Uncategorized
Why Only Truly Indigenous E-Commerce Companies Are Champions
By Dr. Ajit Sigh, international trade lawyer spoke in Lagos on a short visit to Nigeria
By midday on Tuesday September 4th 2018, a remarkable development,whose reverberations are still felt today, shook the e-commerce world and the whole of Wall Street.
Amazon, an American e-commerce giant, had followed Apple Inc. to become the second U.S. company to reach $1 trillion in market value after the company’s shares climbed 1.9%, briefly topping the $2,050.27 needed to push the company’s value above $1 trillion.
To put this in sheer perspective, it is fitting to bear in mind that Nigeria’s current external reserves is pegged at $42.3billion (as at October 25th), a figure which amounts to less than five per cent of Amazon’s worth.
Available data shows that it took Amazon only about 165 trading days to grow its market value from $600 billion in January 2018 to its valuation of $1 trillion in September 2018 – an astronomical rise that saw it put daylight between it and the likes of Microsoft and Google’s parent company, Alphabet. Conversely, Apple needed about 183 trading days to hit the $1 trillion mark after it reached $900 billion in November 2017.
Amazon’s rise can be put down to its unalloyed status as a disruptive force of commerce, with analysts and other Wall Street watchers predicting the company’s imminent overtaking of Apple as the biggest and most valuable company in the United States.
Indeed, the identity of the first five companies on the list of the world’s most valuable companies – Apple, Amazon, Alphabet Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Facebook Inc. – further goes to demonstrate the pre-eminence of tech companies and the undeniable role of technology in the emerging world order of digital wealth where oil, previously the most valuable resource, has been relegated to the back-burner.
Despite its disruptive business model and series of high-profile acquisitions which have undoubtedly boosted its revenues, Amazon remains an e-commerce company – a sector that is fiercely indigenous.
With the backdrop of all the arguments against some of its unfair business practices, Amazon remains a hit with a large segment of the American populace who are traditionally at home with online shopping. According to research, an estimated 79 percent of Americans shop online, a figure that amounts to abouteight in 10 Americans.
While Amazon can be reckoned with as a global e-commerce behemoth, there is no denying the fact that, it will struggle to replicate the brilliant success it has enjoyed in other climes.
As part of its expansionary plans, Amazon has spread its operations to over a dozen countries including the United Kingdom, India, China and Singapore. While sales outside the United States amounts to about a third of its total earnings, the company has also come to learn that selling abroad is not easy. In addition, it has also come to the realization that, e-commerce is best left to the indigenous players who understand the terrain and idiosyncrasies in each country.
Though it has enjoyed a fair measure of success in India where it has attempted to take on FlipKart – the country’s predominant indigenous player – with lower prices, Amazon has been almost an abysmal failure in China – the world’s fastest growing e-commerce market. Alibaba, Pinduodo, Taobao and others are deeply entrenched in the country owing mainly to their understanding of the complex vortex of persuasions influencing the shopping habits at play in that country. Today, Amazon struggles to retain a foothold in China, whereas Alibaba enjoys over 50% of the market share.
Considering the immense financial resources and spending power at its disposal, one will expect that Amazon will conquer every market it berths in. However, the incontrovertible fact remains that, to succeed in any market requires more than just financial power, but a large dose of street-smartness, an understanding of the people and a business model that is realistic and suited to their local circumstances.
Here in Nigeria, the reality is not much different.
Ingrained in the cultural complexities of a society or people are certain peculiarities or predilections, all of which contribute to shaping their every tradition, including their shopping habits.
Despite the growing popularity of online shopping, the average Nigerian, try as hard as you can, will never shake off the practice of preferring to see, touch and/or experience a product before parting with hard-earned money, thereby justifying the increasing relevance of brick-and-mortar stores in Nigerian e-commerce.
Trust also remains a major issue.
In spite of the large strides recorded in the e-commerce sector, many Nigerians are still understandably reluctant to drop their credit card details online due to the real and ever-present potential of cyber-fraud. Others, who have managed to embrace the e-commerce revolution, are still keen to put their trust in the confidence-inducing personal touch that the patronage of a physical retail store inspires. What about the millions of unreached or under-served Nigerians in the hinterlands, devoid of a reliable internet connection and the basic requirements to embrace e-commerce?
It must be stated here that the e-commerce industry also has the capability to unmask mere hype from substance.
Since Nigerians got bitten by the e-commerce bug, the country has seen several foreign players, many of them backed by angel investors and venture capitalists. These fancy new shoesemerge on the scene by painting a larger-than-life picture of overwhelming boom only to fade away after a while and exit the country quietly.
The scenario is a simple but vicious one: the investors are buoyed by projections of Nigeria as Africa’s biggest market, blessed with a youthful, aspirational population on the verge of cracking the e-commerce conundrum and exploding into a money-spinning investor’s dream.
But what happens?
These foreign investors, for all their good intentions, remain what they are famous for: profit-seeking, short-term oriented business impresarios. Once they get tired of seeing their investments fail to yield the promised returns, the patience wears thin. Once this happens, it is only a matter of time before Nigeria counts the many-faceted costs of another failed venture.
History and statistics have revealed worldwide that, only a truly indigenous e-commerce company backed by its own people has the staying power to stick and stand the test of time, irrespective of the regulatory, operational and industry-specific challenges that may arise. Indeed, only a locally-backed e-commerce company with a realistic business model that is not short-term in outlook, can invest significantly in infrastructure and care sufficiently not to embark on random job cuts, all in a bid to satisfy the cravings of impatient venture capitalists.
Nigeria boasts perhaps only one of such powerhouses in Konga – which recently combined its operations with Yudala, another bold player with a futuristic but realistic e-commerce model which has been widely aped by other global e-commerce companies, Amazon inclusive.
Where an e-commerce company proves itself adept at adapting to local circumstances; when it has the boldness to accommodate or fuse online shopping with cost-intensive offline stores nationwide which cater to the needs of the unreached, thereby bringing the convenience of e-commerce home to them; when a business invests considerably in massive regional warehouse facilities; refrains from retrenchments or down-sizing even in the most harsh business cycles and quietly goes about empowering more Nigerians with employment opportunities through its expansionary and ambitious projects, then you are closer to building an e-commerce giant that can rival the Amazons and Alibabas of this world.
Konga owes it to every Nigerian to remain in business forever…
Climate Action Africa (CAA), a leading advocate for climate resilience and sustainable development, has announced the opening of applications for the Deal Room at the 2024 Climate Action Africa Forum (CAAF24). The Deal Room is a groundbreaking platform that aims to connect high-impact climate innovators in Africa with potential investors seeking to accelerate sustainable solutions.
The CAAF Deal Room is a strategic initiative that aims to create opportunities for innovators in the climate-tech domain focusing on emission reduction, energy, agriculture, transportation, circular economy, and building and construction.
The goal of the Deal Room is to select finalists who will have the opportunity to pitch their innovative ideas and solutions at the upcoming 2024 Climate Action Africa Forum, which will be held on June 19th in Lagos, Nigeria.
The Deal Room aims to boost investments in Africa’s green economy by galvanising a community of innovators, entrepreneurs, and investors to create applicable solutions that can mitigate the challenges of climate change on the African continent.
The Deal Room session will facilitate financing for solutions contributing to the growth and sustainability of Africa’s green economy. These deals may encompass prize money, equity plans, debt financing, mergers and acquisitions, and other investment options.
“Through the CAAF24 Deal Room, we aim to bridge the critical gap between promising climate ventures and the essential resources they need to thrive,” says Grace Oluchi Mbah, Co-founder and Executive Director of Climate Action Africa (CAA). “By facilitating connections between passionate entrepreneurs and dedicated investors, we can collectively unlock the immense potential of climate solutions in Africa.”
The eligibility criteria for applying include:
● The company must be African-owned and operate in any of the 54 African countries.
● It must be a for-profit company, between 1-5 years post-incorporation, post-MVP (minimum viable product), and post-GTM (go-to-market).
● The company should leverage digital technology to deliver its business model.
● Female ownership is an added advantage.
Those eligible to apply include venture capitalists, impact investors, climate tech startups, Green SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), philanthropic organisations, and government representatives.
Following the CAAF24 deal-room will be a post-event accelerator in partnership with the Silicon Valley-based Founder Institute and IDEA Africa. This Africa-wide initiative is specifically designed to further accelerate and enhance support for promising Climate Tech startups and founders who participated in the Deal Room.
The official unveiling of this accelerator will take place at the Climate Action Africa Forum 2024 (CAAF24), marking a significant step forward in driving Climate Tech innovations throughout Africa.
Applications for the CAAF24 Deal Room are open from April 22nd until May 17th. Interested applicants can register at https://deal.caaf.africa/register.
The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has said that the government needs to simplify and harmonize trade procedures and address bottlenecks in order to boost economic growth in the country.
President of LCCI, Mr. Gabriel Idahosa, gave the charge at a Quarterly media briefing on the State of the Economy yesterday in Lagos.
He said that the government has to create an atmosphere that promotes export growth and competitiveness, which is projected to boost export earnings, raise domestic revenue, improve citizens’ welfare, and increase business productivity.
“We recommend that reforms must include simplifying and harmonizing trade procedures as well as addressing bottlenecks such as port logistics, congestion, and transportation costs. This is expected to position the country as the commercial centre of the region and a springboard into regional value chains,” he stated.
On managing the persistent high inflation, the LCCI president said both monetary and fiscal authorities should focus on the factors driving the inflation rates by tackling the supply-side deficiencies instead of focusing too much attention on the demand-side management.
“We urge the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to continue with its foreign exchange (forex) market reforms with intense discipline, as the high exchange rate against the naira is a major driver of the skyrocketing inflation rates.”
Idahosa acknowledged the improvement in the naira exchange rate in the last few days, moving towards the level of N1000 per dollar or lower.
“CBN needs to sustain its policy and regulatory reforms in the FX market, adopt policies that would attract more FX inflow into the economy as well as build market confidence in the performance of the FX market,” he added.
Uncategorized
Dufil Takes Donation of Indomie Noodles Cartons to Vulnerable Communities in Abuja and Environ
In line with its commitment to provide critical support to indigent members of communities around the country in the face of the ongoing economic challenges, Dufil Prima Foods Limited, makers of Indomie Instant Noodles, in partnership with Golan Helps Abuja Food Bank Initiative (GHAFBI) and Meluibe Foundation on Wednesday, April 17 distributed Indomie noodles cartons to vulnerable communities in Kuje and Kubwa Local Government Areas in Abuja.
With the goal of alleviating hunger and supporting communities across Nigeria, Indomie Instant Noodles has committed to donating a substantial quantity of noodle packs to various NGOs working tirelessly to address food insecurity.
These organizations play a crucial role in reaching remote and underserved areas, ensuring that nutritious meals reach those who need them most.
“We are deeply committed to making a positive impact in the communities where we operate,” said Olusola Olayinka Idowu OON, former Permanent Secretary, Budget and National Planning, and the CEO/Founder of GHAFBI.
“At GHAFBI, we believe that everyone deserves access to wholesome and nourishing food. Our partnership with Dufil Prima Foods to donate Indomie Noodles packs is a big step towards addressing food insecurity and supporting vulnerable communities in Abuja”, said Idowu who was also the former National Conveyor, UN Food System Dialogues in Nigeria.
Speaking in the same vein, Obialunanma Nnaobi-Ayodele, Executive Director, The Meluibe Empowerment Foundation, expressed her gratitude to Indomie Noodles for the partnership. “Our vision as an NGO is to change the world one step at a time, by providing relief and support to vulnerable communities.
This is achieved through collaborations and partnerships, one of which is what we have done with Indomie Noodles. We remain grateful for their support through this food relief initiative”, she said.
By partnering with NGOs, Indomie Instant Noodles works closely with local leaders and community heads in directly engaging with rural communities to distribute noodle packs and provide immediate relief to families facing hunger and ensuring that food assistance reaches those who are most in need, especially in hard-to-reach areas.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with NGOs and community leaders to make a meaningful difference in the lives of people facing food insecurity”, said Temitope Ashiwaju, Group Corporate Communications and Events Manager, Dufil Prima Foods Limited. “Together, we bring hope, love and relief for all”.
The community leaders and some of the beneficiaries also expressed their immense gratitude to Indomie for the support, stressing the impact the products donated will have in alleviating hunger in their communities.
Speaking at the outreach centre, His Royal Highness, Muhammed D. Jibril, Community Leader of Gbazango Community in Kubwa Local Government Area said: “I am very grateful to Indomie Noodles for coming to our aid in these challenging times. I pray for more expansion and growth for the business and may God bless Indomie Noodles”.
Other communities who benefited from the product donations include Wunmi, Tondo, Godoji and Shazhi communities in Kuje Area Council of Abuja.
Dufil Prima Food’s donation of Indomie Noodle packs underscores its commitment to corporate social responsibility and its dedication to supporting communities in need. By providing essential food relief, Dufil Prima Foods is contributing to the well-being and resilience of vulnerable populations in Nigeria.
Indomie Instant Noodles remains dedicated to bringing joy to mealtimes and making a positive impact in communities around the world.
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