed dissipating their naked energy to portray the current leadership of the Service in bad light.

"Suffice it be mentioned that the said incident was subjected to full investigation by all the agencies at the airport then. During the investigation, so many facilities including the CCTV system were deployed to unravel the veracity of the claims but nothing of such was found. It is however, unfortunate, that some persons now find it relevant to embark on a re-trend of an unverifiable incident of 2017 in 2022 for reasons best known to them," he stated.

He explained that the service is determined to ensure seamless experience for visitors and Nigerians in all immigration service points.

"Nevertheless, it is important to state that a new dawn has begun in the Service and great efforts are being directed at enhanced reforms that would reposition the Service to a very responsive and proactive agency fully committed to transparent service delivery. The Service is poised to consistently ensure that it places robust migration facilitation processes and systems across Frontiers to enable visitors have pleasant experiences at our Controls.

"To this effect, the Service has continued to deepen its public engagement exercises to create enriched understanding of its processes and procedures by prospective visitors and the public at large. It has made some considerable progress in its visa reforms efforts and wishes to assure that it will fairly and justly implement the Visa reforms in line with best practice. As one of the strongest tools in modern migration management, Visa remains a conditional approval granted to a migrant by a government allowing the holder to enter, remain, work or to leave a certain territory within a given period of time. Consequently, it remains the responsibility of the Service to determine the period of stay to be allowed any visitor into the country. It is therefore, important to stress that there is a difference between the period within which a valid Visa must be presented at any entry Post and the actual period given to the holder by the endorsement Officer at the Border Control. The period stated in a holder’s Passport especially for Visas issued at the Missions is really the period within which the holder is expected to present same at entry Post for assessment by the Border Control Officer. It is not essentially the actual period the holder will be allowed to stay in the country," he started.

Below is the statement in Full:


PRESS STATEMENT
ROUTINE VISA ADMINISTRATION AND PASSENGER CLEARANCE PROCEDURES AT PORTS OF ENTRY

The Acting Comptroller General of Immigration Service, Isah Jere Idris is in receipt of a re-trending video of an alleged incident involving an out-bound passenger at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Ikeja Lagos sometime in August 2017.
2. The Service would have ordinarily ignored the re-trend but for the need to inform unsuspecting members of the public that the re-trending of the video is the handiwork of mischief makers who have been struggling and indeed dissipating their naked energy to portray the current leadership of the Service in bad light.

3. Suffice it be mentioned that the said incident was subjected to full investigation by all the agencies at the airport then. During the investigation, so many facilities including the CCTV system were deployed to unravel the veracity of the claims but nothing of such was found. It is however, unfortunate, that some persons now find it relevant to embark on a re-trend of an unverifiable incident of 2017 in 2022 for reasons best known to them.

4. Nevertheless, it is important to state that a new dawn has begun in the Service and great efforts are being directed at enhanced reforms that would reposition the Service to a very responsive and proactive agency fully committed to transparent service delivery. The Service is poised to consistently ensure that it places robust migration facilitation processes and systems across Frontiers to enable visitors have pleasant experiences at our Controls.

5. To this effect, the Service has continued to deepen its public engagement exercises to create enriched understanding of its processes and procedures by prospective visitors and the public at large. It has made some considerable progress in its visa reforms efforts and wishes to assure that it will fairly and justly implement the Visa reforms in line with best practice. As one of the strongest tools in modern migration management, Visa remains a conditional approval granted to a migrant by a government allowing the holder to enter, remain, work or to leave a certain territory within a given period of time. Consequently, it remains the responsibility of the Service to determine the period of stay to be allowed any visitor into the country. It is therefore, important to stress that there is a difference between the period within which a valid Visa must be presented at any entry Post and the actual period given to the holder by the endorsement Officer at the Border Control. The period stated in a holder’s Passport especially for Visas issued at the Missions is really the period within which the holder is expected to present same at entry Post for assessment by the Border Control Officer. It is not essentially the actual period the holder will be allowed to stay in the country.

6. The Acting Comptroller General wishes to use this medium to assure the various publics of improved service delivery across service windows while also calling on them to feel free to constantly insist on quality service from our Personnel. He encourages that timely and detailed reports of any unprofessional conducts by any Personnel be made appropriately for necessary actions.

Signed
Amos OKPU mnipr
ASSISTANT COMPTROLLER OF IMMIGRATION
SERVICE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER
FROM: ACTING COMPTROLLER GENERAL OF IMMIGRATION
5TH JANUARY, 2022

E-commerce in recent years has provided the digital infrastructure for commerce to thrive in Nigeria. Today, many Nigerians are leveraging the time and cost saving benefits of online shopping. The e-commerce sector holds so much potential for the Nigerian economy and Alerzo operates where it matters: the informal retail sector.

In Nigeria, the informal sector makes up 50% of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), making it the major source of economic growth, productivity, and competitiveness. It is estimated that 90% of Nigeria’s retail market transactions happen in the informal channels, and the food and consumer goods retail market is estimated to be over $40bn. Alerzo, bringing an innovative approach to the B2B business model, is connecting this crucial sector to manufacturers, thus eliminating age-long barriers.

“Our mission is to empower these informal retailers through our ecosystem of digital products, so they are equipped to run profitable and sustainable businesses. We strongly believe that technology has the potential to transform the way informal retailers conduct their businesses, by using it to facilitate – with just a click of a button – fast and easy access to a wide assortment of consumer products at zero delivery cost to the retailers,” said Alerzo CEO, Adewale Opaleye.

He explained that Alerzo has created an environment where informal retailers no longer have to deal with most of the issues that impinge on their profitability and ease of doing business, thereby changing the landscape for them one delivery at a time. With its delivery services, retailers save time, energy, and resources that they would have otherwise expended in restocking.

“With our digital platform, retailers are now saving money on cost of products because it’s cheaper on Alerzo versus the open markets – and on delivery fees (free delivery on Alerzo). These savings, in turn, provide the needed boosts for their businesses and widen their profit margins. These are in addition to the help in inventory management, guaranteed product quality, time savings, effortless delivery and so on that they get on that platform,” he said.

Founded in 2019 in Ibadan, Alerzo has continued to grow and expand into most of the states in the South-West, and more recently, North West Central.

By Victor George

A notable trend in the Nigerian e-commerce space for the year 2021 was the increasing activity of the B2B segment. The year saw the likes of Alerzo, TradeDepot and Omnibiz implementing innovative ideas to bring more retailers onboard e-commerce, in their quest to dominate the space and control a large chunk of the market.

As businesses set out for 2022, here are some trends to expect from players as they aim to take this important segment of e-commerce to the next level:

Increased Adoption Of B2B marketplace: According to Adewale Opaleye, CEO Alerzo Limited, E-commerce in Nigeria is gaining momentum and the increasing rate of internet users in the country is expected to propel growth in the B2B marketplace. “The necessary pillars needed for the culture to thrive are gradually falling into place. For instance, 50% of Nigeria’s population, that is 104.4 million, is connected to the internet. Today, the majority of Nigerians access the internet with their mobile phones. With the increasing internet penetration, mobile phone users in the country and the National Economy Digital Policy and Strategy for Digital Nigeria by the Federal Government, we expect that more Nigerians will imbibe the ecommerce culture and the B2B market will definitely benefit from this trend,” he said.

Expansion to non-consumables: unlike the B2C e-tailing platforms, Nigeria’s online B2B marketplace is still dominated by platforms who service the FMCG segment of retailers. Beginning from 2022, it is expected that the market will begin to open up to retailers dealing in the non-consumables to accommodate more high-earned product retailers, especially men.

Alerzopay: As more retailers embrace the online marketplaces, it is expected that the major players will roll out in-platform payment solutions to create a one stop shop for their customers. A major player, Alerzo has said retailers can look forward to the launch of its fintech products, which will also help drive financial inclusion and saving culture among retailers in the country. "we are building systems towards financial inclusion for our retailers through our soon-to-be-launched, Alerzopay platform. Through the platform, we aim to encourage a healthy saving culture and access to loan facilities. We envision our platform hosting financial inclusion initiatives that national and international organizations wish to roll out," said the CEO.

Inroad to more cities: B2B shopping brands are also expected to expand their reach and services to more cities across the country. "We’re focused right now on growing our business by onboarding more informal retailers across the country. We want to expand into new markets as we believe our platform can empower more people across the country. Our strong presence in the South-West, and continued expansion to the North-West and Central consolidate our desire to grow in a sustainable manner and continue to serve those that are underserved," said Alerzo CEO.

Social Impact Programmes: One of the major ways brands endear themselves to customers is through social impact programmes in communities. For instance, Alerzo recently supported some burn survivors with funds through “Sebastine Foundation For Burn Survivors”. While B2B marketplace deploy innovations to attract more retailers online, we can also expect them to creatively engage at the grassroot with social impact activities that will not only announce their presence, but also help them attract brand loyalty.

More Investors: As at the end of year 2021, B2B startups in Africa attracted a cumulative $ 164.5 million in equity and debt financing. For a section of ecommerce that has lasted barely three years on the continent, this is remarkable. And from indications, 2022 might see more investors showing interest in this emerging trend


Victor George, a tech enthusiast writes from Lagos

Aiding Lives Initiative for the Vulnerable (ALIVE) through a fun-filled Christmas Party, created evergreen memories with the Children In Ilaje Otumaro Community of Mainland Local Government Lagos State.

From inception four years ago, ALIVE organises a yearly Christmas party for vulnerable children living in slums, impoverished, underserved and hard-to-reach communities. According to the Executive Director of ALIVE Pandora Obiefuna; "Many of these children have no idea what it is like to celebrate Christmas, some have not seen a Sancta Claus or know what it is, some of their mothers cannot afford to buy them Christmas clothes or cook a special meal on Christmas Day hence the essence of this party is to extend love to these vulnerable children through creating memorable experiences and giving out gift packs to celebrate the season".

The fun-filled event engaged the children in educational and recreational activities such as spelling and dance competitions, overall winners in each category going home with gifts from ALIVE as well as other children in attendance.

“This is one of ALIVE's Programs that cut across different aspects. What we are doing today falls under ALIVE's “Feed-a-Child and Me-too” projects for children living in disadvantaged communities. Every child regardless of environment has a right to leisure and recreation thus this Christmas party is basically about inclusion. Recreational activities play a vital role in promoting the well-being and resilience of children which is in line with our mission of health promotion and disease prevention amongst vulnerable children and women in disadvantaged communities. Today, we are reaching out to about 500 children in the community,” she said.

She further stated that ALIVE's programs has impacted vulnerable children and women in various disadvantaged communities in Lagos and Anambra State respectively. She said: "Through ALIVE's Zero Malaria project, about 2000 mosquito nets have been distributed to pregnant women, nursing mothers and mothers of children under five years in slums, across Lagos and Anambra States. Our Educare support project has provided school uniforms, school shoes and text books to over 500 nursery/primary school students in disadvantaged communities in Lagos and Anambra State. The Health Literacy Behavioural Change Communication project is creating a health literate society through promoting healthy behaviours and dissemination of health information across the most disadvantaged communities.

Wife of the Baale of Ilaje Community, Olori Kehinde Arowojolu, expressed her delight at the gesture, saying the community appreciated the determination and sincerity of the Executive Director. "Given the present economic situation of the country I feel so happy, we thought this would not hold due to the economic situation of the country. ALIVE has done so many programs in our community, 35 children from this community are beneficiaries of their Educare support project. These children were given school uniforms, school shoes and books to promote reading culture amongst them. So when she mentioned Christmas party, I wondered where she would get the money from. But she fulfilled her promise. The children, parents and the Baale of the community, Festus Oladipupo Arowojolu are so happy. For a young lady doing this, we give her kudos,”she stated.

Aiding Lives Initiative for the Vulnerable (ALIVE) is a Charity Organisation dedicated to promoting health and preventing diseases amongst vulnerable children and women living in slums, impoverished, underserved, and hard-to-reach communities to improve health outcomes. ALIVE team is very passionate about enhancing lives of vulnerable children and women, working with four of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Nigeria's e-commerce ecosystem has experienced significant growth in recent years. While the B2C platforms have enjoyed the most attention, the last two years have been that of remarkable leap in the B2B sector of the industry. A notable performer in this league is Alerzo Limited, a rapidly growing B2B e-commerce company that has impacted Nigeria's informal retail landscape by digitizing the inventory process for informal retailers in the country.

Within 24 months, the company has not only connected Nigerian retailers directly to manufacturers, it has also exposed them to the ease and convenience that shoppers enjoy on B2C platforms. From huge savings on cost of products to free delivery, Alerzo is helping retailers save more, thus improving their profit margins.

As businesses brace up for the new year, Alerzo said it plans to do more than the two previous years combined. According to the chief executive officer, Adewale Opaleye, the company aims to consolidate its achievements by engaging in education and sustainable energy initiatives for retailers on its platform and their host communities.

Opaleye revealed that as an innovative e-commerce brand, retailers can look forward to the launch of its fintech products, which will also help drive financial inclusion and saving culture among retailers in the country. Opaleye said: "we are building systems towards financial inclusion for our retailers through our soon-to-be-launched, Alerzopay platform. Through the platform, we aim to encourage a healthy saving culture and access to loan facilities. We envision our platform hosting financial inclusion initiatives that national and international organizations wish to roll out."

In addition, the company said part of its vision is to own sophisticated warehouses that will enable it to offtake mass products from international manufacturers and sell to retailers on the platform at affordable prices.

Alerzo Limited, Nigeria’s leading B2B e-commerce platform has donated an undisclosed amount of money to burn survivors through the “Sebastine Foundation For Burn Survivors”. The donation was announced at the official launch of the foundation which took place in Lagos recently.


Speaking on the donation, the chief executive officer of Alerzo Limited, Adewale Opaleye said the company supported the foundation as an avenue to give back to the society by helping victims of societal hazards regain their sense of belonging and become productive citizens.


"As a business that is fully involved in daily activities of small enterprises, we know what it means for people to make a living for themselves. For those who have challenges like burn survivors, it becomes more difficult for them to overcome the mental difficulties and become productive again.


So this gesture is to help them get back on their feet financially, be able to put themselves to productive ventures and ultimately move on in life. We hope that this will help them in their quest for full recovery and propel them to financial independence," he said.


Sebastine Foundation for Burn Victims was created by Sebastine Enechi - who is also the chief executive officer of Shago Limited, a payment platform acquired by Alerzo earlier in the year - with the aim of helping burn survivors feel comfortable in their skin and ultimately improve their lives to be an integral part of the society.


“The Foundation is aimed at helping burn survivors like me fit back into society, to help them look beyond their looks and scars and believe that they can do more regardless of the conditions they find themselves in. We plan to support them physically, morally, financially, provide medical diagnosis, treatment, post-treatment support, scholarship, we want to encourage them to keep seeing the brighter part of life,” Enechi added.


Part of the ongoing plan, according to Sebastine, is to collaborate with government organizations, hospitals like burn centres, the Red Cross, Fire Service Commission, private organizations and the general public.


With collaborators on board, Sebastine claimed that the foundation will be able to work out programmes that will help uplift the life of burn survivors while reaching out to the victims in burn centres across Nigeria.


The foundation presented a five hundred thousand naira (₦500,000) educational scholarship to two victims during the launch ceremony, and another five hundred thousand naira each (₦500,000) to support one victim in the Burns and Plastic Center, Igbobi, Lagos. The beneficiaries, among others, included Ms. Oyebola Oyeduntan, Michael Sam Odinnakachukwu, and National Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi

As informal retailers stock for festive period sales, the Chief Executive Officer, Alerzo Limited, Adewale Opaleye has stated that retailers stand to benefit a lot by stocking their shops on the e-commerce platform.

The Alerzo boss said the yuletide is a period of sales boom for retailers and the platform's offerings will make them maximize their profit.

According to him, Aerzo, among other benefits, offers free delivery on goods for retailers, and also helps them guide against the hike in prices of goods which is prevalent during festivities.

"Ordering your stock on Alerzo qualifies you for zero cost on delivery of your goods at your shop. This is not a festive season promo, it has been part of our business since inception. For the past two years, we have delivered to informal retailers at no cost. It’s what you benefit from when you buy from Alerzoshop.

"Sharp rise in prices of goods during yuletide is a recurring trend in Nigeria. This tends to affect retailers’ inventory, by reducing the quantity of goods that can be acquired. With our services, we have not only eliminated the need to allocate revenue to transport fares and market fees, we have also regulated the prices of products. Thereby, we ensure that our informal retailers are not affected by unreasonable price-hikes. Further adding to our appeal, we have improved the access of informal retailers to a wider range of products to meet their customers’ needs.

"Added to the price hike is the Christmas rush that leads to scarcity. This is not what a retailer wants at a time of sales boom. Furthermore, we ensure that our retailers always have access to the products especially, during peak demand seasons when consumer goods become scarce. Our customers can be sure of over 80% fulfillment rate in product availability during this period. With all these benefits, retailers can save more and increase their profit," the Alerzo boss said.

He added that shopping on Alerzo will also afford retailers more time for customers, family and friends.

He said: “Alerzo was born out of the desire to help informal retail shop owners live balanced lives. With our logistics expertise, we effectively take care of their stocking needs which frees up more time for retailers to attend to their customers. Simply place your orders on Alerzoshop, make your payment and Alerzo will handle the rest."

Alerzo Limited, an innovative B2B e-commerce company, that connects Africa's informal retail stores directly to local and multinational suppliers.

A look into the typical Nigerian retailer’s life will show a man or woman who undergoes tremendous stress. He or she wakes up early every morning to prepare for the shop that is expected to open as early as 6:30 am to cater for the early customers. Once he gets to the shop, he would start unpacking the wares and arranging his shop for the day. This rigorous daily routine is worse if the retailer is a woman as she would be the one cooking for her family, dressing the children for school as well as the one doing most of the other house chores.

The fallout of this kind of routine is the fatigue that a typical shop owner has to deal with at the end of the day’s work. The body, being an organic mechanism, would continue to cope with the tedious work life of such individuals until it breaks down – physically or mentally. At this point, the shop owner, not only absent from work, thereby losing income, but also loses the hard-earned income in the treatment of the ailment.

This is the kind of narrative that Alerzo Nigeria, Nigeria’s leading business-to-business e-commerce platform, has come to change. Not only that, it has also come to promote the business of these informal retailers to make them less stressful, more profitable and more sustainable.

Since its founding in 2019, Alerzo Nigeria has been lifting some of the burden of the informal retailers across the country who have signed up to its platform, and in the process, is elevating their health status, improving their quality of family life and saving them huge resources that would have been expended in the running of their businesses.

One of the ways Alerzo Nigeria is doing this is by taking the burden of logistics off the retailers on its platform. While retailers who are not on the platform pay the logistics costs of hiring a ‘carrier’, paying market exit fees, and getting public transport to carry their goods to their stores, Alerzo delivers the orders to the informal retailers on its platform at no cost. With this delivery service, retailers save time, energy, and resources that they would have otherwise expended in restocking. It also frees up time for the retailers to commit to their businesses and family demands.

Also, the company recently launched the Alerzopay – its cashless payment and lending platform – to provide informal retailers with working capital to keep their stores running and to drive financial inclusion. Additionally, the company advances POS terminals that run on the Alerzopay platform at no cost to interested retailers who want to act as agents. These agents receive commissions for each transaction carried out on the platform, thereby increasing the profit margins of their businesses.

In order to improve access to the platform, Alerzo Nigeria expanded its platform beyond the use of the Alerzopay by making its service available through USSD codes, toll free calls and text messages. This modification has made it possible for retailers, who do not own smartphones, to take advantage of its stock-up and delivery services.

Furthermore, Alerzo helps in eliminating price volatility which retailers face, especially during the festive seasons when middlemen create artificial scarcity to make more profits.

Jumia Nigeria, the leading pan-African e-commerce platform has announced the appointment of Damola Giwa as the head of JumiaPay Nigeria, the digital payment and fintech platform of the company.

Damola Giwa, has over 17 years of experience in business leadership, strategy and innovation across leading pan-African banking and fintech groups.

“I am overly excited with this appointment and cannot wait to work with the team as we take JumiaPay to greater heights in Nigeria. My priority is to focus on the realisation of the company’s objectives by providing innovative financial solutions to everyone .” said Damola

Prior to joining Jumia, Damola Giwa has held various roles in the banking and fintech sectors of the economy. He was the Group Head, Verve Digital and New Business at Interswitch group with responsibility for Verve digitalization, innovation, and new business strategy across Africa. He also led the pan-Africa expansion of Verve as the Group Head of Verve International Issuing and Acquiring Business.

Earlier in his career, he worked in the Digital Banking group of Stanbic IBTC Bank (a member of the Standard Bank Group) as the Head of Acquiring and Head, eBusiness Service Management. He also led various project management, service management and business operations teams across the Retail Banking, Stockbroking and Investment Banking divisions of the Bank.

Giwa is a graduate of Economics and holds a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of ILorin and Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria as well as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria. He also has various certifications in Business Agility, IT Service Management, Lean Six Sigma and Project Management.

Massimiliano Spalazzi, Jumia Nigeria’s CEO, is optimistic that Damola will bring his wide experience and training to carry out the company’s quest to serve its customers better.

“The fintech industry is one that thrives on innovation – both in processes and security. Since JumiaPay plays heavily in this sector, it is important that we remain relevant and innovative in the digital payment space to make our consumers feel satisfied and secure. Damola Giwa is widely exposed, both academically and experientially, an attribute that we need to drive JumiaPay in Nigeria.”

Most informal retailers run their businesses on a non stop basis. Even in their leisure time, they are either thinking about the stocking of goods, or the current market prices and how to get the best bargain to maximise their profit margins. In the background is also the normal daily and social aspect needed to balance up their human life.


The Nigerian informal retail sector consists mostly of women. It is estimated that 40% of small and medium scale enterprises in Nigeria are owned by women. Majority of these women also combine the roles of wife and mother while running their businesses. A peep into their world would show a set of people in need of more daily hours, as the normal 24 hours appear not enough for their daily activities. Hence, initiatives that take up part of the burden and deliver cost-saving results would be highly appreciated.


Insearch of this relief, some retailers have tapped into the emerging ecommerce wave to ease their daily pressure, but the majority of options available for now in the country suits the B2C model more than the B2B needed for their retail businesses. However, a proposition from Alerzo Nigeria, an online business- to-business platform, is out to bridge the gap by offering retailers the opportunity to have more time for themselves, while the Alerzo team takes care of their goods stocking and delivery.


“At Alerzo, we understand how important family is to our retailers. We are elated to be playing a critical role in improving the quality of their family life, which means so much to them. So we have designed our business model to free up more time for them to focus on other important things. They can now use the time previously allocated for market trips, to get the much needed rest to protect their mental health and spend time with their families,” said Alerzo Nigeria CEO, Adewale Opaleye.


Interestingly, Alerzo’s offer to retailers goes beyond the ease and time management. Opaleye further explained that Alerzo’s business model factored in the cost effectiveness that retailers crave to maximise their profit margins.


“For the past two years, we have delivered to informal retailers at no cost. We help them save on transportation costs, then make the delivery at their shops for free,” Opaleye added.



Research shows that an average informal retailer spends at least N1,000 transport fare on every trip to and from the market. For a retailer who stocks up 3 times in a week, they end up spending N3,000 every week, with an annual expense total of around N144,000. Added to the expense of transportation is the fee paid to market authorities. If the same retailer spends N500 on this fee each time she goes to the market, she will spend N72,000 per year. This means that each year, she spends at least N216,000 on trips to restock her inventory, this takes out a huge proportion of their profit margins. Beyond bringing the products to their doorsteps at no cost, Alerzo also offers market support services to retailers so that they can improve their profit margins.


The CEO added that through Alerzoshop, the company’s digital retail app, retailers can easily place their orders, get timely delivery at their shops with zero delivery fee and join the community of businesses benefiting from Alerzo platform. The company’s retailer App eliminates the frequent market visits by informal retailers.

Micro, small and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs) sector is regarded as the major driving force of every economy, irrespective of the country. The MSMEs sector, according to the International Council for Small Business (ICSB), generally make up over 90 percent of all firms and account for an average of 60 to 70 percent of total employment and 50 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of any economy.


According to the United States Trade Representative, the MSMEs, numbering over 30 million in the US, are said to account for nearly two-thirds of the net new private sector jobs in recent decades. In India, the MSME sector is estimated to be more than 42 million – a staggering 95 percent of the total industrial units in the country and providing 40 percent of India’s workforce.


In Nigeria, the statistics show the same trend. According to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the sector has over 37 million MSMEs, and employs over 54 million skilled and unskilled labour while contributing about 54 percent to GDP of the country. The role that the sector plays in the economy, its peculiar challenges and the need to assist it to realise its full potential are what make the governments all over the world put in place various policies and structures that aid the development of the sector. In Nigeria, we have the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), a specialist agency created by the government to cater for the needs of the sector.


Unfortunately, despite the efforts of the government towards addressing the challenges of the sector, operators of MSMEs still face a plethora of challenges, especially in the areas of inventory management, access to working capital, transport and logistics, pricing volatility etc. These challenges are the main reasons many of the MSMEs have a high failure rate, at the worst, or for the ‘lucky’ ones, have low growth and profitability rates.


This tide seems to be changing for the Nigerian MSMEs, with the coming on board of Alerzo Limited, a business-to-business e-commerce platform that is providing retailers in the informal sector easier, faster and smarter access to a wide assortment of products on its retail App, Alerzoshop. Founded in 2019 by Adewale Opaleye, Alerzo Limited is set to take the Nigerian informal retailers to a whole new world of opportunities by equipping them with digital products that will increase their profit margins.


Opaleye noted some of the challenges facing the informal retail market include, “limited inventory due to high demands; limited access to finance which sometimes leads them to buy adulterated products; the market is clustered and products are often overpriced because prices are largely unregulated; distance to market; opportunity costs; dangers of travel; and inadequate transport system for conveying goods.”


Alerzo’s founder, whose mother was an informal retailer and had to personally deal with the prototype MSMEs challenges, in the course of his studies in a university in China, saw first-hand how China used technology to address most of the challenges its MSMEs are having. Seeing that the same technology could be deployed in his home country, Opaleye had to return to Nigeria to deploy similar technology to address the retailers’ challenges in the country. This led to the founding of Alerzo Nigeria.


Since the establishment of the e-commerce platform, retailers on its platform have been given a lifeline to boost their businesses. For example, Alerzo has created Alerzoshop, a digital app that makes the lives of our informal retailers easier. Customers on the Alerzo platform buy their products at cheaper rates, enjoy huge discounts and have their orders delivered to them at no extra cost.


Little wonder that, in less than two years, the company seems to have taken the South-Western states by the storm and is making steady incursion into the North-Western and North-Central states of the federation.


Opaleye, the founder and chief executive officer of the company, seems to be happy at what Alerzo has been able to achieve in the short time it has been in operation.


“We’re creating an environment where informal retailers no longer have to deal with these issues, we change the landscape for them one delivery at a time. With our delivery services, retailers save time, energy, and resources that they would have otherwise expended in restocking. These benefits have resulted in 85 percent of our retailers reducing their 2 – 4 times a week restock trips to zero.”

In support of United Nations Safety Standards, Jumia, Africa’s leading e-commerce platform, today announced plans to provide more than 7,000 motorcycle helmets to its Delivery Associates (riders) as part of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) Safe and Affordable Helmet Programme.


This initiative aims to provide high-quality helmets meeting United Nations Regulation ECE 22.05 in territories where accessibility and affordability can be difficult. The design concept has been conceived by helmet manufacturers with the goal of creating the lowest-priced helmets on the market while also meeting the UN safety standards, as certified by independent experts. The helmets, which are suitable for hot and humid climates, will be distributed to drivers free of charge in support of Jumia's mission to enhance the well-being of its workers and partners and to continually seek innovative ways to improve the workplace ecosystem.


The programme will first be rolled out in Nigeria, Egypt, Ivory Coast, Kenya, and Morocco with additional countries to follow in the upcoming months. 2000 pieces of the helmets, which are UN ECE 22.05 certified, have been assigned for distribution to Jumia delivery agents across Nigeria. Jumia’s safe helmet programme is part of the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 and is intended to help reduce the number of global motorcycle-related fatalities. Indeed, research shows that safe helmet wearing is one of the most effective road safety interventions, reducing the number of head injuries among moped riders and motorcyclists by around 44%.


“Our Delivery Associates are significant stakeholders in our ecosystem. Wearing UN Certified safe helmets is essential in protecting these important heroes from the hazards that are associated with their jobs,” said Sacha Poignonnec and Jeremy Hodara, co-CEOs of Jumia. "We are delighted, therefore, to work with the FIA to provide compliant, high-quality and safe helmets to our riders. It is our hope that this measure will also have a positive impact on the peace of mind both for the riders and their families.”


“Wearing a helmet is a key issue in road safety. I am happy to welcome Jumia as a new partner of our Safe and Affordable Helmet Programme. Jumia is passionate about the safety of its delivery agents and this aligns with our constant fight for safer roads across the globe. I hope that this partnership with Jumia will contribute to the mass adoption of safe helmets that meet UN safety Standards in Africa,” said FIA President Jean Todt.

For Jumia Nigeria online customers, the 2021 Black Friday has come and gone, but the memory will linger for those who were able to leverage the window for best deals on their choice items. From flash sales, to treasure hunts, customers on the platform were treated to interesting offers that could only happen during the Black Friday.

While Black Friday sales are over on the Jumia platform, customers are still living the experience of the bargains sealed during the period.

Sandy Nze is the CEO of Sanlinks Communications. Her shopping experience on Jumia has lasted for seven years. According to her, Black Friday sales are what she looks forward to every year, and the experience for her, keeps her coming for more. “I shop at Jumia and I look forward to all the Jumia Black Friday sales. In the past seven years I've been with Jumia, the black Friday sales have been amazing.

“Last black Friday, I had awesome discounts on fashion items. I shopped for everyone in my house, I shopped for my baby. The discounts were so huge I couldn't get that elsewhere in the market. Jumia warranty is so intact because there was a case when I ordered it and the colour was different, I sent it back and got my money back in full,” she said.

Shopping is never complete until the goods are delivered at the doorsteps of the customer. This important link in the ecommerce chain is handled by delivery associates who ensure items are not just delivered to the right address, but also delivered in good condition.

The world of these agents is not the same during the busy period of Black Friday sales. Ayodele Olaoye, a delivery associate with Jumia for over five years, gives insight into what goes into the delivery process during the Black Friday rush.

“Jumia Black Friday is a season of unbelievable discounts and as usual, there is always a surge in customer orders. So to ensure I meet up, I rest well, my phone fully functional and my vehicle in perfect shape. I also listen to music while working to help me deal with the pressure, remain vibrant and productive. To me as a delivery associate, delivering happiness is a high priority during Black friday,” he said.

Though Black Fridays offer discounts on products like no other sales period, those familiar with online shopping know there are still more to look out for on ecommerce platforms during the yuletide. Like in the past years, Jumia said there are plans to treat customers to special sale offers in the coming weeks as the gifting season rolls in.

Black Fridays have become known for customers around the globe as the window of opportunity to get best deals on products. Many consumers wait for this window to get gadgets, electronics, household items and other high earned products at discounted prices.

This year’s Black Friday falls on 26th of November, however, many e-commerce platforms in recent years open their offer to customers from the start of the month. For instance, Jumia, the leading e-commerce company in Africa scheduled its Black Friday sales to run through the month of November, with a grand finale on Friday, November 26th. This is usually done to enable more customers to enjoy the once in a year special sales window.

It is also the time of the year when vendors on e-commerce platforms across the globe make their record sales. Tayo Fatuga, owner of Ortintin store, has been a vendor on the Jumia platform for the past two years. According to him, his sales experience during the 2020 Jumia Black Friday was massive and he’s hoping for better sales turnover in this year’s edition. “ I actually joined the promotion last year and it was beyond my expectation. The orders I got really wowed me. In fact I got more than I bargained for and at a point in time I blamed myself why I had not stocked more.

This year, I am better prepared, my store has increased its inventory. I have more orders and I know that this Black Friday will be better than last year,” he said.

A JForce Agent, Abraham Elegba who is really excited about black friday said “This year’s Jumia Black Friday, I am excited because I know millions of items will be on promotion and it will be a good time for me and everyone to buy all the items that we couldn't due to the rise in the price of things in Nigeria at the moment,” Abraham said. A JForce agent is a sales consultant and a Jumia customer who earns a certain percentage as commission for successful orders placed for self or for others on Jumia’s platform.

The entrepreneur who is part of the Lagos State JForce network further explained how the initiative helps meet the needs of consumers. “I have been a Jforce agent with Jumia for over 7 years now. Being a JForce agent is to provide customers satisfaction at the comfort of their homes with the best and affordable products. Most consumers are looking for the best product without stress.”

For Jumia consumer, Blessing Benson, she is looking forward to Black Friday because it is an opportunity to acquire some of the products she has always purchased at a much lower price, “When I buy on Jumia, I buy items for my stretch marks. I buy on Jumia because it is convenient for me and it is guaranteed that I will get the items I ordered for ”

Big global brands like Umdigi, Oraimo, Adidas, Samsung and Unilever, all partnered with Jumia Nigeria for the 2021 Black Friday sales to thrill their consumers with special offers that help maintain brand affinity and loyalty. Jumia’s partnerships with these brands and organizations have enabled SMEs to connect with millions of consumers online which in turn leads to job creations in the economy.

So, if you have that high end product you’ve been looking to acquire, the ongoing Black Friday sales might be that big opportunity to own it. Just be on the lookout for what the partner brands are offering during the period. You can check online sales platforms like Jumia to get information on when and how to benefit from the Black Friday discounts. You might end up having a November to remember in that regard.