E-Business
Konga, Frontier Technology Livestreaming Partner to Empower Rural Farmers Across Nigeria
Konga, foremost composite e-commerce giant has partnered with UKAid funded Frontier Technology Livestreaming to deploy the power of e-commerce in reaching rural farmers across Nigeria’s vast landscape.
Indeed, the partnership will see Konga – a major player in Africa’s biggest market – leverage its huge technology backbone, considerable network of branches across the nooks and crannies of Nigeria, its considerable delivery capacity and effortless ability to reach the last mile in empowering the beneficiaries to do more.
The partnership involves implementing a pilot through the Frontier Technology Livestreaming Programme, a UKAid funded programme established in 2016 that is designed to help innovators apply frontier technologies to the biggest challenges in development.
Specifically, Konga emerged as the technology partner for the project after it came out tops in a rigorous selection process.
The e-commerce giant is expected to deploy its various assets in ameliorating or trouble-shooting supply chain issues which hamper the output of rural, smallholder farmers in Nigeria. These include their access and time to market for critical agricultural inputs, as well as their pricing and the quality of these goods.
Through Konga, the pilot aims to enable rural farmers to be reached more effectively, seamlessly and quicker with farming essentials such as crop seedlings, fertilizers and much more.
This is expected to significantly improve the quality of grown crops, further translating to better margins and revenue for beneficiaries.
In addition, these smallholder farmers can now reach consumers and markets in the metropolises or urban centres with their harvested products in record time through K-Xpress – Konga’s internally-owned, technology-driven logistics company which boasts advanced competencies in delivery.
Equally important and beyond the pilot, farmers are expected to be able to take advantage of Konga’s online marketplace to reach a bigger audience of potential consumers of their products by setting up their stores and listing their farm produce on the platform.
Also, the platform will afford them a chance to structure their pricing, while leveraging Konga Pay, a Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) licensed e-wallet to receive payments from customers.
Nick Imudia, co-chief executive officer at Konga Group,said ‘‘Through this landmark partnership between Konga and Frontier Technology Livestreaming, we expect to play a central role in not only empowering but also positively changing the narrative for rural farmers across Nigeria.
“The world as a whole has been making progress towards improved food security and we cannot deny the crucial role that agriculture plays in the process of overall national development.
‘‘In fact, rural farmers are central to the achievement of the aforementioned ideals, especially in view of their indispensability in the system of things.
“However, these smallholder farmers are beset by a number of challenges which hamper their ability to scale.
‘‘This is where Konga and Frontier Technology Livestreaming come in, backed by DFID.
“Through this project, we aim to see these farmers take advantage of the power of e-commerce and technology, by extension, in boosting their contributions to the task of achieving food security in Nigeria,’’ he disclosed.
‘‘Konga will provide the much-needed assets – access, our marketplace platform, delivery vans, bikes and lorries, payment wallet and more – for the achievement of these objectives while Frontier Technology Livestreaming will bring essential innovation, governance and programme management expertise to bear on the project,’’ he concluded.
Mallam Kashifu Abdullahi, director-general, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has reaffirmed the importance of collaboration in advancing Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda.
L-R: Mallam Kashifu Abdullahi, director-general, National Information Technology Development Agency, with Brig. Gen., Abdulrahman Idris, team lead of the Senior Executive Course 46 2024, National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Jos during a strategic tour visit to the agency headquarters in Abuja.
Abdullahi disclosed this during a strategic engagement with participants of the 2024 Senior Executive Course 46 from the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), a delegation led by Brigadier General Abdulrahman Idris.
Abdullahi emphasised that no organisation can achieve its goals in isolation, stressing the need for collaborative efforts to harness ideas, experiences and insights for national development. He highlighted the potential of collaboration between NITDA and NIPSS to leverage technology and digital innovation for driving economic growth, creating job opportunities and attracting foreign direct investment (FDI).
“At NITDA, we have re-imagined our social contract with Nigerians, focusing on improving service delivery and fostering the swift growth of the ICT sector,” said Abdullahi. He emphasised the agency’s commitment to serving Nigerians and outlined the strategic direction outlined in NITDA’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan (SRAP 2024-2027) 2.0. The SRAP is structured around eight pillars aimed at fostering digital literacy, building a robust technology research ecosystem, strengthening policy implementation, promoting inclusive access to digital infrastructure, enhancing cybersecurity, nurturing innovation and entrepreneurship, forging partnerships and cultivating a vibrant organisational culture.
The brigadier-general provided insights into NIPSS’s role as Nigeria’s foremost policy think-tank, tasked with developing top-class technocrats to drive national development initiatives. He highlighted NIPSS’s contributions to policy formulation and implementation over the years, emphasising the institution’s mandate to address issues of national interest, particularly in the digital economy sector.
The collaboration between NITDA and NIPSS underscores the importance of synergistic efforts in harnessing technology and innovation for national development. By leveraging each other’s expertise and resources, both organisations aim to drive economic growth, foster job creation, and position Nigeria as a leading player in the global digital economy.
Through strategic partnerships and collaborative initiatives, NITDA and NIPSS are poised to chart a path towards sustainable development, leveraging digital innovation as a catalyst for socioeconomic transformation and inclusive growth.
Ivorypay, a blockchain-based payment and remittance firm, has teamed with Tether, the stablecoin pioneer, to improve crypto-based transactions across Africa.
Tether is the business that developed the stablecoin, USDT, and with this agreement, it will mint and issue USDT straight to IvoryPay.
According to the partners, this agreement would provide more dependable and economical digital transaction choices to businesses and consumers across Africa.
Ivorypay will leverage Tether’s widespread acceptance to provide a buffer against the typically unpredictable nature of crypto-currencies, increasing user confidence in using digital currencies for daily transactions as well as cross-border transfers.
“Partnering with Tether is a strategic move that aligns perfectly with our vision of simplifying and securing crypto transactions across Africa,” said Oluwatobi Ajayi, CEO, IvoryPay.
He added: “It gives us easy access to the liquidity we need to cater to more businesses and individuals across the continent and to do that cheaper and faster than anybody else, which we believe will significantly enhance user trust and increase adoption rates across our platforms.”
“This strategic partnership between Ivorypay and Tether represents a transformative step for digital transactions across Africa,” said Aly Madhavji, managing partner of Blockchain Founders Fund.
“By incorporating USDT into their payment systems, IvoryPay aims to increase financial inclusion and streamline cross-border remittances, establishing a new standard for stability and efficiency in the region’s financial services We are thrilled to assist Ivorypay as they endeavour to create new opportunities for businesses and consumers across Africa.”
The Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) has revoked the certificates of incorporation of NIPOST Properties and Development Company and NIPOST Transport and Logistics Services Limited.
This revocation followed the discovery of an illegal transfer of N10 billion in restructuring funds released by the Federal Ministry of Finance to the agency’s subsidiaries.
The CAC, in a statement on Monday, said, “The General Public is hereby informed that the Commission, sequel to its powers contained in Section 41 (7) of the Companies and Allied Matters Act No. 3 of 2020, revoked the Certificates of incorporation of the below-mentioned companies because the same was improperly procured. These companies are:
“1. NIPOST Transport and Logistics Services Company Ltd RC 1673881 and 2. NIPOST Properties & Development Company Ltd RC 1673971.
“By virtue of these revocations, the Companies are deemed to be dissolved and their Assets and Liabilities transferred to the Nigeria Postal Services established under the Nigerian Postal Services Act Cap N127 LFN 2004.”
It was gathered that CAC records confirm that as of November 8, 2023, some top officials of BPE control significant shares in the subsidiaries.
Responding to these discoveries, the Senate passed a resolution on December 30, 2023, for a probe into the matter.
The resolution declared the NIPOST subsidiaries in question “irregular and illegal” and recommended their immediate winding-up and deregistration.
The Senate resolution goes beyond immediate action; it demanded a thorough investigation into the N10 billion voted by the Ministry of Finance for NIPOST’s restructuring and recapitalisation.
Should evidence of “injudicious utilisation” surface, the Senate said the committee responsible must recover the full amount.
In its resolution of December 30, 2023, the Red Chamber said it uncovered an alleged illegal transfer of Federal Government shares in two NIPOST subsidiaries to private individuals.
The discovered infractions sparked outrage, prompting the lawmakers to call for immediate action.
Some individuals in key positions within the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and NIPOST were listed as shareholders of the two NIPOST subsidiaries.
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