News
How Konga is Revolutionizing Agriculture in Nigeria through e-Commerce
Konga, Nigeria’s foremost composite retail giant, has once again led from the front, revolutionizing agriculture in Nigeria by leveraging e-Commerce in helping rural farmers access better agricultural inputs such as crop seedlings, fertilizers and much more at highly competitive prices.
The initiative, a first in Africa, is a partnership with UKAid-funded Frontier Technology Livestreaming established in 2016 to help innovators apply frontier technologies to the biggest challenges in development.
The programme, which commenced in March 2019, has seen Konga – arguably the most trusted player in Africa’s biggest market – leverage its e-Commerce engine, huge technology backbone, Central Bank of Nigeria-licensed payment system – KongaPay, considerable network of branches across the nook and crannies of Nigeria, advanced delivery capabilities through an internally owned logistics outfit – KXpressand effortless ability to reach the last mile in empowering rural, smallholder farmers to overcome obstacles faced in their agricultural practices.
Konga emerged as the technology partner for the project after it came out tops in a rigorous selection process.
Through Konga, the agricultural sector – one of the most important in Nigeria in view of the fact that it provides livelihoods for about 70 per cent of the rural population – is receiving a much-needed turnaround aided by technology.
Part of the challenges that have for long held back this critical sector is that of reduced yields attributed to limited use of modern agricultural inputs by farmers, sub-optimal delivery times and limited information on availability and price.
This problem confronts about 80 per cent of farmers in the rural population, the overwhelming majority of whom are small-scale farmers who contend with low productivity, resulting in severely reduced incomes. In addition, these farmers are often excluded from the formal sector and find it difficult to access capital or credit facilities. Also, most agriculture input suppliers are based in the urban areas, with limited presence in rural areas due to high transaction costs.
However, Konga is bringing its suite of advanced competencies to bear in revolutionizing this sector.
Specifically, Konga is making it easy for these rural, smallholder farmers to purchase agricultural inputs online, meeting demands that have for long defied government and other allied agencies. Further, the e-Commerce giant is providing farmers in hard-to-reach, far-flung and under-served locations in Nigeria with an easy to use platform for listing and purchasing agricultural inputs and products, as well as providing logistics through KXpress and a reliable payment solution through KongaPay within the ecosystem.
Konga’s e-Commerce platform is accessible to rural farmers with low internet connectivity, allowing them to buy inputs at competitive prices from agro-dealers and suppliers, with pre and post-pay options.
So far, Konga has recorded commendable success with the initiative, onboarding 12 merchants, recording over 7000 hits on the website and successfully delivering scores of orders.
GaniatEttu, an Independent Technical Expert on the project, has hailed Konga for its sterling work.
‘‘The biggest challenge has been onboarding the suppliers, the agro dealers. Konga is used to doing business with dealers, but they found that in this space, it’s not business as usual given that their customers (the farmers) operate in rural or peri-rural areas…Physical sales are what works for them. If farmers can access agricultural inputs they require at the right price and when they need them, this will increase their yields and productivity will rise significantly.’’
Meanwhile, the pilot initiative, which has seen a fruitful marriage of e-Commerce and agriculture, has also seen potential talks of Konga making additional critical investments in agri-tech.
This was confirmed by Nick Imudia, Co-CEO, Konga Group, who described the experience garnered from the project as very insightful and useful.
‘‘The agricultural sector in Nigeria requires government to better channel its resources in helping it to scale. There are fears of famine or food insecurity in Nigeria in the next six months as recently predicted by the United Nations. But our experience shows that Nigerian rural farmers have the capacity to feed the nation and even have some left over for export. All they need is the right support.
‘‘We are doing our best in this area as well but we cannot do it alone. What determines whether we grow the category or invest is the number of customers we get. Do we get unique requests for products? Do we see growth in specific regions that would mean opening warehouses or new logistical hubs?’’ he concluded.
Accelerating artificial intelligence (AI) adoption could increase Africa’s GDP by up to 4% over the next decade, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
In a report released on Tuesday, titled Africa Can Grow Faster With AI—If It Moves Now, economists from the IMF’s Africa Department say current levels of AI adoption and utilisation are expected to contribute just 0.2% to the region’s GDP over the next 10 years.
However, the report says stronger adoption, supported by the right infrastructure and policies, could raise the economic impact to about 4% by extending AI beyond today’s digitally connected firms.
Martin Schindler and other IMF economists say: “AI adoption in sub-Saharan Africa currently lags well behind every other region. If richer economies race ahead while African firms and governments lag, the productivity gap between the region and the rest of the world will only widen.”
Early signs of AI adoption are emerging across Africa, with countries including Zimbabwe, Kenya, Egypt and Nigeria developing AI strategies.
Telecommunications operators, including Vodacom, Econet, Africell and MTN, are also integrating AI into their operations and networks.
Other examples include chatbots supporting teaching and learning in Nigeria and the South African Revenue Service’s use of data analytics for targeted tax audits.
However, the IMF says AI adoption must extend beyond these early use cases to deliver meaningful economic benefits.
“For the region, AI’s main promise is not about replacing office workers, but boosting productivity across the economy—helping informal firms manage inventory, enabling farmers to increase yields, and supporting mid-sized firms to transition to formality and export readiness,” the report reads.
The IMF is urging governments to prioritise investment in reliable electricity, affordable broadband, data infrastructure and digital skills to support wider AI adoption.
Many African countries, including Zimbabwe, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon, continue to face electricity shortages, while broadband services remain costly and coverage is uneven.
The Fund believes stronger investment in power, connectivity, regional data infrastructure and digital skills would help unlock AI’s economic potential.
National Population Commission (NPC) has commenced the nationwide digital registration of births and deaths under the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (E-CRVS) system to strengthen legal identity management and improve demographic data.
Speaking at a press briefing in Lokoja on Tuesday, Mr Afolabi Yori, federal commissioner representing Kogi, said the initiative became operational nationwide on July 1, through the VitalReg platform.
Yori described the development as a landmark in Nigeria’s civil registration system, noting that it would modernise birth and death registration through a technology-driven platform that meets international standards.
He said the digital platform would improve service delivery, strengthen data integrity and ensure that every birth and death occurring in Nigeria was accurately documented and securely stored.
According to him, civil registration is more than an administrative process, as it provides reliable statistics that support public policy formulation, resource allocation and national development planning.
“Nigeria records an estimated five million births annually, yet millions of births and deaths remain unregistered.
“Birth registration coverage currently stands at about 57 per cent nationwide, while death registration remains below 20 per cent,” he said.
The commissioner said that the commission had established 4,011 functional registration centres across the country’s 774 local government areas and was working to expand the number to about 8,000.
He added that the commission was strengthening collaboration with stakeholders to improve the capacity of registration personnel and ensure prompt documentation of vital events through the VitalReg platform.
Yori said the platform would provide faster registration services, 24-hour online access, digital certificate issuance where applicable, and reduce paperwork, waiting time and unnecessary travel.
He disclosed that the platform was being operated under a Public-Private Partnership with Barnks-forte Technologies Ltd. as the commission’s technical partner to ensure system availability, cybersecurity and continuous technological improvement.
He called on parents, healthcare institutions, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organisations, development partners and the media to support the initiative by encouraging the prompt registration of births and deaths.
Earlier, Samuel Omonakpeme, director in Kogi, NPC State, described the commencement of the digital registration system as another milestone in efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s Civil Registration and Vital Statistics system.
Omonakpeme stated that the initiative aligns with the Federal Government’s digital transformation agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 16.9, which seeks to provide legal identity for all.
He appreciated the Federal Government, the leadership of the commission, UNICEF and other development partners for supporting the implementation of the initiative.
The state director also urged parents, guardians, health institutions, community leaders, religious organisations and the media to mobilise public support for the timely registration of all births and deaths.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that ICT personnel of the commission, led by Ehimoni Kolawole, conducted a live demonstration of the digital birth registration process using the VitalReg platform.
The demonstration showed that the registration process captures the biodata of both parents, while at least one parent must possess a valid National Identification Number (NIN) to complete the registration of a newborn.
Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) has alerted its customers to a fraudulent message circulating on social media, falsely claiming that electricity consumers can receive an additional 20 per cent bonus units when recharging their prepaid meters through unofficial channels.
In a statement issued by the company’s management on Monday, YEDC described the claim as false and urged customers to disregard the misleading information, stressing that it did not originate from the company.
According to the statement, YEDC does not offer bonus electricity units through individuals, agents, personal bank accounts, phone numbers, or social media contacts.
The company advised customers to purchase electricity tokens only through approved cashless payment platforms, including the YEDC Pay App, OPay, Interswitch, and other authorised vending channels, or to visit the nearest YEDC office for assistance.
YEDC also cautioned customers against sharing their meter details or personal information, or making payments to unauthorised persons claiming to represent the company.
The company further urged customers to rely exclusively on information disseminated through its official communication channels to avoid falling victim to fraud.
The management thanked customers for their continued cooperation and reaffirmed its commitment to serving them.
NDIC Begins Payment to Depositors of 46 Failed Microfinance Banks
Telcos Seek Clear Regulatory Framework on Airtime Credit Services
FG Says Rumours, Fear, Can Crash Banks
MTN Warns Customers against Fake Promo
EU Debunks Fake Compensation Scheme Targeting West African Bank Customers
NRC, Ponzi Scheme Collapses Resulting Loss of Billions of Naira
NASENI Moves to Digitize CCB’s 5m Assets Declaration and Operations
Lebara Nigeria Launches Lebara Play, Africa’s First Telecom-Owned Micro-Drama Platform
Tokenization, Blockchain Technology will Transform Financial Institutions – IMF
EFCC Busts NIS Visa Overstay Racket, Uncovers N700m in an Account
News2 days agoYEDC Warns Customers, Says 20 Percent Electricity Bonus is Scam
News2 days agoPFIPC Probe: Dollar, Pounds Accounts of Fake Agency Inactive – CBN
Broadcasting2 days agoNBC, INEC, Plan Joint Broadcast Monitoring Framework ahead of 2027 Elections
News2 days agoSTEM Africa Fest to Nurture Nigeria’s Future Innovators
E-Financial2 days agoNo Going Back on July 31 Deadline for Insurance Firms’ Recapitalisation – NAICOM
E-Business2 days agoJumia Nigeria Expands Flexible Payment Options with Klump Partnership
E-Business2 days agoLagos Unveils N10m Single-digit Loan Scheme for MSMEs
E-Financial2 days agoCourt Affirms FCCPC’s Power to Regulate Digital Lending