₦airaland Forum

When Tayo Oviosu quit his job in the US technology sector to return to Nigeria in 2008, he was a man in search of an idea. In common with many other start-up visionaries, his eureka moment sprang from an everyday frustration: in his case the need to carry large bundles of naira because cash machines and card readers seemed perennially on the blink. The result was Paga — the country’s answer to PayPal — which this year crossed the threshold of $1bn of transactions since inception.

Paga’s story would be notable solely for the light it sheds on the thrill-ride of entrepreneurship in Nigeria, where investors have tended to focus on the established oil and banking sectors rather than assume the considerable risks of starting new businesses from scratch.
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But Paga’s prospects also have implications for Nigeria’s broader trajectory. If the six-year-old company is able to find private equity investors or other backers, its service could play an even bigger role in supporting the small- and medium-sized enterprises needed to diversify an economy long distorted by the oil industry.
“What was driving me was my own frustration of carrying cash in Nigeria — I was banking at two different banks, point of sale machines were never working, ATMs always had errors,” says Mr Oviosu, founder and chief executive. “If Nigeria is going to be the economic juggernaut we think it can be, we need to solve payments.”
Africa’s mobile banking revolution has been well documented in countries such as Kenya, where city-dwellers increasingly rely on phones to send earnings to relatives in their home villages. In Nigeria, which has a more developed banking sector, Mr Oviosu sees Paga’s role primarily in terms of facilitating payments for goods and services.
To expand the reach of its mobile platform and Android app, Paga has enlisted a network of shopkeepers and kiosk owners to provide the basic functions of a bank teller. These Paga agents can deposit cash directly into a bank account on a customer’s behalf, for example, or redeem payments sent by a Paga user to a non-user’s phone.
With some 9,000 agents across the country, Paga effectively boasts double the number of branches run by Nigeria’s entire banking sector — and it plans to expand its network dramatically in 2016. The system is already being used to settle monthly pay-TV, internet and electricity bills and is particularly handy for Nigeria’s smaller businesses and self-employed professionals, who often request payment via a bank deposit — partly accounting for long queues seen at counters.
Mr Oviosu has managed to attract a core of foreign investors who are sufficiently bullish on Nigeria’s prospects to risk their money in a young business that aims to become profitable next year. His next challenge is to find backers with pockets deep enough to fund plans to rapidly increase the numbers of users in Nigeria, then expand into Ghana and ultimately other African countries.
Mr Oviosu says: “What we’re trying to do at Paga is to make an efficient payment system accessible to all Nigerians. Whether you’re a business, an individual — banked or unbanked — how do you pay and how do you get paid?”

Last Thursday, Facebook and Jumia Nigeria partnered to host the first ‘Boost Your Business’ event in Nigeria at the Landmark Event Centre.

More than 500 Nigerian entrepreneurs gathered to network, hear about marketing best practices, and learn about how they can use Facebook and Jumia to grow their businesses.

The event served as a rallying call for Nigerian entrepreneurs, who have an invaluable role to play in growing the country’s economy.

The one-day workshop provided entrepreneurs and business owners with best practices and advice from top business owners, illustrating how using Facebook and Jumia can help them maximise sales on Black Friday, this Friday 27th of November. The first 200 people that registered each received a N5,000 voucher for Facebook Ads.

The backbone of the economy

“We enjoyed sharing our ideas at last week’s workshop about how effective, easy to use, and mobile social media solutions can help Nigerian entrepreneurs accelerate the growth of their businesses,” said Nunu Ntshingila, Head of Facebook Africa.

“SMEs are the backbone of Nigeria’s economy and encouraging entrepreneurial activity is critical to its growth and development. As of May this year, more than half the people on Facebook in Nigeria were connected to an SME.”

Added Jeremy Doutte, CEO of Jumia Africa: “Jumia is proud to partner with Facebook in Nigeria for the very first time. We are delighted to host an event for the booming Nigerian business community and our sellers in particular, providing them with a better understanding of how they can use Jumia and Facebook to grow their businesses exponentially.

Black Friday is also around the corner and we have been witnessing already 100 times more traction on our website than the traction we had last year for this sale. This event was thus an opportunity for us to bring our sellers together, and coach them on how to make the most of Black Friday”

With more than 15 million monthly active mobile users, 16 million total monthly active users, and 7.1 million daily active users in Nigeria, Facebook is the mobile solution for Nigerian businesses of all sizes.

Facebook is where customers spend their time

“SMEs are the engines for job growth in the world economy, accounting for 80% of jobs worldwide.

As a platform that democratises marketing, Facebook can help small businesses to reach their full potential,” says Ebele Okobi, Facebook’s Head of Public Policy for Africa. “We give them a platform to advertise where customers already spend their time and make it easy for small businesses to communicate with people anytime, anywhere.”

Nigerian start-ups and small businesses are already benefitting from the way that Facebook helps them to talk to customers in an affordable, personalised manner. Jay Osbie Clothing, a seller on Jumia for example, is using Facebook to promote its brand for fashion-forward men and bring interested customers back to his shop on Jumia.

“Facebook is significantly cheaper than other channels. Actually, it’s not even comparable,” says Jay Osbie, the founder. His Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/jayosbie/?fref=ts) has 6,500 fans and his Instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/jayosbie) has 1,800 followers.

Jay produces strong visual content and reached an Average Relevance score of 7 out of 10. He also recently ran link ads and paid $260 for 14k clicks ($0.02 per click).

Girly Essentials, a one-stop shop for affordable and unique women’s products, has 176,000 fans on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/GirlyEssentials/?fref=ts) and 3,200 followers on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/girlyessentialsshop). It’s all about building a community, says founder Chinma Nwaozuzu, adding, “People ask how I’ve grown my business – I say Facebook – ads on Facebook.”

Chinma does not have a team of people; “it is only Chinma!” she says and adds that she has grown her business by building trust through building a community first.

IlekeHD:
Woah am I seeing things?
Isn't Dr.Ferlie the same person as FStranger etc?

zimoni:
Edumare ooooo

Musulumi ni me e pe in oooo. Hin wa lara hian Yoruba ke support Buhari, musulumi se ni opolopo rian. Me mo wi hin se elesin musulumi.

Hinpele, a ku ise oni.

DrFerlie:
Dr Ferlie is Dr Ferlie, toyinrayo ...Long time..

modath:
Opolopo ra i se GBOGBO now...

Mo si wa lehin PMB, amo o mi se mi nipa pe e fiya je i on omi da oro aje ilu u laa mu... owo yerepe le tun ikankan se, ojuboro e gba omo lo ekuro..

modath:
Opolopo ra i se GBOGBO now...

Mo si wa lehin PMB, amo o mi se mi nipa pe e fiya je i on omi da oro aje ilu u laa mu... owo yerepe le tun ikankan se, ojuboro e gba omo lo ekuro..

zimoni:
His dad is from Ilesha in Osun State. The State of The Living Spring. fvck Aregbe who changed it to Land of Whatever

IlekeHD:
Na so?

I will ask you about this in June 2016.

modath:
No problem, i have hopes... ologogoro was no option..

Ritchiee:
I will have to agree that you have a good team here,lovely bruddah...

OnReflection:
Documentary (Olumo Rock)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMtmmiv739A

zimoni:
Good one Bro.

We will beat Super Chicken to Stupor

Shymm3x:
John Fashanu was an decent striker and very notorious during his playing days. It's not easy to score 100 goals in the EPL, especially for the club he played for. He'll definitely make the list.

John Salako was actually born in Ibadan and he came to the UK when he was 10. Though his mum is white. Don't let his accent fool you cos he talks more white than even a lot of white people lool. He was pretty decent as well, though his goal record isn't that great. He was capped more times by England than John Fashanu (played for England 5 times). And to get that during that era where you had Shearer, Teddy Sheringham, Gazza, Matt Le Tissier, Gary Lineker, Peter Beardsley etc. shows he wasn't that bad.

Aareonakakanfo:
Smh! Some people will complain about what we're talking about yet they'll be the one going off-point

Shymm3x so you wan leave me for here after december bah?

No tttink am.

IlekeHD:
You sound like an atheist.....if so, I owe you a drink.

If not...... If the bible claims that we're all sinners [I find that I like to sin quite a lot], how can someone die sinlessly?

IlekeHD:
Christianity........a nest of confusion.

Since when did a man of God have the power to determine who gets through the gate of heaven?

Actually the bible is quite unclear.

Owu Falls: Water which listens to human voices

https://nationalmirroronline.net/new/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/water1.jpg

Owu falls are the highest and most spectacular natural water fall in West Africa. It is located in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State. The water falls stand as one of the symbol of nature which its existence is untraceable, but can only be appreciated and promoted by exploring.

The water fall is 120m above water level and cascades 330 feet down an escarpment with rocky out crops to a pool of ice cold water below. The water falls is surrounded with a beautiful natural ambience and hills which makes sightseeing a memorable experience.

It is characterised with fall of ice cold water, beautiful rocky part and walk ways, and evergreen surrounding. Nestled in the soothing forest with luxuriant vegetation and breath taking landscape of Owa-Kajola, in Isin owu area of Kwara State, the Owu Falls beckons.

Owu Falls is said to have been brought to limelight by Reverend Plafare Dui over 40 years ago, during missionary activities for the Sudan Interior Mission, now known as Evangelical Church of West Africa. Owu falls is surrounded by a stretch of mountains extending to Ekiti and Kogi states.

The rich and lush green vegetation makes the environment attractive to visitors and other creatures like birds, monkeys and reptiles. The natural flora and fauna have turned the falls into a nature seekers delight. Folklore has it that Owu falls, was once home to giant snakes and birds that threatened the communal life of the villagers.

This situation persisted until after 1940, when according to the narration, “God in His infinite mercies and love for His people struck the snake with thunder, and miraculously sent the dangerous birds away.”

According to oral history, the founding fathers of Owu, Owa-Kajola and Owa Onire were siblings from Owa family. Then, they lived on the hills above the falls, without knowing of the existence of the waterfalls below till the settlers moved to the present location (Owa-Kajola) in 1940, due to the unavailability of social amenities and the rocky nature of the terrain which made farming very tedious.

With that movement, one of the brothers, Owa Kajola established his home close to this falls, while Owa Onire moved to the city boundary near Isanlu, in the present Kogi State. It is believed in Owu community and its environs that the falls respond to human voices.

Call on it in a very loud voice and it will respond by bringing down more torrential water. One attraction of Owu falls is its coolness which is usually experienced even from a distance of about 10 kilometres to the site, especially during the raining season.

Though the fall is not an easy place to locate due to the bad state of the road, the intricacy in the location was itself another form of excitement. An Assistant Director, Department of Tourism and Culture says the present administration created a new road to the falls from Owu-Isin, through public/private partnership.

The Ifelodun Local Government Area In a bid to improve the status of the falls, built two blocks of chalets for visitors. Unfortunately, these are now abandoned, dilapidated and covered with bushes. This is one of the highest and most spectacular waterfalls in West-Africa

Shymm3x:
Lool.

I say that all the time but I always end up coming back. But I'm gonna be a year older and I need to prioritise.

This forum is like that chic you have been with for a long time and you are so used to. Then she has an added value that every time you give her the Mutombo the soundtrack that comes to ya head is "best I ever had" and it is always fresh/new. You know sometimes you just wanna leave her and try something new - but every time you try, something is just gonna keep pulling you back to her. That is the story of nairaland.

Hopefully, as we proceed with this thread a lot of interesting topics will keep coming up. You are a star for creating this thread.

Trust me,even on this thread,I lose morale a lot and there have been times when I felt like

"maaaaan let me just deactivate this account" but something keeps pulling me back

But at the end of the day, we can't be here forever.The time will come when you just lose interest completely

I might just take that break unexpectedly but I'll surely come back

I'm still working on trying to get DAWN in here and other south-west states so we know our voices are being heard.For now,everything is just on paper.

I'm getting bored of the fantasy league

forgiveness:
So, Ijesha ni ERE(Python), Ijebu ni Oka(cobra).

razid:
@Aareonakakanfo
I didn't particularly take the issue of generating huge revenue from our enormous tourism potentials until I watched the documentary on this place on Channels TV tonight. I think you need to visit this place ASAP and add it to your collections. Quite fantastic. You can also do a little research on this. But it's so pathetic that the road leading to this great place is quite horrible. What a shame!

Aareonakakanfo:
Owu falls bah? Its in Nasarawa state.

For me,the standard is still Obudu ranch tho.I wonder what you will say when you see Obudu.Its gooorgeous! The whole packaging

But I still believe our tourist sites in the south-west have more potentials than Obudu

Egbon mi,trust me,we have a long way to go.Our leaders need to wake up and that's why we need to get closer to them

Enough of the talk-talk.South-west states need to open Nairaland accounts so they can hear us

razid:
Noooooooooooooo. It's in Kwara State Ifelodun Local Government. Owa Kajola

Shymm3x:
I believe he was just being biblical. Every sane mind who's highly educated knows that there's no heaven or hell - if anything, both exist on this planet. The good and bad times.

Heaven and hell were just created to scare folks to embrace religion during the medieval ages. However, there might be afterlife cos all ancient cultures did allude to that and that has absolutely nothing to do with judgement day or the biblical heaven and hell.

There's no "good" or "bad" in life - everything just depends on ya mentality and what governs ya conscience. Let's leave religious folks alone to do their thing. If religion guides them to be righteous and embrace humanity, who are we to critique their choice? It's all about loving humanity.

I'm not an atheist - I do believe in the most high, supreme being, and the maker. But I believe we all should just allow everyone do whatever they want to do, if enhancing humanity is the nucleus of their beliefs.

forgiveness:
@bolded, Are you saying the bible confirmed we are sinners because you sin o sorry we sin a lot?

How can somebody go to heaven with sin?

forgiveness:
The bible is crystal clear only when you become blind.

Aareonakakanfo:
Trust me,even on this thread,I lose morale a lot and there have been times when I felt like

"maaaaan let me just deactivate this account" but something keeps pulling me back

But at the end of the day, we can't be here forever.The time will come when you just lose interest completely

I might just take that break unexpectedly but I'll surely come back

I'm still working on trying to get DAWN in here and other south-west states so we know our voices are being heard.For now,everything is just on paper.

I'm getting bored of the fantasy league

quimicababes:
aareonakakanfo...I think I dey see u for there and no wonder u say I no go see nada nah...but if dt be ur name..I remember a comment from dt name nah

That's my friend.I gats hide my Identity you know.All he did was copy and paste

I'll tell him to delete it soon because you go catch me for him friends list

forgiveness:
Sir, First of all,education can't search out the existence of God. The only thing that proves the existence of God is the bible and the the history of Israel.

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and God head; so that you are without excuse. Romans 1:29

Yes, consider how Israel was made and the power behind his existence until now despite the enemies surrounding them. Then you will know God used Israel to prove a point he exist and heaven and hell are real.

quimicababes:
aareonakakanfo...I think I dey see u for there and no wonder u say I no go see nada nah...but if dt be ur name..I remember a comment from dt name nah

Aareonakakanfo:
That's my friend.I gats hide my Identity you know.All he did was copy and paste

I'll tell him to delete it soon because you go catch me for him friends list