1. Introduction

 

Welcome2Africa International (W2A) is a specialized investment and trade facilitation organization committed to driving sustainable investments in Africa’s non-oil sectors, including agriculture, renewable energy, solid minerals, and maritime. W2A seeks to connect investors, SMEs, research clients, and buyers with opportunities across the continent, particularly focusing on Nigeria. By leveraging technology and innovation, W2A aims to create a seamless ecosystem that drives investment and trade across sectors. This platform will serve as the central hub for stakeholders to engage with opportunities, facilitating communication, transaction tracking, and data access.

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2. Challenge

 

Statement Access to investment opportunities in Africa, particularly in Nigeria, is fragmented and lacks a structured, efficient system that can facilitate seamless connections between investors and high-potential opportunities. Investors often face challenges in identifying reliable, high-return projects, while SMEs and startups in Nigeria and other African countries struggle to connect with investors due to a lack of structured platforms. Similarly, foreign buyers of Nigerian commodities often face challenges in sourcing directly from producers, with difficulties in accessing reliable suppliers and understanding the breadth of available opportunities. There is also a growing need for a comprehensive digital ecosystem that provides potential investors, foreign buyers, and anyone seeking business opportunities in Africa with an easily accessible platform to explore, connect, and engage in transactions. This platform seeks to address these challenges by creating a dynamic, AI-driven ecosystem for investment and trade facilitation. It will enable investors to access a variety of opportunities, facilitate smooth connections between buyers and sellers, and serve as an all-in-one resource hub for individuals and companies interested in doing business across Africa.

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3. Objectives of the Digital Platform

 

The primary objective of this assignment is to design, develop, test, and deploy a secure, AI- powered digital matchmaking platform that will:

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1. Revamp the W2A Website to provide an interactive, responsive, and AI-powered user experience.

2. Develop a Mobile App to enhance accessibility and real-time interaction for stakeholders.

3. Develop an Employee Portal to centralize document sharing, reduce email overload, and automate internal processes.

4. Create an Investor Engagement Platform to facilitate funding discussions, deal matching, and transparent communication with investors.

5. Create an Investee Onboarding System where investees (SMEs and startups) can upload their documentation, including business plans, financial statements, and other relevant details, for consideration by potential investors.

6. Optimize the Investors Club to provide an engaging, exclusive space for investors to access curated opportunities, connect with other investors, track investments, and engage in networking and deal-making.

7. Build an AI-driven Marketplace for Buyers and Sellers to automate trade facilitation, improve matchmaking, and optimize transactions, enabling buyers to find reliable suppliers and sellers to connect with buyers, expanding their reach.

8. Enhance the W2A Events Portal to provide a seamless registration, ticketing, and networking experience for event participants.

9. Develop a Research Client Platform to attract and manage research projects from foreign stakeholders, integrating with Zoho CRM for seamless engagement.

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4. Scope of Work

 

A. Functional Requirements

 

The digital platform should include the following core functionalities:

1. Investor & SME Registration and Profiling (Separate Processes)

• Investor Registration: Capture details such as investment focus, preferred ticket size, risk appetite, investment criteria, geographical interest, and previous investment history.

• SME Registration: Capture business information, funding needs, operational capacity, financial health, business plan, and market focus.

• Profile Verification: Implement KYC (Know Your Customer) and Due Diligence procedures to authenticate users.

• Separate Onboarding: The process to onboard an investor will differ from that of an investee, ensuring the right match based on different criteria and processes for each type of stakeholder.

 

2. AI-Powered Investor-Investee Matching System

• Develop a smart recommendation engine that automatically pairs SMEs with investors based on matching criteria.

• Allow investors to set customizable filters for investment preferences.

• Provide automated investor shortlisting for every new SME onboarded, ensuring a list of matching investors is generated, exported, and contacted.

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3. Buyer & Seller Registration and Profiling (Merged Process)

• Buyer and Seller Registration: Capture details about the buyer's interest, sourcing preferences, and industry focus, and for sellers, details about products, capacity, and market reach.

• Profile Verification: Implement KYC and Due Diligence procedures specific to buyers and sellers.

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4. Investment Deal Tracking & Pipeline Management

• A real-time dashboard that tracks the progress of each deal from initiation to closure.

• Milestone tracking for key investment stages:

  • NDA Execution

  • Engagement Letter Signing

  • Investor Introduction

  • Due Diligence Process

  • Term Sheet Negotiation

  • Investment Agreement & Closing

  • Fund Disbursement

  • Exit

• Enable SMEs and investors to log interactions and updates at each stage.

• Provide automated reminders and notifications for pending actions.

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5. Investor & Deal Matching Dashboard

• Instead of displaying full investor and SME profiles, the system should:

  • Show investment criteria for investors.

  • Show investment teasers for SMEs.

  • Allow users to register interest, which triggers notification alerts to the W2A team for facilitation.

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6. Secure Communications & Documentation Management

• Messaging System: Secure internal messaging for deal discussions.

• File Sharing & Storage: Upload and manage NDAs, term sheets, contracts, financial reports, etc.

• Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Restrict access based on user roles (e.g., admin, investor, SME, facilitator).

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7. Automated Notifications & Alerts

• Notify W2A when a new deal or investor is onboarded.

• Send alerts to investors and SMEs when a match is identified.

• Trigger alerts when a deal progresses to a new stage.

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B. Website and App Development (Integrated with the Digital Platform)

 

1. Website Development:

• Revamp W2A's website to align with the AI-powered digital platform and provide an interactive, responsive user experience.

• Integrate AI-driven features such as content recommendations and matchmaking options.

• Ensure the website facilitates stakeholder engagement, resource access, and real-time updates.

 

2. Mobile App Development:

• Design a cross-platform mobile app (iOS & Android) to support the digital matchmaking platform.

• The app should feature real-time updates, push notifications, deal tracking, and networking functionalities.

• Provide a user-friendly interface for stakeholders (investors, SMEs, W2A team) to engage with the platform on-the-go.

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5. Deliverables & Implementation Timeline

The platform must be developed and fully deployed within 3 months according to the following timeline:​​