Build Africa
Build Africa is a Nigerian e-commerce marketplace founded in 2023 that sells building materials directly from manufacturers to contractors, developers, and homeowners across eight states, with integrated BNPL financing, AI planning tools, and direct-to-site delivery.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2023
- HeadquartersLekki, Nigeria
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Build Africa does
Build Africa Company Limited operates BuildAfrica.store, a Nigerian digital marketplace for building materials founded in 2023 and headquartered in Lagos. The platform connects property developers, contractors, and individual homeowners with manufacturers and major distributors of construction materials — cement, blocks and bricks, roofing sheets, plumbing fittings, paint, doors, lighting, and tools — and claims to have supported over 10,000 housing units across eight Nigerian states. Distribution is operated through a website, native iOS and Android apps, and WhatsApp-based sales support, with a structured Premium Vendor Onboarding program for manufacturers and a content blog covering construction tips and pricing guidance.
The platform architecture pairs a core marketplace with live price discovery and direct-to-site logistics (12-24 hour cement delivery, 48-hour site delivery with photo documentation) with four module layers: BACS, a Buy Now Pay Later scheme launched in October 2025 in partnership with Oze fintech providing up to ₦2 billion in annual credit at 5% interest with 24-hour approval; BuildAfrica.ai, an AI-powered planning tool for cost estimates, 3D floor plans, and material quantities; the Africa Builders' Club community platform; and the Premium Vendor Onboarding system. Bundled credit, logistics, and planning tools are positioned as a one-stop procurement solution for the fragmented Nigerian construction supply chain.
Build Africa earns revenue through three streams: marketplace commissions from third-party vendors, flat transaction fees from buyers, and interest income from BACS financing. The company employs 11-50 staff and pursues a hybrid go-to-market combining self-serve e-commerce for individual buyers and homeowners with field sales targeting enterprise contractors and developers, supported by WhatsApp customer service. Primary customer segments are property developers, contractors, and homeowners, with diaspora funders and manufacturers as secondary segments. The company is privately held, founder-led by CEO Tayo Odunsi, and has no disclosed external funding or institutional investors.
Build Africa firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Build Africa
- Legal name
- Build Africa Company Limited
- Website
- https://buildafrica.store
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2023
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Build Africa is a Nigerian e-commerce marketplace founded in 2023 that sells building materials directly from manufacturers to contractors, developers, and homeowners across eight states, with integrated BNPL financing, AI planning tools, and direct-to-site delivery.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Build Africa industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Construction Materials Marketplace
- NAICS
- Building Material and Supplies Dealers (4441)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Construction, Home Improvement & Building Materials Marketplaces (CRAFABAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Construction Materials & Building Supplies Marketplaces (CRAFAHAB), Concrete, Cement & Aggregates Retail (Bagged Mix, Sand, Gravel) (CRAIAEAG)
Keywords
Where Build Africa is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lekki
- HQ country
- Nigeria
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices1 record
Markets served
Build Africa business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Marketplace Commission: Vendors pay an agreed commission (portion or percentage of the sales price) on all products sold via the Build Africa platform. This is the primary revenue stream from third-party sellers on the marketplace.
- Transaction Fees (Buyers): Buyers pay a flat transaction fee to Build Africa in respect of every transaction carried out on the Website.
- BACS Credit Scheme Interest: Interest income generated from the Buy Now, Pay Later credit scheme (BACS) with interest rates starting as low as 5%, with flexible repayment terms of 30-45 days.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Direct Material Purchase |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | BACS Buy Now Pay Later |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Vendor Commission |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Build Africa product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Build Africa operates a digital marketplace for building materials where contractors, developers, homeowners and diaspora funders can browse live prices for cement, blocks, iron rods, roofing sheets and other construction inputs, then have materials sourced directly from manufacturers and delivered to construction sites. The platform layers on integrated buy-now-pay-later financing (BACS) for builders and an AI-powered planning tool (BuildAfrica.ai) that generates cost estimates, 3D floor plans and material quantities.
Product overview
Build Africa operates as a digital marketplace for building materials with a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core product is the Build Africa Store marketplace, which connects buyers with suppliers for purchasing construction materials including cement, blocks, bricks, tools, plumbing fittings, paint, roofing, doors, and lights. This core platform is enhanced by the Build Africa Credit Scheme (BACS) for Buy Now Pay Later financing, the Africa Builders' Club (ABC) community platform, BuildAfrica.ai for AI-powered planning tools, a Premium Vendor Onboarding program for supplier registration, a content blog, and mobile applications for iOS and Android.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Build Africa Credit Scheme (BACS): Buy Now, Pay Later credit scheme for construction materials, offered in partnership with Oze fintech.
Products and services
- Build Africa Store Digital marketplace platform where buyers can browse building materials by category, view live prices, place orders, and have purchases delivered directly to construction sites; serves contractors, developers, homeowners, and diaspora funders across eight Nigerian states.
- Build Africa Credit Scheme (BACS) Buy Now Pay Later financing solution for building materials, providing 50-80% loan coverage of the purchase amount with a 5% interest rate, 30-45 day flexible repayment, 24-hour digital approval, and no collateral requirement; available at checkout on the Build Africa Store.
- Premium Vendor Onboarding Structured onboarding program for building material manufacturers and major distributors to register as verified Premium Vendors on the Build Africa Store, including company registration, category selection, and document verification so that they can sell materials to buyers across Nigeria.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 10,000 housing units built with BuildAfrica.store support across eight Nigerian states
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Build Africa
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Build Africa technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Build Africa partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Build Africa competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- TradeDepot: Africa-wide B2B distribution platform for consumer goods serving retailers. Comparable to Build Africa as a B2B digital distribution platform connecting manufacturers/distributors to buyers in African markets.
- Wasoko (formerly Sokowatch): Africa-focused B2B e-commerce and logistics platform serving retailers with direct-from-manufacturer supply. Comparable to Build Africa in marketplace-plus-financing model targeting fragmented African B2B supply chains.
- Alerzo: Nigerian B2B e-commerce platform providing inventory and working capital to informal retailers. Comparable to Build Africa in embedding working-capital/credit solutions within a B2B procurement marketplace for Nigerian SMEs.
- PropertyPro (formerly ToLet): Nigerian online real estate marketplace for property listings and rentals. Comparable to Build Africa as a Nigerian digital platform serving property buyers/developers, though focused on property transactions rather than construction materials.
Broad incumbents
- Konga: Established Nigerian e-commerce marketplace covering broad categories including home and construction goods. Comparable to Build Africa as a Nigerian online retail platform, though much broader in assortment and not specialized in building materials.
- Jumia: Pan-African e-commerce marketplace with operations in Nigeria. Comparable to Build Africa as a large-scale African e-commerce platform, though not specialized in building materials and lacking an integrated BNPL/construction financing layer.
Others
- Oze: Ghanaian/Nigerian fintech platform providing digital lending and business management tools to African SMEs. Comparable as Build Africa's BACS credit infrastructure partner and a relevant adjacent player in the African SME BNPL ecosystem.
Direct peers
- Sheruta: Nigerian online marketplace focused on real estate and construction services. Closely comparable to Build Africa as both target Nigerian developers/contractors with digital tools for property and construction procurement.
- Sabi: Nigerian B2B commerce platform connecting informal merchants with manufacturers and distributors. Comparable to Build Africa in B2B marketplace model, direct-from-manufacturer sourcing, and emerging-market distribution focus.
- HouseAfrica: Nigerian proptech and construction-enablement platform serving developers and homeowners. Comparable to Build Africa in addressing African housing supply through digital tooling and construction procurement support.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Build Africa social profiles
Digital presenceBuild Africa financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Build Africa leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Build Africa funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Build Africa M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Build Africa
What does Build Africa do?
Build Africa operates a digital marketplace for building materials where contractors, developers, homeowners and diaspora funders can browse live prices for cement, blocks, iron rods, roofing sheets and other construction inputs, then have materials sourced directly from manufacturers and delivered to construction sites. The platform layers on integrated buy-now-pay-later financing (BACS) for builders and an AI-powered planning tool (BuildAfrica.ai) that generates cost estimates, 3D floor plans and material quantities.
Is Build Africa a public or private company?
Build Africa is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Build Africa founded?
Build Africa was founded in 2023. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Build Africa based?
Build Africa is headquartered in Lekki, Nigeria, in the Africa region.
How does Build Africa make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Marketplace Commission is the primary driver. The others are transaction Fees (Buyers) and BACS Credit Scheme Interest.
Who are Build Africa's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are TradeDepot, Wasoko (formerly Sokowatch), Alerzo and PropertyPro (formerly ToLet). Broad incumbents are Konga and Jumia. Oze is listed as an others. Direct peers are Sheruta, Sabi and HouseAfrica.
Does Build Africa have an API?
No public API is recorded for Build Africa.
What industry is Build Africa in?
Build Africa's product category is Construction Materials Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAFABAO, Construction, Home Improvement & Building Materials Marketplaces, with a secondary code of CRAFAHAB, Construction Materials & Building Supplies Marketplaces. Its NAICS code is 4441.