By Dipo Olowookere
African merchants willing to compete in global trade now have a platform to achieve this aim through a logistics company known as Topship.
For an average Nigerian merchant, shipping to clients outside the country is a hassle as he has to battle with exorbitant charges, logistical uncertainties, hidden charges, uncertainty around customs clearance and various other obstacles that can make such transactions uncertain.
But merchants do not have to worry about these issues as Topship said it has the necessary tools to solve international shipping problems by leveraging on technology.
“We are here to solve these problems and make use of technology to help African merchants move their goods across the world easily,” the CEO and co-founder of the firm, Mr Moses Enenwali, said.
In addition to being able to ship goods locally and internationally, the company is offering its platform to meet the various needs of clients, including allowing those in Nigeria to shop from their favourite stores in the US and the UK, deliver to a provided address and eventually have the items sent to their doorsteps.
Customers can also send foodstuff from Nigeria to select countries in addition to being able to import parcels from across the globe to Nigeria in less than a week.
At the moment, customers can create an account and have their deliveries picked up from their homes or at multiple drop-off locations spread across Lagos and Ibadan for now.
A newly designed web platform ensures customers can make orders, track their shipments, request quotes all from the comfort of their mobile phones.
Topship is already operating in every state in Nigeria, with plans to open processing centres nationwide. With Nigeria opening up to the world and increasing exports to other countries, the company is getting on the wave.
According to Mr Enenwali, “local manufacturers in places like Lagos, Ibadan and Aba would like to take advantage of this opportunity and we believe in the next couple of years, we would establish a presence across Africa.”
