Mark Odenore: Our goal is to simplify invoicing for SMEs, entrepreneurs

Mark Odenore, founder of Afri Invoice, a fintech company, says his organisation’s goal is to make invoicing, payment tracking, and tax compliance “straightforward and affordable”.

“As the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) electronic invoicing compliance mandate which kicks off this month approaches, Nigerian businesses are seeking robust solutions to navigate the evolving digital tax landscape,” Odenore said in a statement.

He added that Afri Invoice is offering a “comprehensive and intuitive” e-invoicing solution specifically designed to address the unique challenges faced by Nigerian and African entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

Odenore said Afri Invoice emerged from a firsthand understanding of the hurdles Nigerian businesses encounter daily: persistent payment delays, errors in record-keeping, and the increasing pressure to comply with complex regulatory demands.

“The market was saturated with solutions that were either too complicated for local businesses or developed for Western markets without considering African realities,” he added.

“Afri Invoice bridges this gap by offering an intuitive platform that speaks directly to Nigerian SMEs, making invoicing, payment tracking, and tax compliance both straightforward and affordable.”

The CEO said beyond its core platform, the company is committed to fostering financial literacy through educational initiatives that help entrepreneurs understand taxes, invoicing, compliance, and fundamental digital finance concepts.

Afri Invoice said the platform incorporates all mandatory compliance elements, including real-time invoice validation, automated submission readiness, and complete audit trail maintenance.

Odenore said businesses can set up their profile and branding, add customers and product/service catalogs, and create professional, tax-compliant invoices with unique QR codes.

“The system handles automatic VAT calculation and FIRS formatting, offers real-time payment tracking through integrated local gateways, and provides automated reminders and monthly tax reporting,” he said.

“By replacing the need for external accountants, manual books, or multiple apps, users can reduce operational costs. Businesses also avoid costly tax penalties and late payment losses. For larger organisations with unique requirements, bespoke enterprise solutions are available.

“To guard against errors, the platform employs built-in compliance logic that validates every invoice before transmission.

“Key error-prevention features include pre-validation of all required FIRS elements, QR authentication for traceability, smart tax application based on transaction type, and missing field alerts.”