Kingsley Obi Lekan built Afruniverse, a Nigerian marketplace for African creatives, in four months. The platform now has 100 registered creatives across four countries and can process payments, but it hasn’t yet facilitated any independent hiring.
The core functionality is in place: clients can post jobs, creatives can apply, and payments are handled through Paystack. However, the gap lies in converting registrations into actual marketplace activity. Lekan acknowledges a conversion problem but lacks the data to pinpoint the exact drop-off points.
Verification and trust: the cornerstone of marketplace success
Afruniverse differentiates between registration and verification. A creative is only considered verified after meeting four conditions: confirmed email, verified phone number, government-issued ID upload, and manual profile vetting. This process provides a level of trust key for clients.
The platform faces challenges like off-platform leakage, where transactions partially move outside its system, compromising visibility and protections. This is a common issue in marketplaces, particularly in regions with instant, free bank transfers.
The payment puzzle: beyond processing
While Afruniverse utilizes Paystack for payments, it doesn’t offer escrow services. This means the platform doesn’t hold client funds during transactions, leaving dispute resolution “still developing.” Lekan highlights the need for clear evidence of delivery and consequences for non-performance to establish a truly functional marketplace.
Afruniverse’s payment structure, relying on Paystack’s split payments, lacks the safeguards necessary for building trust in a freelance environment.
Furthermore, while creatives from four countries are registered, the platform primarily handles payouts within Nigeria. Cross-border creator payouts remain a hurdle. Lekan acknowledges that registrations from other countries are encouraging but does not consider them active markets until the payout issue is resolved.
Lekan acknowledges the competition from global platforms like Upwork and Fiverr. He positions Afruniverse as a platform tailored to the specific needs of African creatives and clients. However, he readily admits that this proposition needs to be proven at scale.
Competing with global platforms
The next milestone for Afruniverse is to facilitate its first fully on-platform transaction, where a client posts a job, funds it, and completes the payment without any off-platform leakage. This will be a significant step towards establishing Afruniverse as a trusted marketplace for African creatives and clients. As of now, the platform has 15 published services and 8 open jobs, awaiting its first successful transaction.
