E-Business
How e-Commerce Improves Health and Safety Of Informal Retailers

As Nigeria pushes towards a virile digital economy, the informal retail sector, with billions of dollars investment, holds a crucial role in attaining this goal.
However, a huge chunk of the market still operates the old-fashioned inventory model, and the rigour in this process of restocking takes a huge toll on them.
To understand the unique health and safety implications of stocking an informal retail store, it’s important to highlight processes which occur on a typical market day for informal retailers.
For a retailer in a city like Lagos, the struggle for transportation could be a bigger job than the shopping activities at the market. And after expending physical and mental energy in the hunt for the best stock prices at different distributor outlets, they are faced with the challenge of transporting the goods back to their retail stores. This usually comes with another load of trouble.
Majority of markets, especially in Lagos, attract exit fees. While trying to sort this out, a retailer is looking for a carrier to convey the goods to the bus stop, and in doing so, must also be as vigilant as possible to ensure a thief or market hoodlum is not approaching in the form of a “carrier’.
“Retailers have recounted their pain points caused from the drudgery of market visits and haggling to attribute to their status as regulars at health centres and pharmacies. For them, most of their medical issues pointed to immense stress in their daily life,” said Alerzo CEO, Adewale Opaleye.
The last three years have seen the rise of B2B e-commerce platforms like Alerzo, TradeDepot, Omnibiz and others springing up to bridge the online service gap for the informal retail market. Opaleye created Alerzo, after seeing the challenges his mother, an informal retailer, went through. He said Alerzo in the last two years is alleviating health and safety issues for retailers on the platform.
“70% of our retailers previously restocked 2-3 times a week while 14% restocked more than 4 times per week. The market trips, as expounded, reasonably attributes to emotional, mental and physical strain.
“Digging deeper into their stressors, our findings show a combination of fatigue associated with the rigours of stocking their shops and taking care of their growing families,” he said.
With their activities, B2B platforms are eliminating the need for retailers to make frequent trips to central markets; the need to haggle incessantly; the need to pay fees to carriers and market authorities, and the need to foot transportation bills (within N500 to over N5,000).
Currently, the market is dominated by the tedious visit to the physical market. Bringing these informal retailers to the online shipping platform will no doubt go a long way in the drive for a robust digital economy and also be a major boost to the economy of the country. And e-commerce platforms appear ready to be the required connector and facilitator for thousands of retailers still outside the digital net.
E-Business
Amazon CEO Says AI will Reduce Number of Workers Needed

Amazon’s management on Wednesday said that it expects that artificial intelligence software will reduce the number of office workers at the world’s largest online retailer.

Andy Jassy, chief executive, Amazon
“We will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today and more people doing other types of jobs,” Andy Jassy, chief executive, Amazon wrote in an email to employees.
He said it was difficult to predict how the overall workforce will evolve, but in the next few years, it is expected that AI efficiency gains will lead to a reduction in the number of office workers.
According to earlier reports, Amazon employed around 1.5 million people worldwide, with approximately 350,000 office employees in various roles.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the company does not anticipate further large-scale layoffs, as seen in 2022 and 2023, in the near future.
Instead, it expects that vacant positions will not be refilled.
However, layoffs are not ruled out, according to sources familiar with the matter.
“Amazon is focusing on so-called AI agents, software capable of independently performing tasks. These agents could, for example, summarise information from the web and data sources, write software, translate languages and automate many time-consuming tasks,” Mr Jassy explained.
“Agents will be teammates that we can call on at various stages of our work,” he added, urging employees to experiment with AI whenever possible.
The impact of AI on the job market has been a concern for many years.
Recently, Spotify, the leader in music streaming, announced that teams requesting additional staff would first need to prove that AI could not perform the tasks.
The creators of the language-learning app Duolingo plan to gradually replace external workers with AI.
E-Business
BPP Partners NDPC to Strengthen Data Protection

Dr Adebowale Adedokun, director-general, Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), has reaffirmed the bureau’s commitment to data protection in Nigeria.
He disclosed this in a statement at the weekend by Zira Nagga, head of Public Relations, BPP, following a courtesy visit by a delegation from the National Data Protection Commission (NDPC).
Adedokun stressed that data protection is vital to Nigeria’s economy and development, particularly in areas such as demography, health, education, and other key sectors.
He emphasised that no country should leave its data unprotected, as it plays a crucial role in future planning and national development.
“Data governs the world. It is essential to technological progress and must be protected for a country or business to be taken seriously,” he said.
Adedokun described the visit, aimed at fostering partnership on data policy implementation and protection, as timely and aligned with national goals.
He said the BPP would collaborate closely with the NDPC to boost data development, capacity building, and enhance the procurement system.
“The BPP will support compliance as part of the ‘Nigeria First’ Policy, although it is not a core procurement eligibility requirement,” he explained.
He suggested a hybrid training model to help build strong capacity in data protection, privacy awareness, and policy understanding.
According to him, a dynamic training approach will reduce logistics costs and improve public confidence in data safety and privacy.
Dr Vincent Olatunji, CEO, and national commissioner, NDPC, praised Adedokun and the BPP for supporting data protection initiatives.
He said the partnership supports President Bola Tinubu’s vision and will strengthen data privacy across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
“The collaboration will create awareness and train BPP staff to ensure a firm grasp of data protection principles and policies,” he stated.
Olatunji said the NDPC would establish a working group to finalise a Memorandum of Understanding beneficial to both institutions.
He added that President Tinubu signed the NDPC into law on 12 June 2023 to uphold citizens’ rights and protect national and business data.
Olatunji also noted that strict legal measures were in place to enforce data protection and ensure full compliance nationwide.
Both agencies agreed to form a team to sign the MoU and focus on capacity building and data management in procurement and beyond.
E-Business
FG Mulls Fibre Optic Layout to Bridge Internet Gaps

President Bola Tinubu said that his administration has initiated a project to install fibre optic cables across the country, aimed at enhancing the socio-economic development of Nigeria.
His plans were contained in a speech he delivered at a joint session of the National Assembly in commemoration of Democracy Day on Thursday, June 12.
He said the fibre optic layout is part of other projects being embarked on.
“In addition, we have embarked on an ambitious project to lay fibre optic cables across the nation, a transformative step toward bridging the digital divide and fostering greater connectivity.
“This initiative promises not only to enhance the speed and reliability of internet access but also to revolutionise how businesses operate, how students learn, and how communities stay connected,” Tinubu stated.
He maintained that by extending this critical infrastructure, his government is empowering entrepreneurs, enabling digital education, and providing the tools for our youth to compete in a globalised world.
In a most recent report on Internet connectivity, The ICIR pointed out how Nigeria has faced setbacks in its deployment of fibre optic cables and needs a transformation.
The challenges revolve around vandalism, inadequate coordination between road construction and telecom infrastructure, and varying right-of-way (RoW) charges across states.
Among industry experts, these issues impact network outages, increase repair costs, and hinder broadband expansion efforts.
It has also further threatened the digital economy, leading to slower Internet speeds, dropped calls, and unreliable connectivity among others.
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