Viable247 targets informal service sector with new marketplace

Viable247, an on-demand service marketplace, is entering Nigeria’s growing digital services space with a focus on improving how customers connect with artisans and other skilled service providers.

The platform is designed to address a long-standing challenge in the country’s informal service sector, where customers often struggle to find reliable professionals, while many artisans face limited visibility and inconsistent access to jobs.

“Finding a reliable artisan shouldn’t depend on chance or word-of-mouth,” said Abiodun Awoniyi, product owner, Viable247.

“We built Viable247 to make that process simpler, more dependable, and more accessible for everyday users, while also helping skilled professionals get the visibility they deserve,” Awoniyi said.

Nigeria’s informal sector accounts for about 70 percent of total employment, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, with a large share of artisans and service providers operating outside structured systems for customer engagement and reputation building.

This has contributed to persistent issues such as missed appointments, inconsistent pricing, and lack of accountability.

Viable247 is positioning itself to address this gap by enabling users to discover, book and engage service providers through a more structured and transparent process, while also introducing greater accountability into service delivery.

Experts noted that the demand for on-demand services continues to grow in Nigeria’s urban centres, driven by increasing smartphone penetration and a shift toward convenience-based services. However, the lack of trust and structure remains a key barrier to adoption.

Viable247 seeks to bridge this gap by providing a centralized platform where service providers can be discovered and evaluated, while customers can make more informed decisions.

“Many of these professionals are highly skilled but underrepresented,” Awoniyi said. “By providing structure and visibility, we are helping create more consistent opportunities and a more professional service ecosystem,” she added.

Viable247 said it plans to expand across major cities in Nigeria, with a long-term goal of building a trusted service marketplace across Africa.