TheCable

Doroki, a platform focused on digitising small-to-medium businesses, has launched an innovative ‘Business Connect and Grow’ platform.

The Business Connect and Grow platform is a transformational suite of digital tools for small-to-medium businesses (SMBs) in partnership with Visa and Paga.

The platform, according to Doroki, will initially be focused on Nigeria — offering multiple digital payment collection methods and vital business support solutions.

Speaking at the launching ceremony on Thursday, Arike Okunowo. general manager, sales at Pagatech Limited, said Doroki currently has over 5,000 merchants in Lagos using the ‘Business Connect and Grow’ platform.

She said Visa would enable the issuance of Visa credentials as well as payment acceptance using Visa QR Code while Paga will provide the robust payments infrastructure that powers the ledger, accounts, and payment rails for Doroki.

“This announcement builds on the Visa-Paga partnership, formalised in March 2020 to drive digital acceptance and financial access in Nigeria”, the fintech firm said.

“The Business Connect and Grow platform reinforces the continued commitment of Paga and Visa to help drive business growth across Africa.

“SMBs will have access to an affordable mobile device configured with secure Visa payment acceptance for cards and QR codes. The application allows customers to pay however they wish – via cards, QR codes, bank transfers, USSD, payment links or nearby payments.

“In the near future, SMBs will also be able to initiate payroll, build a credit history, receive micro-loans, and manage their working capital. The application is free to download; merchants who already use Paga’s payment collection suite can simply update their existing app and benefit from an enhanced customer experience.”

Tayo Oviosu, founder & CEO of Paga group, said the platform is a massive opportunity to digitise Nigeria’s largely informal economy.

“Small and medium-sized businesses are 90% of Nigeria’s economy. There is a massive opportunity to digitize Nigeria’s largely informal economy and increase affordability for SMBs to make and accept digital payments,” he said.

“They need support to turn digital business to their advantage and to make life easier for consumers. Business, Connect, & Grow does this.

“Businesses in Nigeria struggle to sell efficiently, and our goal with Doroki is to leverage the payments infrastructure of Paga to solve their problems.”

Okusanya, Oluwakemi, Vice-President, Visa, West Africa, said connecting Nigeria’s small and medium-sized businesses to the digital marketplace is essential to helping this core segment of the national economy fully recover.