Online book marketplace iKasuwa has launched in Nigeria, claiming to be the Amazon for Nigeria.
iKasuwa provides an online platform where publishers, authors and booksellers can sell their books to the public.
Physical books, as well as e-books and audiobooks can be sold through the platform.
According to Adetayo Adegbemle, chief executive officer (CEO) of iKasuwa’s parent company, online book purchasing has hitherto been unheard of in Nigeria, and demand for such a service is high.
“We are a startup that’s ready to fill a gaping niche. The demand is huge. Nigeria, with over 170 million people, also offers a book market that runs into billions of dollars, and internet penetration that stands at close to 150 million users, with over 70 million mobile devices – it is definitely a ripe market,” says Adegbemle.
With Amazon not yet serving the Nigerian market, Adegbemle says iKasuwa is the Amazon for Nigeria, and has beaten the global company to the market.
“We now have our own Amazon right here in Nigeria. When and if Amazon decides to come to Nigeria, we shall be ready for them,” he says.
The platform aims to provide a simple process for sellers to begin trading. Sellers create an account and list their products via an easy-to-use dashboard. All seller accounts are verified by iKasuwa to remove the possibility of fraudulent activity.
When a purchase is made, payment is held by iKasuwa in escrow until successful delivery of the product is carried out by the seller.
