SeamlessHR, a Nigerian HR-tech startup, is expanding its reach by targeting government agencies. With over 720,000 civil servants, the public sector presents a significant opportunity for growth. The company is in talks with several ministries, departments, and agencies, including the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), to onboard them onto its platform. It already provides services to the Nigeria Port Authority (NPA) and the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) program.
Chief Technology Officer Deji Lana believes the company’s success in the private sector lays a strong foundation for its transition into government. “If we’ve done this for the private sector, and it has worked, why can’t we do it for government as well?” he said. While acknowledging that government agencies have unique needs, he remains confident that SeamlessHR’s platform can adapt to those requirements.
The company aims to address challenges such as ghost workers, transparency, and inefficiency in the public sector. “We need to play in that space to solve issues like fairness, transparency, and equity in assigning resources,” Lana explained.
Nigeria’s HR-tech space is becoming increasingly competitive, with new players like PaidHR, Bento, Ropay, WorkPay, Cloudenly, and NotchHR challenging SeamlessHR’s dominance. However, Lana argues that SeamlessHR’s biggest competition comes from global giants like SAP, Zoho, and Oracle, which have already built large-scale HR solutions. He believes the company’s deep understanding of local challenges gives it a competitive edge.
The government sector presents both opportunities and challenges. While companies like Remita, which handles transactions worth approximately ₦21 trillion annually, show the potential for success, breaking into the public sector requires navigating legacy systems and lengthy procurement processes. Migrating government agencies to SeamlessHR’s platform could be complex and time-consuming.
Lana suggested a phased transition, where agencies could adopt individual modules before fully integrating into the system. However, the long sales cycle associated with government contracts remains a hurdle. Despite this, the potential for long-term, stable contracts makes the effort worthwhile.
