Terms of Use

The Platform

Aforlink is a hyperlocal marketplace that connects buyers with nearby vendors, artisans, and service providers using real-time geolocation. The Platform facilitates discovery and connection only. It does not process payments, manage transactions, or handle logistics. All commercial arrangements, agreements, and payments are made directly between buyers and sellers, outside the Platform.

Eligibility

To use the Platform you must:

Be at least 18 years of age
Be resident in or operating within Nigeria
Provide a valid Nigerian mobile number capable of receiving SMS
Agree to these Terms and our Privacy Policy

By registering, you represent and warrant that you meet all of the above requirements. We reserve the right to terminate accounts that do not satisfy eligibility criteria.

Account Registration

3.1 Registration Process

You register on the Platform using your mobile phone number. A one-time password (OTP) is sent to verify ownership of the number. You are responsible for keeping your account secure and for all activity that occurs under your account.

3.2 Accurate Information

You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration and to keep your profile up to date. Providing false, misleading, or fraudulent information — including during identity verification — is a material breach of these Terms and may result in immediate account termination.

3.3 Account Security

You must notify us immediately at tech@aforlink.com if you suspect unauthorised access to your account. We are not liable for any loss arising from unauthorised use where you have failed to notify us promptly.

User Roles

Any registered user may operate as a buyer, a seller, or both from a single account. You may change your role from account settings at any time. Your active role determines the features and interface available to you.

Seller Obligations

5.1 Identity Verification

All sellers must complete identity verification before their profile is activated on the Platform. Verification is conducted against Nigerian government databases (NIMC, INEC, FRSC, or NIS) through our verification partner Prembly/Identitypass. Sellers who cannot be automatically verified will be placed in a manual review queue and may operate in a limited capacity while that review is pending.

5.2 Accurate Listings

Sellers agree to:

Provide accurate and truthful descriptions of all products and services listed on the Platform
Ensure that pricing displayed reflects the actual prices charged to buyers
Keep availability status current so that buyers are not misled
Not list products or services that are illegal, prohibited, counterfeit, or that infringe any third-party intellectual property rights

5.3 Prohibited Listings

The following are expressly prohibited on the Platform:

Illegal goods or services of any kind under Nigerian law
Counterfeit or fraudulently described products
Weapons, explosives, or controlled substances
Content that is obscene, offensive, or otherwise unlawful
Any service that constitutes fraud, deception, or misrepresentation

5.4 Delivery Confirmation

Sellers are responsible for responding promptly to delivery confirmation prompts sent by the Platform after a connection is accepted. A seller's confirmation is required to unlock the buyer's review window. Failure to confirm within the defined window means no review will be generated for that connection.

Buyer Obligations

Buyers agree to:

Use the Platform only to make genuine enquiries and purchase intentions
Not send connection requests for purposes other than a genuine commercial interest
Not submit false, misleading, or malicious reviews
Exercise their own due diligence before completing any transaction with a seller — the Platform does not guarantee the quality, accuracy, safety, or legality of any listing
Report any seller conduct that appears fraudulent, abusive, or in violation of these Terms

Connection Requests and Messaging

The connection request system facilitates initial contact between buyers and sellers. All arrangements, negotiations, pricing agreements, and payments that follow are entirely between the buyer and seller. Aforlink is not a party to any transaction and accepts no liability for any dispute, loss, or harm arising from off-platform interactions.

In-app messaging is provided to support communication following a connection. You agree not to use messaging to send spam, unsolicited commercial communications, threats, or content that violates these Terms.

Reviews and Ratings

8.1 Verified Reviews Only

Reviews may only be submitted by buyers for transactions where the seller has explicitly confirmed delivery. This mechanism ensures that only genuine, completed patronage events generate reviews on the Platform.

8.2 Review Standards

By submitting a review, you represent that:

The review reflects your genuine experience of the transaction
The review does not contain false statements of fact
The review does not contain abusive, offensive, discriminatory, or defamatory content
You have not been offered any incentive to submit a positive or negative review

8.3 Review Moderation

All reviews are subject to automated content moderation on submission. Reviews that pass are published immediately. Reviews flagged by the automated system are held pending further review. We reserve the right to remove any review that violates these Terms or our content standards.

Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to:

Use the Platform for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable Nigerian law or regulation
Impersonate another person or create a false identity on the Platform
Attempt to circumvent or manipulate the identity verification process
Submit false delivery confirmations or fraudulent reviews
Harass, threaten, or engage in abusive behaviour toward other users
Use automated bots, scrapers, or scripts to access or interact with the Platform
Attempt to reverse engineer, decompile, or tamper with any part of the Platform
Interfere with the proper functioning of the Platform or its underlying infrastructure
Use the Platform to collect personal information about other users without their consent

Intellectual Property

All intellectual property rights in the Platform — including its design, software, trademarks, and content produced by Aforlink Limited — are owned by or licensed to Aforlink Limited. You are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use the Platform for its intended purposes only. You may not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from any part of the Platform without our prior written consent.

User-generated content (including profile photos, listing images, and review text) remains owned by the user who submitted it. By submitting content to the Platform, you grant Aforlink Limited a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to use, display, and distribute that content on the Platform for the purposes of operating the service.

Disclaimers

11.1 No Transaction Guarantee

The Platform is a discovery and connection tool. We do not guarantee the quality, safety, legality, or accuracy of any listing, product, or service offered by sellers, and we do not guarantee that any transaction initiated through the Platform will be completed to the buyer's satisfaction.

11.2 Off-Platform Transactions

All transactions, payments, and fulfilment occur off-platform. Aforlink is not a party to any agreement made between buyers and sellers and accepts no responsibility for any loss, damage, or dispute arising from such arrangements.

11.3 Platform Availability

While we target high platform availability, we do not guarantee uninterrupted access. We may perform maintenance, updates, or modifications that temporarily affect availability and will endeavour to notify users in advance where reasonably possible.

11.4 Location Accuracy

Distance and proximity data displayed on the Platform is derived from device GPS and registered seller locations. We do not guarantee the accuracy of this data and it should not be relied upon for safety, navigation, or any other critical purpose.

Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable Nigerian law, Aforlink Limited shall not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, or consequential losses arising from your use of the Platform.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable Nigerian law, Aforlink Limited shall not be liable for:

Any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential loss arising from your use of the Platform
Any loss arising from transactions or arrangements made between buyers and sellers
Any loss arising from reliance on the accuracy of seller listings, location data, or ratings
Any loss arising from unauthorised access to your account where you have failed to maintain reasonable account security

Nothing in these Terms limits our liability for fraud, gross negligence, or any liability that cannot be lawfully excluded under Nigerian law.

Indemnity

You agree to indemnify and hold Aforlink Limited, its directors, employees, and agents harmless from any claims, losses, damages, or expenses (including reasonable legal costs) arising from: (a) your use of the Platform; (b) your violation of these Terms; (c) your violation of any third-party rights; or (d) any content you submit to the Platform.

Termination

14.1 By You

You may close your account at any time by contacting us at tech@aforlink.com. On closure, your profile and listing data will be removed from the discovery feed. Certain data may be retained as required by applicable law or to resolve outstanding disputes.

14.2 By Us

We reserve the right to suspend or permanently terminate your account if:

You breach any provision of these Terms
You provide false information during registration or identity verification
Your conduct is harmful to other users or to the Platform
We are required to do so by law or a lawful authority

In serious cases, termination may occur without prior notice. For less severe breaches, we will endeavour to notify you and give you an opportunity to respond before taking action.

Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Any dispute arising out of or in connection with these Terms or your use of the Platform shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Nigerian courts.

We encourage you to contact us in the first instance at tech@aforlink.com to seek an informal resolution before pursuing formal legal action.

Amendments

We may update these Terms from time to time to reflect changes in our services, applicable law, or operational requirements. We will notify you of material changes via in-app notification. Continued use of the Platform after such notification constitutes your acceptance of the amended Terms.

Contact

For questions about these Terms or to report a concern:

General Contact

tech@aforlink.com

Privacy