Feature/OPED
Improving the Startup Environment with Nigerian Startup Act
By Lere Ojedokun
On October 19, 2022, the Nigerian technology and innovation space, and in particular the tech-enabled startup environment, received a major boost when President Muhammadu Buhari signed the Nigeria Startup Bill (NSB) into law.
With the presidential assent, the Nigeria Startup Act (NSA 2022) came into effect, the principal objective of which is to further grow the country’s ICT sector which, according to the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Isa Pantami, contributes 40 per cent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) annually, with 18.42 per cent already recorded in 2022 alone.
He added that the new act – a joint initiative by Nigeria’s tech startup ecosystem and the Presidency, was aimed at harnessing the potential of Nigeria’s digital economy through co-created regulations and to emplace well-laid laws and regulations that work for all stakeholders in the tech ecosystem.
Pantami also said the act provides the legal and strategic framework for innovators to make their contributions to the country, stating that out of the seven unicorns in Africa, five are from Nigeria and that the market value of each unicorn is worth $1 billion.
In a nutshell, the intention of the Nigerian Startup Act 2022 includes recognition of legally incorporated tech startups 10 years downward, whose activities support the creation and incubation of innovations and tech solutions. It further seeks to provide an enabling environment for the establishment, development, and operation of startups; provide for the development and growth of technology-related talent; and position Nigeria’s startup ecosystem as the leading digital technology centre in Africa.
To achieve the intended objectives, the act makes provisions for the establishment of a startup seed fund; tax incentives for startup businesses, new employees and angel investors, accelerators, and venture capitalists; training and capacity building support; as well as facilitating smooth working relationships between startups and relevant government agencies.
Startups under the Nigerian Startup Act 2022 are defined as any company in existence for not more than 10 years, with its objectives being the creation, innovation, production, development, or adoption of a unique digital technology innovative product, service, or process. This definition connotes that the Act will apply to tech-enabled startups, that is, companies like Alerzo, Kuda, Bamboo, etc that leverage innovations and technological advancements to solve operational issues or improve customer experience.
The new act, indeed, is a huge step towards addressing the yearnings of players and stakeholders for a more enabling operating environment. This is more so because, despite the huge socio-economic potential and benefits that digital innovations, products and services can offer Nigeria’s economic recovery and growth, the space is fraught with certain challenges.
For instance, McKinsey & Company in a report, Harnessing Nigeria’s Fintech Potential (September 2020), stated that Nigeria is home to over 200 fintech standalone companies offering fintech solutions, plus fintech solutions offered by banks and mobile network operators. The report added that the Nigerian fintechs raised more than $600 million in funding between 2014 and 2019.
Quartz Africa, however, lamented the high failure rate of Nigerian startups. It said a 61 per cent startup failure rate was recorded from 2010-2018 due to various factors, including poor infrastructure such as roads, inefficient electric power, inconsistent government policies, regulatory bottlenecks, over-saturation of startups in select locations, dearth of talent, high operating cost, funding challenges, etcetera.
It is gratifying also that tech-backed B2C and B2B e-commerce startups like Alerzo (AlerzoShop), TradeDepot, Omnibiz, Njalo etcetera are also among the principal beneficiaries of the new act. As an important driver of the digital economy, they also face similar challenges of policy inconsistency, lack of access to funding, exclusion from official foreign exchange window, high lending rate by commercial banks, high operating cost, poor supporting infrastructure, overlap in regulation by government agencies, multiple taxations and insecurity, amongst others.
The new act offers the much-sought political will towards addressing the challenges of tech startups. It is also an acknowledgement of the significance of tech-enabled startup businesses as enablers of national socio-economic growth, which e-commerce platforms are a part of.
Despite the challenges in the emerging B2B e-commerce ecosystem, the resilience of the segment as a significant contributor to the manufacturing and distribution value chain is never in doubt. Over the past years, operators have consistently invested in ICT infrastructure and human capital to impact the entire value chain – manufacturers, distributors and retailers – by enabling Factory-to-Retail distribution for consumer goods companies.
Nigeria’s informal retail market is estimated to worth $100 billion, yet faces peculiar challenges, including limited inventory, lack of access to finance for expansion, unregulated and clustered market, distance to market or supply source and high transportation cost, all of which increase the cost of operation.
Alerzo is prominent among the tech-enabled e-commerce platforms that are empowering informal retailers in the suburban and rural areas with the faster distribution of consumer goods using first-party relationship platforms, enabling manufacturers and top-tier primary suppliers to clear their inventory faster while it absorbs the burden of last-mile supply and delivery to the retailers. The new Act could enable it to do more when the cost of doing business is low.
During COVID-19 and post-pandemic, Alerzo helped to bridge the demand-supply shortfalls by leveraging its ecosystem of digital solutions and logistics platforms to empower informal retailers to access a wide assortment of consumer products with ease and faster from FMCG companies such as Flour Mills, Unilever, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, PZ Cussons and Dangote at zero delivery cost to the retailers.
More angel investors, accelerators and venture capitalists partnering with B2B e-commerce platforms like Alerzo and others in critical areas such as logistics and warehousing services would mean more goods will pass through the supply chains faster to the consumers. Businesses will reduce their operating cost and increase profitability; more jobs will be created, economic wealth will be distributed to more people; quality of life will improve, while the economy will be significantly impacted.
The act, by offering incentives, provides a buffer for startup businesses like Alerzo to achieve stability or withstand macroeconomic headwinds. Incentives like pioneer status for tech businesses aged zero to 10 years in critical industries like technology and agriculture and possible tax holiday, up to between three and five years, are highly commendable.
Also, allowing startups to employ entry-level talent with no more than three years of post-graduation experience and offering income tax relief of up to five per cent of profit generated and Personal Income Tax relief of 35 per cent for two years for such employees can help them attract the right talents. Enabling angel investors, accelerators, and venture capitalists to enjoy tax credits, up to 30 per cent of their investment in a startup, can attract more investors into the segment.
The future of tech startups in Nigeria is bright, no doubt. McKinsey & Company, in the report cited earlier, revealed that Nigeria’s fintech ecosystem attracted $122 million, representing 25 per cent of $491.6 million total funds raised by African tech startups in 2019 alone, coming second to Kenya, which attracted $149 million. It noted further that Nigerian startups retained $1.37 billion of Africa’s $4 billion funding in 2021, showing that Nigeria has the highest volume of startups in Africa. Quartz Africa further affirmed Nigeria as hosting the most startups in
Thus, Nigeria Startup Act 2022 can be a stimulus to accelerate the growth of Nigeria’s tech startups to an enviable height in the not-too-far foreseeable future.
Ojedokun, a policy analyst and development advocate, contributes this piece from Lagos
By Nafisat Damisa
Introduction
The proliferation of generative AI has transformed Nigeria’s cybercrime landscape, enabling deepfake fraud, automated social engineering, and AI-enhanced phishing at scale. In early 2024, scammers using AI-generated deepfake videos impersonating a company’s CFO defrauded a Hong Kong finance worker of $25.6 million. As similar threats emerge in Nigeria’s fintech sector, this article examines whether the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015 (as amended 2024) is legally adequate, or whether Nigeria’s evidentiary and accountability frameworks are too weak to support effective prosecution of AI-driven cybercrime
Current Legal Landscape
Nigeria’s primary legal framework on preventing cybercrime is the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015, amended in 2024 to address cryptocurrency transactions, cyberbullying and various forms of digital misconduct. Complementary frameworks include the National Information Technology Development Agency Act 2007, the Nigerian Data Protection Act 2023, and sectoral regulations such as the CBN’s Risk-Based Cybersecurity Framework. However, the majority of these frameworks were issued far before now, and emerging risks like AI-driven threats are not really being addressed. The Act nowhere mentions “artificial intelligence,” “algorithm,” or “autonomous system.” Notably, the National Artificial Intelligence Commission (Establishment) Bill, 2025, is currently pending before the Senate. If passed, it would establish a dedicated commission to coordinate AI strategy, research, and ethical deployment. However, the Bill in its present form focuses primarily on development and innovation promotion, with limited provisions on criminal liability, evidence handling, or enforcement against AI-facilitated cybercrime, leaving the core accountability and evidentiary gaps largely unaddressed.
AI as a Double-Edged Sword
AI paradoxically enables both defence and attack. Nigerian financial institutions deploy AI for real-time fraud detection and pattern recognition. Conversely, cybercriminals exploit generative AI for deepfake creation, automated credential stuffing, and convincing phishing tailored to Nigerian English and Pidgin. The same technology that powers fraud detection systems can be weaponised to evade them. Take justice delivery as an example, the Evidence Act 2011 (as amended 2023) admits computer-generated evidence under Section 84, but remains silent on AI’s capacity to seamlessly generate or alter electronic records, creating “doctored AI-generated evidence”. These and many more issues await Nigeria’s digital space in the coming years.
The Legal Gaps
There are multiple critical gaps that undermine AI governance. For this article, three are considered. First, no framework attributes criminal liability when an autonomous AI commits an offence. The question of whether the developer, user, or owner should bear criminal responsibility for the acts of an autonomous system remains entirely unanswered under Nigerian law, leaving prosecutors without a clear legal theory of culpability.
Second, Section 84 of the Evidence Act 2011 governs computer-generated evidence but does not address AI-generated outputs. The Act’s definition of “computer” excludes AI’s cognitive processing capabilities, creating a statutory blind spot where evidence produced by generative or autonomous systems falls outside the existing admissibility framework.
Third, Nigeria lacks any framework for mandatory AI-generated content labelling, impeding deepfake traceability. Computer-generated evidence under Section 84 of the Evidence Act 2011 remains admissible if unchallenged at trial, a dangerous precedent for AI evidence, as opposing parties may lack the technical capacity to mount any challenge at all.
Comparative Jurisdictions: Rich Laws, Tangible Results
Jurisdictions with advanced AI laws demonstrate clear outcomes. The EU AI Act (Regulation 2024/1689) mandates transparency obligations, requiring synthetic content labelling and informing individuals when interacting with AI systems; non-compliance triggers significant penalties. The US Algorithmic Accountability Act of 2023 is a proposed Act that will require impact assessments for high-risk AI systems in housing, credit, and employment, with FTC enforcement and a public repository. China implemented mandatory measures for the Identification of AI-generated (Synthetic) content. These rules, mandated by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) and others, require explicit (visible labels) and implicit (watermarks/metadata) identification for all AI-generated text, images, audio, video, and virtual scenes to ensure transparency, traceability, and combat disinformation. These laws contribute to measurable results: forensic traceability, expedited prosecution of deepfake fraud, and clear liability chains. Nigeria has none of these.
Hope or Illusion?
Without legislative intervention, AI’s promise against cybercrime remains an illusion. Nigeria requires the following to boost its hope:
- Amendment of the Cybercrimes Act to include AI-specific offences and mandatory content provenance standards;
- Revision of Section 84 of the Evidence Act 2011 to address AI-generated evidence credibility, not merely admissibility;
- Investment in digital forensic capabilities is currently hampered by inadequate enforcement, weak forensic capabilities, and a lack of specialised personnel; and
- A risk-based framework drawing from EU and US models.
- Review of both secondary and tertiary education curricula to address the knowledge gap in AI and prepare the next generation for the AI-driven future.
Conclusion
AI can help curb cybercrime in Nigeria, but only if legal capacity catches up with technical capability. The Cybercrimes Act 2024 amendments were a step forward, but they did not address AI accountability, algorithmic transparency, or evidentiary credibility. The pending National Artificial Intelligence Commission Bill, 2025, signals legislative awareness, but without substantive provisions on liability, evidence, and enforcement, it cannot fill the existing gaps. The effectiveness of existing frameworks remains a question. An optimistic but cautious path exists, but until Nigeria enacts AI-specific legislation, whether through amending the Cybercrimes Act, revising the Evidence Act, or strengthening the pending Bill, weak laws will remain unable to support strong technology.
Nafisat Damisa is a Legal Research Associate in Olives and Candles – Legal Practitioners. For further information, enquiries, or clarification, please contact Nafisat via: [email protected] or [email protected]
By Isah Kamisu Madachi
As of April 30, 2026, the crude price is said to have reached $125 in the global market. The all-time high price per barrel was recorded in 2008, when it surged to $147. It is obvious that the price is heading in that direction or even towards what experts have predicted — crude reaching a new all-time high of $150 in the near future if crude passages remain closed in the Middle East, which would ultimately come with several disproportionate challenges for businesses and households.
In Nigeria, what began as a mild adjustment in the price of gasoline and other refined crude products has not stopped anywhere until it reached N1,400 per litre of petrol at filling stations. When the price was surging, experts in energy, economics, marketing, business and other relevant fields tried to come up with explanations for how Nigeria, despite housing the largest petrochemicals refinery in Africa and being one of the largest oil-exporting countries on the continent, would continue to absorb this shock.
Despite our advantages, Nigeria recorded the world’s second-highest surge in petrol prices following the escalating geopolitical tension in the Middle East. In Africa, Nigeria has the highest spike, with many sources citing it at 39.5% and above. Even non-oil-producing countries in Africa, and countries that do not refine a drop of oil, did not experience this surge. Also, African countries like South Africa at 1%, Morocco at 2.1%, and Tanzania at 2.7% experienced far smaller increases that are nowhere near Nigeria’s.
To put it in context, South Korea, Japan, and China are among the foremost dependents on the Strait of Hormuz, whose closure escalated the crude price, but none of these countries has recorded even a 20% increase in their petrol prices. Nigeria does not import its crude through the Strait of Hormuz. Yet, as an oil-exporting nation, we have suffered some of the sharpest petrol price increases in Africa.
What went wrong in Nigeria to warrant this surge is not the primary focus of this piece. What lies ahead is. As a result of the increase in petrol prices, Nigerians have been disproportionately affected. Life has become unbearably difficult, with sharp increases in transportation costs, rising food prices, and higher costs of goods and services. Even charging points that used to collect N150 for charging a phone or battery now charge N300 or more.
As it stands, the gap between the current crude price and the predicted new all-time high is about $25. This means that if the passages continue to remain closed, we are not far from another historic price peak. It is even said that reopening the passages may not immediately stabilise prices, as crude tankers would still take time to reach their destinations.
What this means for Nigeria is another sharp increase in refined petroleum product prices, which could trigger another wave of stagflation. Already struggling, Nigerians do not deserve this. They are only just adapting to the post-subsidy era, yet are being hit again by another round of global geopolitical tensions. Many are already in deep energy poverty, with businesses struggling due to unstable electricity supply.
Therefore, as crude oil prices hover above $125 per barrel and threaten to reach the predicted $150 if disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz persist, Nigeria must act decisively to shield its citizens. The Dangote Refinery exists. Nigeria refines oil. What the federal government owes Nigerians at this point is a deliberate policy decision to make that the refinery serve domestic needs first, with pricing that does not mirror whatever is happening in the global market. That is not complicated; other oil-producing countries do exactly this.
The NMDPRA has the authority to act on this. The question is whether there is a political will to act before another price wave hits and Nigerians are once again left to absorb what their counterparts elsewhere never have to.
Sub-national governments also have something to do. Commercial motorcyclists and small business owners are the people who feel every petrol price increase the hardest and the fastest. Pushing CNG and LPG adoption among this group beyond the FCT and Lagos, with genuine support, would cushion a significant part of the next shock. Expanding solar access in underserved communities would do the same. A shop owner running on solar is not at the mercy of the next diesel price spike.
These solutions are quite feasible. Nigeria has attempted versions of them before. Where we often seem to get it wrong is in execution, and Nigeria has to treat this with the same urgency and seriousness as given to elections, for the well-being of its citizens. The only thing that has never matched the problem is the seriousness of the response.
Isah Kamisu Madachi is a policy analyst and development practitioner. He writes via [email protected]
By Gbolahan Oluyemi
In 2025, the National Pension Commission (PenCom) directed all Licensed Pension Fund Operators (LPFOs) to demand a Pension Clearance Certificate (PCC) from service providers before engaging their services. This new policy typically affects various types of entities, including small and medium-scale enterprises, most of which are not usually compliance-driven. Following this directive, the PCC has become an essential compliance document for both large, medium and small-scale firms. This article provides a guide on what a PCC is, why it matters, and how it can be obtained.
What is a Pension Clearance Certificate (PCC)?
A Pension Clearance Certificate (PCC) is an official document issued by PenCom confirming that an organisation has complied with the provisions of the Pension Reform Act. It is an annual document that must be renewed every year at no cost. The yearly renewal is intended to ensure that organisations treat compliance as a continuous activity rather than a one-off act.
Why is a PCC Important?
The PCC is important because it demonstrates that an organisation is compliant with the provisions of the Pension Reform Act, especially as it relates to employee pension contributions under Section 4 (1) of the Pension Reform Act and subscription to group life insurance under Section 4 (5) of the Pension Reform Act. It is also required for certain transactions, such as government contracts and engagements with compliance-sensitive partners. In essence, a PCC assures investors, partners, and clients that your business is properly structured and compliant with regulatory requirements.
Who Needs a Pension Clearance Certificate?
Under Nigerian law, companies with three or more employees are required to participate in the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS). If your organisation employs at least three staff members and provides or intends to provide services to Licensed Pension Fund Operators (LPFOs) or other regulated entities, you are expected to obtain a PCC annually.
How Do I Obtain a PCC?
PenCom issues the PCC electronically and at no cost through its web portal: https://pcc.pencom.gov.ng/. Please note that Applicants who are just beginning compliance and remitting employees’ pensions are required to first obtain an employer code from a Pension Fund Administrator (PFA). This code is necessary to initiate the PCC application on the PenCom portal.
Upon logging into the portal, you will be required to complete your company profile by providing your date of incorporation, contact details, and website (if applicable), as well as uploading your CAC documents.
Next, you will upload an Excel schedule (using the template provided on the website) containing your employee list. After this, you will be required to upload Excel sheets detailing pension contributions. You will also need to upload your organisation’s group life insurance documentation and payment instrument.
Finally, you will review your application and submit it for further processing by PenCom. Before commencing an application, ensure you have the following:
- Certificate of Incorporation (CAC documents)
- Group Life Insurance Policy for employees
- Evidence of Pension Fund Administrator (PFA) registration for employees
- Three years’ proof of monthly pension remittances, including penalties for any defaults (where applicable). For companies less than three years old, provide proof of remittances from the date of incorporation
- A valid Tax Identification Number (TIN)
- An employee schedule showing staff details and contributions (usually in Excel format) Templates are available on the PenCom portal
Also note that for the portal to accept employee details and remittance records, employees must have completed their data capture with their respective Pension Fund Administrator and updated their records to reflect their current employer.
Conclusion
Obtaining a Pension Clearance Certificate in Nigeria may seem technical at first, but once proper processes are established, it becomes routine. The key is consistency in remittance, maintenance of accurate records and prioritisation of compliance in overall operations.
For many Nigerian businesses, the PCC is more than a regulatory requirement; it is a mark of credibility. In a competitive environment, that credibility can make all the difference.
Gbolahan Oluyemi is a Legal Practitioner and currently leads Olives and Candles – Legal Practitioners. For further information, enquiries, or clarification, please contact Gbolahan via: [email protected] or [email protected]
-
Feature/OPED6 years agoDavos was Different this year
-
Travel/Tourism10 years ago
Lagos Seals Western Lodge Hotel In Ikorodu
-
Showbiz3 years agoEstranged Lover Releases Videos of Empress Njamah Bathing
-
Banking8 years agoSort Codes of GTBank Branches in Nigeria
-
Economy3 years agoSubsidy Removal: CNG at N130 Per Litre Cheaper Than Petrol—IPMAN
-
Banking3 years agoSort Codes of UBA Branches in Nigeria
-
Banking3 years agoFirst Bank Announces Planned Downtime
-
Sports3 years agoHighest Paid Nigerian Footballer – How Much Do Nigerian Footballers Earn