According to Geopoll, a polling company, Facebook group is growing massively, threatening companies like Jumia and Konga on ecommerce. The informal groups in Facebook are now ecosystems of digital commerce as users use them to shop without going to the traditional ecommerce companies.

According to the Black Friday Straw Poll, which ran in December 2017 among 2,031 respondents in Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya, Jumia still remains the most preferred e-commerce vendor. Fifty-six percent of our poll respondents have shopped on Jumia before.

Interestingly, a significant number of online shoppers utilize Facebook groups. At 32%, Facebook is the second leading online retailer in the leading e-commerce regions. Through informal entrepreneurs who utilize this leading social media channel to either sell through their groups or similar interest groups, Facebook is proving to be a formidable albeit odd player in this space. (Source: Geopoll Newsletter)

This has been expected. I have predicted that by 2022, the ecommerce platforms we may have are really Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp in Africa.  I expect these ICT utilities to add store features in their platforms to make it easier for people to list and sell things. That also means that people can get paid easily.

The dominance of Facebook group as an ecommerce ecosystem, especially for marketplaces, would be driven by the following.

Free Internet: When you shop on Facebook, under the Internet Free Basics, you do not waste mobile credit. This means that more people will increasingly adopt it. It puts the traditional ecommerce players on clear disadvantage.

Trust: Facebook deals with the issue of trust in African ecommerce. Both the buyer and seller have clear linkages with others as the accounts do not just appear. So, it makes the bonding better. You would see a seller account with 2000 likes and that boosts your confidence level that the seller is genuine. Traditional ecommerce companies do not enjoy that since accounts are not socially associated in their platforms.

Commission: We expect Facebook commission to be lower compared with traditional ecommerce. The implication is that more people will flock to Facebook group. The Facebook group has an element of entrepreneurial freedom since the sellers can “build” the stores themselves.

Network effect: While a company like Konga is hosting about sub-500k active users in its platforms, Facebook has largely everyone that is online in Nigeria. That is a huge advantage. That can move sellers to operate accounts there.

Facebook may not do this in U.S. because of antitrust issues, but I am not sure anyone can stop it in Africa. Yet, this goes beyond Facebook; Instagram would be the best show room most businesses would have in Africa. That is already happening in the continent as photographers, designers, and artists are abandoning traditional websites to focus on their Instagram engagements. As ICT utilities like Instagram put store features, in their platforms, many things would happen: they will disrupt the traditional nexus of ecommerce.

Preamble

Our client is one of the largest institutions in West Africa. It is an industry-king in the broad nexus of physical security. It places thousands of human professionals in key organizations across industrial sectors in leading markets in the region. Our firm has worked with this client to develop a new strategy geared to make it a leader in digital security, and enterprise security risk management, covering technology (cybersecurity, IoT, electronic security), advisory services, talent risk management, training and more. Our client wants to be a one-stop security leader where clients would find solutions for their physical and digital security needs.

With the conclusion of the new strategy, we are helping this client to hire a business executive to lead the new business. This search is global.

The New Role

We now have an opportunity for a senior, experienced professional to join the company to execute the digital strategy. The job is based in Lagos, Nigeria and would involve leading about 3 new subsidiaries.

You Will

• Lead the business development across all business sectors
• Deepen market growths for the new subsidiaries which will operate under the new digital business group
• Constructively contribute to the development of talent pipeline necessary to execute the digital strategy
• Motivate, inspire, coach and develop team members to create a high performance work environment
• Optimize profitable revenue generation through revenue growth plans, and effective assignment
• Develop the firm’s digital security presence and profile in key markets in West Africa and beyond
• Deepen linkages with governments nationally through networking, speaking and thought leadership
• Work collaboratively with the non-digital part of the business to deliver comprehensive security solutions.

You bring to the role

If you are commercially mature, articulate, resilient and astute in dealing with clients, and you have experience in the broad domain of digital security, this is a fantastic opportunity for you. You will have:

• Entrepreneurial vision to understand changing industrial drivers, and  capabilities to reposition business entities for new frontiers
• Sound technical mind with awareness of business operating environments
• Relevant tertiary qualifications, coupled with a strong background in complex business development environments
• Deep experience in enterprise digital security with a strong track record in profitable revenue generation
• Experience and success in team building and leadership
• A successful history of building client relationships of mutual benefit
• Ability to contribute to business strategy
• A collaborative-style and a reputation for acting with purpose, commitment and integrity.

Where to send documents

In confidence, send your resume with cover letter to dmccain@fasmicrogroup.com  before Feb 5 2018.

About Fasmicro Group

Fasmicro Group is a young and dynamic company, and an African brand. Built on the tripod pillars of integrity, professionalism, and entrepreneurial spirit, Fasmicro Group delivers quality across its business segments and sectors with unparalleled insights. Our key focus is Africa, and we operate three main services – technology/engineering, investments and strategic advisory. Our clients include startups, multinationals, and governments, covering varying industrial sectors in key global markets. We have worked for some of the most influential business leaders of the 21^st century.

I just accepted the invitation of the World Bank to speak in the World Bank funded International Consortium on Applied Bioeconomy Research. The theme for this year is titled “Disruptive Innovations, Value Chains and Rural Development”. My presentation would be part of the plenary.

In inviting me, the invitation noted ” While a major component of the conference will be the presentation of research on the economics of innovation, we are also looking for a few key innovators like you who can talk to us from the perspective of an entrepreneur.”

THE 22th ICABR CONFERENCE

The World Bank, Washington DC | June 12-15, 2018

DISRUPTIVE INNOVATIONS, VALUE CHAIN AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

About the conference

Multiple changes in the structure of the food system and agriculture raise new opportunities and challenges for the agricultural sector.  In the developing world, these changes started in Asia and Latin America, and are rapidly emerging in Africa. Urbanization and increased urban demand for food, fiber, and fuel present new market opportunities for farmers, entrepreneurs, and agribusiness in the developing world. Growing concerns over climate change, pollution and food safety are reflected in increasing consumer demand for environmental services from agriculture, electricity and fuel from biomass, and improved food quality from the food and agricultural sector.  Failure to adapt to these changes may cause the rural sector and smallholder farmers to fall further behind.

[…]

The ICABR Conference on “Disruptive Innovations, Value Chains and Rural Development”organized in partnership with the World Bank, will serve as a multidisciplinary forum of discussion to facilitate interactions between leading academics, World Bank staff, policymakers, government experts, civil society organizations, private-sector representatives, and representatives of other international organizations to showcase the present frontier knowledge on these issues.

With the amalgam of many emerging technologies in the market, companies are facing pressure to adopt and deploy something to be seen as trendy and innovative. Yes, technologies like blockchain, AI, and big data would transform industries and disrupt industrial architectures, fixing frictions along the way while creating new bases of competitions.

To help our clients in the Fasmicro Group, we have come up with what we call Symphonic Innovation. Simply, Symphonic Innovation is innovation that is not domain-specific, but is anchored on a unified and harmonious approach in the deployment of technology components to accelerate productivity gains and cushion competitiveness. With Symphonic Innovation, you do not deploy and launch for blockchain only to be tripped by AI or big data; you launch with a mindset that these technologies are like extended musical compositions which must be carefully organized to make the orchestra an unforgettable experience.

Indeed, a symphony where the beginning is unborn even though the end was already celebrated. With that, you would not have any regret because all sources of technology-induced challenges are eliminated.

We are in town.