General News
Courier Operators Shift Gear, Key into Commerce Delivery
Private Courier operators, were seemingly, taken by surprise when the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) and Konga.com, Nigeria’s largest online marketplace, announced a partnership for the use of NIPOST post offices as pick up locations for Konga orders.
The UNILAG collection centre is the first in a series of collaborations by the two parties to address logistics and delivery issues experienced by eCommerce operators in Nigeria.
This, Dr, Simon Emeje, senior postmaster general of the Federation and head of the Courier Regulatory Department (CRD), told Nigeria CommunicationsWeek, informed their decision to organize series of workshop and networking platforms for both parties to have a handshake, share ideas on e-commerce delivery through the indigenous courier firms.
Emeje said that although Africa’s logistics market opportunity is big and compelling with a potential of $300 annual return, CRD foresees a period most of the courier operators in Nigeria will leverage e-commerce delivery to better their worth.
According to him, the e-commerce logistics include warehousing, order processing and other services before actual delivery, but the unique challenges include infrastructure, talents, internet penetration, payments, and with peculiar to Nigeria, the need for improved regulations.
Speaking to Nigeria CommunicationsWeek in his office on the matter, Mr. Siyanbola Oladapo, president of the Association of Nigeria Courier Operators (ANCO) said that over the years, the industry players have been monitoring trends in both the capital market and e-commerce in Nigeria, and now view the latter as better option in the prevailing circumstances.
Although, Oladapo rule out complete exit of courier operators from the capital market, but he believes that e-commerce is favourably disposed to the members who are looking out for more innovative ways to restore the sub-sector’s lost glory.
There are close to 300 courier operators in Nigeria, majority of them are bent on delivering capital market dispatches like dividend- warrants, annual reports, among others.
However, the ANCO President said, “Of recent, we have been having a lot of seminars organized by ANCO and also the Courier Regulatory Department (CRD) of NIPOST, then, our members are beginning to see the business sense in e-commerce delivery”.
Asked how he received the news of the NIPOST/Konga.com partnership, he said, “Well, it is part of the challenge we still face in on environment where a player also regulates. In actually sense, what NIPOST ought to link Konga to private operators who are decentralized, structured and professionals too.
“It is unlike we are not ready to play major role in the e-commerce delivery, for instance, another e-commerce platform (name undisclosed), approached ANCO and we agreed on our members carrying out their deliveries. If NIPOST, a government agency could take up the large chuck of the market, how can government claim to have the heart to cater for the common interest of the private operators?
“On our part at ANCO, we have been extending our tentacles to other institutions in search of ways to prevent dearth of courier operators in Nigeria”.
E-commerce is one area to look for continued growth and real opportunity in Nigeria.
In 2014 Nigeria recorded over $2 million worth of online transactions per week and close to $1.3 billion monthly.
Nigeria’s e-commerce market is developing rapidly, with an estimated growth rate of 25 percent annually, which spurred CRD to orgnaise seminars in 2014, creating avenues for courier operators to meet e-ecommerce platforms.
Nigerians are notorious for their love of shopping too; for instance, the Euromonitor Nigeria in a 2011 report revealed that Nigerians spend $6.3 billion per year on clothing.
In a recent survey conducted by Philip Consulting 38% of Nigerians prefer to buy products through the internet.
Also, Middle class consumers are the biggest purchasers online.
Earlier this month, Bloomberg, New York based financial newswire service report shows that Nigeria has been ranked among 20 fastest growing economies in the World.
Confirming the report, Kaymu.com.ng, leading online shopping community, attributed the nation’s listing to the upshot of e-commerce.
In an accompanying chart by Bloomberg, Nigeria with an expected growth rate of 4.9% was ranked sixth behind China (7%), the Philippines (6.3%), Kenya (6%), India (5.5%) and Indonesia (5.4%).
Evangeline Wiles, managing director of Kaymu.com, said, “Nigeria’s e-commerce space is the fastest growing in Africa contributing a monthly spends of 1.3bn to the Nigerian retail sector. The role the retail sector plays in driving Nigeria’s economy cannot be overemphasized as a country’s purchasing power is a major driver of the economy”.
Police in Abuja have uncovered a criminal group making fake diplomatic and government number plates.
Ahmed Sanusi, commissioner of Police FCT, stated this during a press briefing on Friday.
He explained that criminals use these fake plates to dodge security checks and enter restricted areas.
The investigation started soon after Sanusi took office.
He noticed too many unauthorized cars driving around with official government and diplomatic tags.
“I immediately ordered a comprehensive investigation into this disturbing trend,” Sanusi said. He noted that these individuals use the plates as a cover to commit crimes and avoid arrest.
The police have already arrested several people caught using the fake plates.
They have also figured out who is making them.
The manufacturers operate outside Abuja, and police are actively hunting them down.
Sanusi kept their names secret so they would not flee.
He stressed that this is a highly profitable illegal business.
Buyers pay between N500,000 and N1.7 million for a single fake plate.
“This will tell you that they are making such huge expenditure because they have an agenda,” Sanusi explained.
“Now they will face punishment that is bigger than both the cost they incur and the agenda they are planning.”
The commissioner urged residents to report any cars with suspicious diplomatic plates.
He reminded the public that real diplomatic tags follow a very specific format.
A diplomatic number plate in Nigeria is a special vehicle identification tag issued to foreign embassies, high commissions, and accredited international diplomats.
Gavi has approved $500 million to strengthen Nigeria’s immunisation programme, primary healthcare services and long-term vaccine financing.
The move followed high-level discussions between Professor Muhammad Ali Pate, coordinating minister of Health and Social Welfare, ]and Dr. Sania Nishtar, chief executive officer, Gavi in Abuja.
The funding, approved under the Gavi 6.0 programme, will support Nigeria’s efforts to accelerate routine immunisation, sustain polio eradication, expand HPV vaccination, strengthen primary healthcare services, and improve long-term vaccine financing.
Speaking during the meeting, Pate said Nigeria was strengthening its partnership with Gavi to accelerate immunisation, expand primary healthcare services, and ensure sustainable financing for vaccines.
He welcomed Gavi’s country-focused reforms, including the introduction of a predictable five-year funding envelope.
Pate said the US$500 million allocation will enable Nigeria to plan more effectively and deliver life-saving vaccines to more children and vulnerable populations.
The minister also revealed that quarterly visits to primary healthcare centreshad increased from about 10 million in 2023 to more than 45 million, reflecting significant progress in revitalising the country’s primary healthcare system.
Pate welcomed the announcement of a US$600 million pledge by the United States government to Gavi, describing it as a strong endorsement of the alliance’s leadership and the global value of vaccines.
He also commended Nishtar for prioritising Nigeria and praised the closer coordination among Gavi, World Health Organisation (WHO), UNICEF, World Bank, Gates Foundation, and other development partners, describing it as a model that has improved efficiency and aligned support with Nigeria’s health sector reforms.
The minister expressed appreciation to Gavi and its partners for their continued technical and financial support, while calling on state governments to invest more in healthcare and immunisation to complement federal efforts.
For many women, financial independence means the freedom to provide for their families and build a better future. Yet, this remains out of reach due to limited access to opportunities, business support, and secure payment solutions.
Like millions of women in Nigeria determined to be financially independent, Pricillia started with a single PalmPay POS terminal, and as an agent, every successful transaction provided a commission which brought her one step closer to achieving her dream.
Through consistency, discipline, and support from the payment platform, she reinvested her earnings and eventually opened her own provision store.
“I started as just a PalmPay agent with one POS. The consistency of the platform gave me the confidence to expand. With the income I earned, I was able to open my own provision shop.” Priscilla said.
For Priscilla, PalmPay was more than a payment platform. Its secure payment infrastructure gave her the confidence to serve her customers, build trust, and grow her income.
Today, Pricillia has joined the statistics of SMEs powering Nigeria’s economy and PalmPay continues to support her daily operations, helping her receive payments, as she works towards her next business milestone. Her journey is a reminder that when women have access to secure financial tools and opportunities, they can build lasting economic independence.
Speaking on Pricillia’s journey, Femi Hanson, Head of Marketing, PalmPay said: “Providing a secure platform that users can trust, whether for everyday payments or high-value transactions, is central to our vision of advancing financial inclusion. Priscilla’s story reflects our commitment to supporting the ambitions of Nigerians by providing a platform they can rely on to grow their finances. After all, seamless banking begins with security, and every successful transaction reinforces the trust our users place in us.”
Priscilla stands among thousands of PalmPay agents nationwide who are helping to expand financial access across Nigeria while earning commissions to create sustainable sources of income for themselves.
Every payment tells a story. It begins with trust, the confidence that your money is secure and that financial services are accessible. And when that opportunity reaches women, it creates ripple effects that transform families, strengthen communities, and drive economic growth.
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