Nigeria’s tech startup Kuraway said it is deploying a digital procurement platform to tackle long-standing inefficiencies in Nigeria’s supply chain, including high transaction costs, manual processes, and the lack of trusted vendor data.
Speaking on Saturday, Kuraway Chief Executive Officer David Chima said the country’s procurement ecosystem remains fragmented, forcing businesses to repeatedly search for, vet, and negotiate with suppliers. “This slows transactions, increases exposure to fraud, and creates price instability,” he said.
Chima said the absence of a unified and verified database of vendors is a major structural weakness, adding that many procurement activities are still handled manually, leading to errors, duplication of effort, and weak accountability.
He said the startup’s platform is designed to standardise procurement processes, verify suppliers and products, and digitise the entire flow from sourcing to fulfilment, helping businesses reduce delays and manage costs more effectively.
On cross-border trade, Chima noted that Nigerian SMEs continue to face significant barriers under the African Continental Free Trade Area. “Regulatory differences, manual documentation, logistics bottlenecks, and informal charges at border points make it costly and unpredictable to trade across Africa,” he said.
Chima also highlighted that procurement inefficiencies amplify the impact of foreign exchange volatility. “Delays in sourcing and logistics expose sellers to adverse currency movements that can erode or wipe out profit margins,” he said.
He added that poor transport infrastructure, insecurity on trade routes, and port congestion further disrupt procurement cycles, sometimes resulting in total delivery failures that affect manufacturers, traders, and buyers.
The CEO acknowledged that adoption of digital procurement tools remains slow among traditional businesses due to concerns about fraud, limited digital literacy, unreliable internet access, and power supply constraints.
He said addressing these inefficiencies through technology could help businesses lower costs, improve competitiveness, create jobs, and participate more effectively in intra-African trade over the long term.
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