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Lack of Regulation Hobbling Courier Business-Uba

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Okey Uba is the managing director, Ebony Express, a fast growing courier outfit in Nigeria and secretary general of the Association of Nigeria Courier Operators (ANCO).
Uba who holds Bachelor of Science in Political Science from the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN); possesses simple and gentle personality.
He has attended several courses in courier management and has worked at the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) from where he resigned to establish Ebony Express.
He spoke to peter ugwu highlighting factors that have inhibited the development of the sector in Nigeria and other sundry issues.     *

 
Courier Sector 2013

The whole events centered on how to make the industry grow. There are certain challenges we have in the industry, viz-a-viz the issue of regulation.

Courier is a very wide industry; unfortunately, it is yet to be fully harnessed in Nigeria. And like I would always say: you really need an enabling environment that will guarantee return on investment (ROI), proper operations and the likes, before you can tap into the industry.

The operators cannot make headway in an incoherent environment. For the indigenous (courier) companies, licencing and renewal fees pose very big challenge, because they are on the high side in comparism to other sectors.

Expectations from the Regulatory Bill

I think it boils down to the general view of the Government. It is not as if the operators do not crave for a Regulator or, as if the industry operates without a regulatory department (as in the CRD capacity), but the truth is that you cannot give someone some pieces of meat and deny him the teeth to chew them or the necessary “weapons” to fight the war against irregularities in the sector.

When you do that it appears like the person does not know what he is doing. Meanwhile, the officials at the Courier Regulatory Department (CRD) of NIPOST are worth their onus, but they lack the equipment to work, which starts with the provision of enabling laws.

As a matter of fact, it is portraying them as toothless bulldogs. It also affects courier operators, particularly the indigenous companies.

They are the most affected, because the international operators can source their inbounds from abroad, while the domestic operators are left with nothing.

Most times, when you want to play the game according to the rules, you are shortchanged. When you are in an environment where some operators do not give a damn over what the rules say, definitely, you will be shortchanged.

Having gone to school, garnered reputations and experience, there are some practices you wouldn’t ordinarily get involved in order to survive in a business. It makes the sincere ones to suffer unnecessarily.

However, whenever the Government is ready to legislate on this, they should not just start comparing the courier with the telecoms. In logistics or courier industry, the most important ingredients are integrity and honesty. Is not the matter of capital capacity; it plays a secondary role in that part. In logistics, you are carrying valuables on behalf of the customers or consignees from a place to the destination and that is on trust.

It behooves on the Regulatory body to determine who is or should be in this business; those who will not view it as a ground to engage in fraudulent activities.

To make the job easier for the Government, probably, when the Commission is finally established, they tend to turn it to a political piece-cake, the technocrats who would have been relegated to the background. Those currently at CRD should be made to manage the affairs of the Commission; with full regulatory backing. Then, they can bit and mediate between the operators and the Government. As it is now, there is a limit to which they can operate.

 
How to Reinvigorate the Bill

Actually, you cannot shave a man in his absence. Meanwhile, I haven’t joined the industry as a player when the Bill was articulated.

So, I wouldn’t know how far they have gone. But, there are indications that the contents are not bad.

However, there are things that must be put into consideration before the passage of the Bill. For instance, classification of courier companies in Nigeria. We do not expect all firms to posses the same operational strength.

Therefore, you cannot put a flat-rate licencing and renewal fees for them. Like I said earlier, integrity and truth are paramount in the industry, thus, capital base should not be the benchmark.

In fact, I do not see what is holding the Bill from its passage, if not that in Nigeria you must path-away with something before someone does the necessary thing; if it implies bringing it back for us to cross the T’s and dot the I’s, then let them revert it back; it wouldn’t take us time to do.

Nevertheless, there must be the willingness on the part of the Ministry to assist the industry.

Today, everybody is into logistics and courier. If you are moving along the road trucks are tumbled with the goods in them; nobody is talking about goods damage insurance, compensation for the consignees or the consignor; so, many people who are into this business do not even understand what Goods In Transit Courier (GIT) Insurance means.

Most of them do not understand what time frame means. To me, that is not right. Things have to be done right; if you are interested in courier business you have to abide by the principles.

ANCO’s Contribution in Tacking the Challenges

Yes, the Association of Nigeria Courier Operators (ANCO) has been trying on its part to champion the course for the development of the industry.

We have our monthly forum where we try to educate and inundate our members on new grounds in courier; we educate them on international partnership; how to employ genuine and sincere staff; on courier management in general.

But, no matter how you try, without government support you will not have so significant achievements.

For instance, when someone has done something wrong, he is caught and charged to court, and there is no enabling law to prosecute the culprit, all you have done is in vein. We have been trying so hard to build up and educate our members; that has led to increase in our membership over the years.

But we need an unbiased umpire to move the sector forward. This will enable the smaller companies to survive. If they reach out to us in ANCO, we are willing to add our inputs to the whole matters. In fact, courier and telecom are not supposed to be in the same Ministry. That is what we are advocating for; proper regulations.

Call for Mergers

First, we have heard comments like the internet revolution is a threat to the courier sector. But if you put that into perspectives, you will discover that these are mere sayings. Nigeria, for example became internet compliance just about a decade ago.

The developed world, Germany, UK, US and others have been internet compliant all along.

Till today logistics and courier are moving forward, gaining more grounds and recognitions in those countries.

So, it is a fallacy to say that internet will strangulate the courier sector. Our problem is the lack of regulation.

Secondly, when people are shouting for mergers and acquisitions, you don’t just talk about that.

The reasons are that you do not force people to merge. They do that when they perceive the benefits of the partnership and can work cordially.

There have been cases of friends coming together to set up a courier firm, but in a short while it led to several companies, because the motives are different

Banks are not like the courier. People are obliged to do businesses with the bank, but in courier, even companies now set up their in-house dispatch department.

When you put the laws in place, naturally, there will be mergers and acquisitions. Then, there will be an arbitrator to mediate on your matter when you are shortchanged.


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Afreximbank and Ecobank Join Forces to Boost Trade and Compliance Across Africa

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African Export-Import Bank and Ecobank Group have embarked on a collaboration aimed at simplifying trade and compliance for businesses in Africa by integrating Ecobank’s Single Market Trade Hub and Afreximbank’s MANSA Digital Repository Platform.

With the collaboration, African businesses will benefit from seamless shared services across the two platforms, with users of the Single Market Trade Hub able to easily leverage MANSA’s comprehensive database for efficient know-thy-customer (KYC) and customer due diligence (CDD) checks while MANSA platform users would, in turn, be able to directly connect to the Single Market Trade Hub to explore trade opportunities to expand their businesses across Africa.

The Ecobank Single Market Trade Hub connects registered businesses across Africa on a single platform, helping them benefit from opportunities in the unified market of 1.4 billion people created by the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).

It serves as a one-stop repository for the AfCFTA by providing small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) and corporates with insights about the agreement while its online match-making feature enables importers and exporters to upload their profiles and showcase goods and services they offer, or wish to source, with the aim of finding partners within Africa.

Once a match is found, connections are made via the platform and the transaction can be concluded leveraging on Ecobank’s trade and payment solutions in 35 African markets.

The MANSA Digital Repository Platform, or MANSA, is a one-stop-shop for due diligence matters on all African entities. As a centralised digital repository, MANSA seeks to eliminate information asymmetry and to increase intra-African trade and trade with the rest of the world.

It drives and promotes good governance culture among African SMEs and creates visibility for their businesses while also supporting African entities to expand, diversify and add value to their export products at both the local and international levels. Entities onboarded unto MANSA are allotted an Africa Entity Identifier (AEI) code which enables them to leverage other Afreximbank products and initiatives.

MANSA is also a key digital solution at the Africa Trade Gateway (ATG) marketplace which houses a suite of digital platforms designed as a single window to enable Afreximbank better deliver on its mandate, providing critical services to support and promote intra-African trade and the implementation of the AfCFTA. The platform enables African entities to accelerate their business activities at the ATG marketplace by working with verified information on trusted counterparties.

The new collaboration is, therefore, enabling Ecobank and Afreximbank to provide a central solution to the key challenge of KYC compliance and access to business across 35 countries in Africa. The improved interoperability is expected to further streamline cross-border trade and compliance in Africa, fostering greater financial and economic integration on the continent.

Afreximbank is a pan-African multilateral financial institution established to finance and promote intra- and extra-African trade.

Ecobank Group is a leading private pan-African banking group with unrivalled African expertise.


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Leadway Assurance Pledges Transformative Role to SMEs

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Leadway Assurance said it has chosen to go beyond risk underwriting to play the role of transformative partner for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the country.

The underwriting firm played this role by empowering SMEs with practical strategies on how to navigate risks inherent in Yuletide season.

Leadway recently organized a webinar session for SMEs titled, “Driving Increased Sales During the Festive Season.”

Speaking on the reason for the session, the underwriting firm said it realized that as momentum into the 2024 festive season continued, businesses, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs), face paradoxical realities of increased sales opportunities and consequent cocktails of business risks.

It said recognising the fact that with consumer spending and holiday making increasing businesses for SMEs, there were the possibilities of risk from these spikes in commercial activities such as – theft, accidents, burglaries, fire outbreaks, frauds, and system failures.

Against this backdrop Leadway said it has reaffirmed its position as a transformative partner to SMEs by empowering businesses with practical strategies for navigating the complexities of the season.

“This aligns with the brand’s mission to deliver robust risk management and business solutions to bolster economic growth, Head of the Retail Division at Leadway, Umashime Oguzor-Doghro said.

As connected to insurance, Oguzor-Doghro said: “Insurance was often seen as a reactive tool, but at Leadway, we position it as a strategic asset. With our competitive risk management solutions—spanning property, transit, and employee coverage, we enable businesses to operate with confidence, knowing they are protected from the unforeseen.

What sets us apart is our free advisory service, which ensures businesses are fully equipped before they even take up our insurance products.” he added.

In addition to risk management, Oguzor- Doghro said the webinar championed collaboration as a catalyst for success, adding that Leadway’s partnerships with event managers and SME stakeholders aim to ensure seamless operations during the festive season, reinforcing the company’s role as more than just an insurer but a reliable business ally.


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Mastercard, MTN, and Arifu Launch Digital Skills Program for African Small Businesses

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Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, MTN Group Fintech and Arifu have partnered to support about one million small businesses in Cote’ D’Ivoire and Uganda, to digitize their operations, increase the use of digital financial services and access digital marketplaces through the MoMo Coach chatbot.

This program, part of the Center’s global Mastercard Strive initiative, aims to enhance the resilience and growth of small businesses by providing essential digital skills. It is one of the ways Mastercard Strive has disseminated chatbot-ready business building content for small businesses in the region, which is currently also available in Kenya and Nigeria.

Small businesses in sub-Saharan Africa, especially those impacted by the pandemic, have faced significant barriers in adopting digital tools. As of December 2022, only 27.65% of businesses in sub-Saharan Africa had adopted digital tools to enhance their efficiency, showing a slight improvement from 19.44% in August 2020. A lack of relevant skills continues to limit their growth and access to essential financial services. MoMo Coach addresses these gaps by providing free, accessible upskilling content via popular messaging platforms.

Supported by the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and delivered by Caribou Digital, this program equips small businesses with digital skills, enabling them to adopt digital tools, access capital, and engage more effectively in digital marketplaces. The program aligns with Mastercard Strive’s broader goal of reaching 18 million small businesses around the world to go digital, get capital, and access networks and know-how.

“Small businesses are vital to Africa’s growth and create opportunities for a more resilient and inclusive regional economy. We are delighted to catalyze a partnership between MTN Group Fintech and Arifu to equip almost one million small business owners with the digital skills and knowledge essential for thriving in an increasingly digital economy, setting them up for success.” said Subhashini Chandran, Senior Vice President of Social Impact for Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa

The MoMo Coach solution, powered by Arifu’s Grasp Platform, uses mobile messaging to deliver micro-learning experiences. It is accessible across multiple channels, including WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, SMS and MoMo. This gives small business owners and entrepreneurs flexibility in accessing practical, actionable tips to unlock growth opportunities in the digital economy.

Serigne Dioum, CEO of MTN Group Fintech, further adds: “Empowering small businesses with digital skills is key to driving inclusive growth in Africa. Through MoMo Coach, we are unlocking opportunities for entrepreneurs to thrive in the digital economy, strengthening communities, and shaping the future of business across the continent.”

The program has been rolled out in Côte d’Ivoire and Uganda, reaching over 930,000 MTN customers, merchants, and agents, with more than 75,000 small business owners accessing free digital courses and over 45,000 actively engaging with MoMo Coach. Courses offered include “How to Start Your Business,” “Money Management,” and “Grow and Secure Your Business.” These courses are based on insights derived from MoMo merchants and agents, and they address key challenges like affordability and access to relevant business knowledge—enabling small business owners to navigate the digital landscape.

Aminata, a 31-year-old business owner from Gôh-Djiboua, Côte d’Ivoire, is one of the many beneficiaries of MoMo Coach. Selling shoes and clothing since 2022, she says: “There’s a lot of competition, but MoMo Coach helps me sell better. Before, I used all my profits to buy new stock, which left me using my capital for expenses. Now, I split my profits: one part for business growth, another for expenses, and some savings for other projects.” She has also started using WhatsApp to increase her sales, noting: “My income has increased. When I post my goods, I sell more.”


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