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Guaranty Trust Bank (known as GTBank for short) is one of the easily more recognisable financial and banking institutions in the country. Not just that they are also one of the promising companies to invest in, in the Nigerian stock market.

If you are looking to buy GTBank shares or information on how to buy shares in GTBank this article will explain the ways you can do that.

Where is Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) Shares Traded?

GTBank is one of the companies that has dual listing (which means the company has its shares traded in more than one stock exchange). In 2007 GTBank became the first Nigerian bank to dual list on an international stock exchange when it was listed on the London Stock Exchange.

This means that you can choose to either buy GTBank shares in the Nigerian Stock Exchange using Naira as the currency or purchase shares in GTBank in the London Stock Exchange using the Pound sterling as currency. The company trades as GTCO in both stock exchanges.

About the London Stock Exchange

The London Stock Exchange (LSE) is the 7th largest stock exchange globally with a total market cap of over $3 trillion (as at the time of this writing). While this pales from the New York Stock Exchange for example, it is a far larger and more liquid stock market than the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).

The stock exchange’s primary location is in London, United Kingdom. It is run by the London Stock Exchange Group which itself is a company one can purchase shares and become a shareholder in.

On the London Stock Exchange there are the Main Market which has the stocks of over 1,300 large companies from over 60 countries traded and the Alternative Investment Market which serves as the LSE’s international market for smaller companies.

How to Buy GTBank (GTCO) Shares in London Stock Exchange

To buy shares in GTBank (trading as GTCO) or indeed in any company trading at the London Stock Exchange you need to find and use an international broker or a broker who is licensed to do business with the exchange.

To buy shares in GTBank (otherwise known as GTCO) you would either have to do that through a stockbroker that has license to buy and sell shares in the London Stock Exchange or use several of the licensed/approved stock trading apps which include Avatrade, Etoro, Libertex etc.

You have to check which one works for your present location, download the app, register/provide all personal identification details and once your account is approved you can fund your account and start trading.

How to Buy GTBank Shares in the Nigerian Stock Exchange

If you want to buy shares in GTBank through the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) you can either sign up with a stockbroker (preferably the ones with online presence where you can monitor your investments) or use any of the stock trading apps that enable you buy/sell shares of companies in the NSE yourself.

You can use Chaka, Trove, Investnow, Ameritrade etc

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Ways to Keep Track of the Naira to Dollar/Dollar to Naira Exchange Rate

Watch out for These Appliances That Suck Your Electricity the Most

Some people look for online loans that have easy monthly repayments plans so we took the time to do some research and come up with some answers.

These are some of the easy online loans in Nigeria with monthly payments. They are either 30/31 day loans that you have to repay on or before 30/31 days or they are longer term (1 – 12 months) loans that you would have to pay back on a monthly basis.

We have put together a list of 10 online loans with monthly payments in Nigeria. You can check them out below in no particular order;

1. Quick Credit

This is an online loan you can get from GTBank with up to 12 months repayment period. However you will be shown the monthly repayment breakdown so you know how much you are expected to pay back monthly.

Quick Credit comes with a monthly 1.5% repayment interest on the principal amount. With Quick Credit you can qualify to borrow up to N5m without collateral and paperwork, depending on your monthly salary/income. You can learn more about GTBank Quick Credit

2. Carbon Loans

Carbon is a fintech and microfinance bank that enables you carry out several financial transactions via the getcarbon app.

Carbon says its online loan can enable you borrow up to N1m with flexible repayment options.

3. GTBank Salary Advance

GTBank has another online loan that is targeted at short term financial support to salary earners. You can qualify for up to 50% of your monthly salary.

It has a 1 month repayment period after which you can qualify for more loans.

Applicants will have to be GTB customers and can access the Salary Advance loan via the GTWorld or GTBank app.

4. Stanbic Personal Loan

Stanbic IBTC bank has personal loans for its customers where you can borrow money with flexible repayment period. You must have a minimum N20,000 monthly income and be at least 21 years old to qualify.

4. EZ Cash for SMEs

This is a loan by Stanbic bank targeted at small enterprises and businesses. The EZ cash for SME loans can give up to N5m to small business owners.

You then have a monthly payment plan at 2.5% interest monthly. Repayment period can be between 6 – 12 months. Customers of the bank can request for the loan via the bank’s online channels (website or mobile app).

5. ALAT Salary Based Loans

Wema Bank, through its ALAT mobile app, gives individuals loans based on their monthly salary. The bank says applicants can get between N50,000 – N4m in loans.

You can repay the loans with a monthly plan that comes with 2% monthly interest.

6. Click Credit

Click Credit is an online loan from UBA for anyone who maintains an active account with the bank. You can borrow up to N1 million depending on your monthly salary. with a repayment period of up to 1 year.

The loan has monthly payment that comes with 2.5% interest.

Customers of the bank can access the loan through the bank’s website/app or through the USSD code.

7. Specta

Specta is a Sterling bank lending platform that provides loans with flexible monthly payment plans. Specta loans can have 1- 12 months repayment with interest rates that vary.

8. Quick Credit for Small Business

GTBank’s Quick Credit loan has the version for small businesses that enables them get up to 50% of their annual turnover or a maximum of N10 million.

The loan tenure can be up to 6 months with monthly repayment. The repayment comes with monthly 1.5% interest. It appears to be one of the business loans in the country with the lowest interest rates.

9. Fairmoney Business Loans

Fairmoney, one of the microfinance banks and money lenders with online application process, says small businesses can get up to N5 million in loan. You simply apply online, fill the applications and submit to get a response within 24 hours.

The loans have up to 12 months repayment with a monthly payment plan.

10. Renmoney Loans

Renmoney on the FAQ section of its website says it can give up to N6 million in loans with a repayment plan of up to 24 months.

Individuals and businesses can apply for loans (personal and micro business loans) and get the amount the qualify for within 24 hours.

We guess you will get a breakdown of the monthly payment and interest when you make a loan application.

We have written some interesting, enlightening content around the loan industry. You can check some of them below;

If you are still looking for information on how to link your National Identification Number (NIN) to your phone line/number then this simple article will give you a guide.

If you are not sure if you have enrolled for NIN or you can no longer remember your NIN you should first see how to check for your NIN. 

Why You Should Link Your NIN to Your Phone Lines

The National Identity Management Commission, the body in charge of implementing the National Identity scheme, has directed that all phone lines be linked to the NIN of their owners. According to the NIMC all active phone lines have to be linked to the NIN of the users to continue to function and be able to make calls.

Not linking your phone lines to your NIN may result in difficulties using the phone line to make calls for example (lots of people have already reported this happening).

So, a few quick steps on how to link your NIN to your MTN, GLO, Airtel, 9Mobile lines etc.

How to Link Your NIN to MTN Line

If you are an MTN subscriber these are steps to follow to link your MTN phone line to your NIN

  • Using the phone containing the line you’d like to link, dial *785# then enter the 11 digit NIN on the space that comes up and submit. Also you can simply dial *785*NIN# (NIN being the 11 digit NIN you wish to link to your line). So for eg if your NIN is 12345678910 then you dial *785*12345678910# to complete the linking of your NIN to your MTN line.
  • You can send your NIN as a message to 785
  • Use the MyMTN app. Open the app, read the NIN popup notification and proceed with the instructions
  • The MTN Website: You can choose to visit the official page on the MTN website to link your NIN

How to Link Your NIN to Glo Line

To link your NIN to you Globacom phone line you can follow any of the below steps;

  • Visit the Glo website to submit/link your NIN
  • Use the USSD short code: Dial *109# then enter your NIN when prompted or dial *109*NIN#. Eg if your NIN is 12345678910 then you dial *109*12345678910#
  • You can send your NIN as a message to 109

How to Link NIN to Your Airtel Line

If you are an Airtel user you can link your NIN to your Airtel line using any of the following ways;

  • USSD code: Dial *121*1# then enter your NIN as prompted and submit
  • Website: Visit the Airtel website (you will have to register if you have not created an account), then follow the instructions to link your lines

How to Link Your NIN to 9Mobile Line

For 9mobile subscribers you can follow the directions below to link your NIN to your phone line;

  • Dial *996# then provide your NIN
  • Or you can log onto the 9mobile website and submit the requested information to link your NIN to your 9mobile line

 

Although the big banks came late to the online loan party but GTBank Quick Credit loan is one of the best and most efficient online loans out there.

GTBank launched Quick Credit in response to the emerging online loans market which makes it easier for customers to get quick loans through the bank or loan app without physically applying and submitting documents.

What is the GTBank Quick Credit Loan?

GTBank Quick credit loan is a loan designed by Guaranty Trust Bank for their customers (whether salary earner or self employed) to access cash easily and pay back in 12 months.

On their website it says that one can access up to N5 million through Quick credit at monthly 1.5% interest

However the reality is that you will start with a small amount provided by the bank, based on their analysis of your bank account transactions.

Some of the Benefits of GTBank Quick Credit Loan

According to the GTBank website the following are some of the benefits of the Quick Credit loan;

  • Get up to 3 times your monthly salary in loans
  • Convenient repayment plan of up to 12 months
  • You can pre-liquidate without paying penalty
  • Monthly interest rate of 1.5% (this is among the lowest interest rates available in the loan market)

How to Apply for Quick Credit Loans

To qualify to apply for Quick Credit you must be a GTBank customer and have an active account.

You can request for Quick Credit via USSD code dialling *737*51*51# on your mobile phone or you can access Quick Credit through online and mobile banking channels (including the GTWorld and GTBank mobile apps).

Other things you need to know about GTBank Quick Credit

The lowest loan amount is N5,000

The maximum loan amount is N5 million for salary earners and N500,000 for non salary earners.

There is a one off credit insurance charge of 1% on every loan.

The eligibility age for the loan is 18-59

You can apply for Quick Credit even if you have existing loans with other financial institutions

Quick Credit loan is usually processed and deposited in your GTBank account immediately after a successful application.

How to Pay back GTBank Quick Credit Loan

Paying back your Quick credit loan is easy.

GTBank will at the end of each month deduct the total monthly payment for the loan with the interest from your account balance.

Additionally you can liquidate the entire loan by going to your GTBank or GTWorld app, opening the loans tab, selecting Quick Credit and clicking on liquidate. Once you have enough balance in your account to liquidate the loan it gets liquidated.

As you repay your GTBank Quick credit loan on time the amount you can borrow increases.

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The proliferation of loan apps in Nigeria has resulted in some fake loan apps emerging for use by unsuspecting members of the public.

If you are thinking to get a loan from any of the existing mobile lenders (or loan apps) it is important to make sure you are borrowing from legit loan apps.

Doing business with any of the fake loan apps or money lenders may hurt you in several ways. Some of these bad loan apps may

  • charge you very high interest rates
  • hide extra charges you may not know about
  • resort to public shaming and intimidation tactics when you default
  • and several other issues

So you should be sure to avoid bad loan apps that may frustrate your life.

How do you know bad loan apps?

Based on our research and in addition to the above mentioned things, you can also check if a loan app is duly registered and licensed by the CBN to offer financial, money lending services.

If a loan app or business is not licensed that means you cannot even file a report against them or sue them if they act illegally or breach their terms of service in the process of doing business with you.

Licensed mobile money lenders have codes of conduct and rules they have to adhere to from the Central Bank. Thus this will make them likely to act and respond to customers/borrowers in a professional way. Unlicensed loan apps or lenders will probably act outside what the law or regulations stipulate.

So in summary,

Here are Ways to Identify Fake, Bad Loan Apps or Money Lenders

Bad loan operators usually have characteristics that you can look out for. This does not mean that people do not get loans from them, however it only means that you are likely to have a bad experience or be taken advantage of if you do business with them.

Below are the some major signs that a loan app may be bad;

  • Very higher than usual interest rate: Loan apps (outside the major banks) usually offer loans at high interest rate. However bad loan apps will typically charge much higher interest rate. Some of them charge daily, weekly or very high monthly interest rates.
  • Shorter loan duration: If a loan app offers you loans that are due to be paid in less than 1 month, run. It is much more difficult to repay loans with very short duration. The very least are payday loans that have 30 day ( 1 month) repayment period
  • Hidden charges: bad loan operators will sometimes seperate interest charges from service charges. If the total interest/fees you are to pay for a loan is not clear then they are bad for you
  • Unprofessional conduct: Bad loan apps will typically act unprofessionally, have no physical office address and have staff that engage with borrowers in undesirable manner. They resort to public shaming, intimidation etc to defaulting borrowers
  • Not duly licensed: Check to be sure a loan app is run by a company duly licensed by the CBN to offer financial and lending services.

See below loan apps/lenders you should avoid

Nairaplus

A survey of online complaints and discussions always throw up Nairaplus’ name as one of the troublesome loan apps to avoid.

They are accused of breaking the data privacy of customers and sending threatening messages to the contacts of loan defaulters.

Sokoloan

Online reviews about this loan app is usually negative.

They were among the loan apps sanctioned by the government agency NITDA for abusing users’ privacy rights and sending unsavoury messages to contacts of borrowers.

Their interest rates are also believed to be too high. Some users have reported paying as high as 45% interest on loans of just N10,000

BorrowNow

This is another of the many emerging loan sharks that prey on their customers.

Users online complained of a tactic used by BorrowNow where after collecting and repaying a loan they approve another loan for the user without his/her consent and proceed to inform the user.

They are also one of those that offer very short loan tenures that may be tough for the borrower to meet up with.

A quick search shows no visible website except an app on the Playstore. There is very little information to learn about them.

9credit

9credit is accused of using public shaming, intimidation tactics to recover their loans.

They are also one of the bad loan apps that offer extremely short term loan (1 week duration) at over 30% interest.

There is very little information about them on their website which is a red flag for a loan company.

Lcredit

They’ve gained notoriety for abusing borrowers and their contacts when they default.

They are one of the loan apps reported to have been delisted from Google Playstore (a quick search shows they are not in the official playstore anymore).

They offer very small loans for short duration at very high interest rates.

The app said to be run by an organisation name Cashigo has terrible reviews online about their way of doing business.

More of the bad loan apps (from the bad online user reviews and opaque information about them) include

  • Go Cash
  • Lioncash
  • GMoney
  • FastMoney
  • Icoin
  • Getcash
  • 9ja cash
  • Cash wallet
  • Palmcash
  • Easecash
  • ForNaira
  • GotoCash

There are certainly lots of loan apps/businesses parading in the country promising to give people affordable online loans easily.

But the truth is there are several of them that are like loan sharks, with outrageous interests, sneaky terms and conditions etc.

So how do you know legit loan apps so you don’t fall victim of borrowing money from the illegal ones?

Legitimate loan apps have some things to know them by including;

  • License to operate as a lender: Legit loan apps must have obtained the requisite license to operate and give loans from the appropriate regulatory authorities in the country.
  • Clear Interest Rates: Legit loan apps will have information on clear interest rates so borrowers will know exactly how much they are to pay back. Illegal loan apps or loan sharks can however have unclear information which can result to paying much higher interest by the borrower
  • No Hidden Charges: Legit loan apps will reveal if there are any additional charges such as for late payment etc. But all these illegal loan apps may hide additional charges in fine print and you end up realising there are some extra charges or penalties to pay

Selected Legit Loan Apps You Can Use to Apply for Loans

We conducted some in-depth research including testing as many loan apps as possible and these are some of the legit loan apps in Nigeria you can use to apply for personal or business loans.

1. Carbon

Formerly known as Paylater, Carbon is a licensed digital bank and lender. With Carbon you can pay bills, make transfers as well as do high interest savings.

Carbon also offers loans through its app. As a user your loan amount increases as you bank with them and increase your credit score.

On its website it says you can access easy loans easily with no guarantors, or collaterals. As you repay loans you can unlock higher amounts.

Our research shows that people use them for digital banking and loans as they are duly licensed. You may need to check their website to see details about their online loans, interest rates etc.

2. Branch

Branch, according to their website, offers mobile financial services to the emerging markets. It is primarily a loan/lending app with which you can borrow money directly to your mobile money or bank account.

To use Branch to get loans you download the app, fill the initial online form then apply for loan. As you repay your credit and ability to borrow larger amounts increase.

Branch is presently available in India, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria.

You can take a loan for as long as 4 -52 weeks at varying monthly interest rates sometimes which can be a bit high.

Our research on whether Branch loan is legit shows that there are no hidden charges. The charges/interest displayed for any loan you are about to take is what you will pay.

They also operate in multiple countries and are duly registered/licensed to run lending operations.

Some users say the good thing about Branch is that they disburse approved loans via the app in minutes and you can choose to make the repayment in 4 installments.

3. Aella Credit

Aella credit describes itself as a credit infrastructure company powering payments and helping people manage their finances better.

Aella credit provides instant access to funds through its online mobile app.

The unique thing about Aella Credit is that you can use get both personal or business loans on the app.

It promises no paperwork, no rollover fees, and rewards for repaying your loans on time. As your repay your loans on time the amount you can borrow also increases.

Aella credit is a registered, license mobile lender. It uses an algorithm to rate/review loan applications and determine the amount you can borrow which can increase as you repay.

Users surveyed also said Aella Credit is professional in their approach in cases of default.

4. Fairmoney

Fairmoney is a licensed microfinance bank and money lender that provides easy, unsecured loans to individuals and small business owners.

On their website they say they can provide you a bank account with free transfers, loans of up to N1 million (although you will have to start from much lower amounts and build up your credit to borrow more as you repay on time).

You can visit the Fairmoney website here for more details – https://fairmoney.ng/

While a few users expressed issues with Fairmoney that had to do with repaying their loans, majority of users researched say Fairmoney is pretty fine as a loan app.

5. Quickcheck

Quickcheck is a financial institution based in Ikeja that offers unsecured, online loans to individuals.

Information from the FAQ section of their website shows that to qualify for a loan you don’t have to submit any documents. You simply download the mobile app, create account and respond to the questions they will ask you. Accurate answers to the questions helps their system evaluate your loan eligibility and the amount you can borrow.

They answer a lot more questions in their FAQ section – https://quickcheck.ng/faq/

Earlier users complained about their loan approval process and rate but recently it appears to have improved and impressed more users.

6. Renmoney

Renmoney is a fintech business operating on a microfinance bank license.

They provide loans without collateral to individuals and small business owners through their website and mobile app as well as providing normal digital banking services such as savings/deposits.

It claims to have provided loans to hundreds of thousands of Nigerians for things like growing their business, paying rent or school fees, buying a car etc.

To qualify for a loan you have to be between 22 – 59 years old, have a verifiable source of income and live in the cities where they operate (which currently is Lagos).

It says on the website you can borrow up to N6 million for 24 months. However you must have built up your loan capacity by borrowing smaller amounts and repaying them on time.

To apply for loan you will need also to provide the following; your bank statement, a government issued ID card and utility bill (optional).

Because they usually loan money to only people with verifiable salary income and have systems in place to recoup their money Renmoney has good reputation as one of the loan apps who do not resort to embarrassing and shaming defaulters to their contacts. We guess that’s one good point about them.

7. PalmCredit

Palmcredit, run by New Edge Finance, is a mobile lender with their app only available on Google Playstore for Android phones.

You can get quick, unsecured loans of up to N100,000 through the Palmcredit app. They are also duly registered in the country.

The parent company, Newedge Finance Limited is fully licensed to offer financial services.

ALSO SEE

 

NB: This is not financial advice and Nairabrains will not be responsible/liable for any decisions you take as a result of reading this article. You are always advised to carry out your own due diligence. 

 

Everyone wants to make more money. Even if you have a job you still want to have a side hustle, business etc that generates extra income for you.

The challenge for most people is that most lucrative businesses require capital which most people don’t have. What if there are businesses you can start with little money, so you may not need to borrow the capital to start?

We did some research to come up with low cost, lucrative businesses you can start with small capital, to generate reasonable income for yourself.

1. Blogging

When people hear blogging they think it’s all about writing articles or posts. No, blogging consists of creating any different type of content on a platform such as website, social media (eg Instagram) etc.

Your blog can be photo focused or video focused (otherwise called vlogging). Blogging can be creating unique content (articles, photos, videos) of your own or posting snippets of other people’s content and directing people to those content.

The key thing to start is to decide

(a) the type of content you want or will be comfortable creating eg a current affairs blog on Instagram showing interesting photos and videos, a blog writing about opportunities & careers, a photo blog on travel and interesting places etc.

You can choose what to blog about and the medium you wish to use to blog.

(b) Which platform to use for your blog: If you are social media person you can use Instagram for your blog especially if it’s picture, video focused and you are familiar with social media. The advantage is you will spend zero on a website, hosting etc. You just create content, grow your followers etc. If you choose to create a written blog then you will need a website (or use any free website provider), then host your blog site. You can host your blogs free on WordPress.

How to Monetise Your Blog Site

If you are creating a blog website you will need good content and some traffic before you can start making money. When you have created a lot of good content and finally have some traffic (at least 1,000 visitors per month) you can start exploring any of the below monetisation methods.

  • Google Adsense: Adsense is usually the easiest and first means of monetising a blog website. You simply sign up to the Adsense program and then place the ad codes on your website/blog. Adsense serves ads from different advertisers on your blog and shares the revenue with you (the publisher).
  • Affiliates: You can sign up to ecommerce, software or online business sites that have affiliate program especially for products that are relevant to the content on your site. You put affiliate links on your blog articles so people may click to go to the website selling those items or products. When people referred from your site make a purchase you can make as much as 50% commission in some cases (depending on the commission set by the Affiliate website/seller)
  • Direct Ads: If you have built up some level of users and traffic to your blog you can start attracting interest from companies looking to advertise directly on your site. You can create an advertising rate card and sell ad space on your website.

For Other Types of Blog like an Instagram Blog you can monetise by charging sponsored post fees and adverts.

2. Information Marketing

Much of what goes on in the internet is actually one form of selling information or the other. Starting an information marketing business is straightforward.

If you have an expertise area or something you know that others will be willing to pay for you can easily start a business selling that information.

You can sell information in the form of software, templates, ebooks, video course etc. Today there are lots of platforms that can help you sell so you don’t need to go through the hassle of setting up a website and payment collection system.

Globally you can sell digital information in any format (ebook, video, downloadable software, pdf etc) via several global and local platforms which include Flutterwave store, Paystack storefront, Selar, Gumroad, DPD, Ejunkie, Easy Digital Downloads etc.

You follow the major steps of

  • finding the right product to create
  • create the product in the best format for easy delivery and consumption for buyers
  • choose a digital platform to sell your information product
  • Set up an account, upload your digital product and create copy for the landing page
  • devise a marketing plan that will attract the right prospects to your digital products page(s)

3. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing can be a profitable business that requires little or no capital to start but will demand lots of effort from you.

Affiliate marketing can come in various forms but it basically means finding and promoting products for 3rd parties where you get paid a commission per sale. The commission you earn can vary depending on the affiliate program and even on the particular product you promote.

Different products in the same affiliate program/website can have different commissions. Usually high priced software products or digital products pay higher commission than say ecommerce or physical products with lower profit margins.

Earning from affiliate marketing starts from finding and choosing the best affiliate program. For Nigerians and many Africans there are very little options to choose from.

One Affiliate program however which admits Nigerians and can become profitable is Amazon Affiliate Program. You will need a website or a social media account on a platform like Twitter which significant following and engagement.

Then you will need to regularly create quality content around a particular niche which will enable you attract thousands of people and pageviews. You can insert affiliate links to several quality products with good reviews so some of your targeted visitors may follow these links to make purchases.

4. Freelance Writing

If you have decent writing skills you can pull off a decent income from freelance writing. The opportunities are now abundant. There are now many platforms where you can sign up, bid for writing jobs and earn for each writing project you complete.

You can also set up your own web page detailing what writing services you offer and promote them via strategic articles and guest posts.

Asides the popular freelance sites where you can get freelance writing gigs such as Upwork and Fiverr you can also join other sites such as Freelancer, Contently, Freelance Writing Jobs, Contena, Guru.com.

You can also apply for full time, part time, contract freelance writing gigs on websites such as Flexjobs, Remote.io etc.

5. Social Media Management

If you know your way around major social media platforms/sites you can make good steady income helping small businesses create content on and manage their social media handles.

The major social media sites you can help businesses manage are Instagram, Twitter and sometimes Facebook.

You just need to be organised, learn basic content creation and design skills for the particular social media site you want to focus on. You may want to just zero in on businesses on Instagram (such as ecommerce, fashion/clothing etc).

Help them create a content calender, create/design content and post for them based on schedule. Use hashtags to attract and grow followers or fans for the pages.

As a social media manager you can handle social media accounts of several businesses and charge a monthly retainer to create content and grow their pages.

See an example of a social media management agency helping other businesses manage their social media pages – https://pejasdigital.com/

To start you don’t even need a paid website of your own. You can create a free page on any free website hosting service so people can go there to read what you offer and how to contact you.

6. Virtual Assistant

If you have little money and plenty of time on your hands, one business you can start with almost nothing and start earning decent income is a Virtual Assistant business.

As a virtual assistant you help people or businesses handle certain administrative or specific tasks like writing, research, running errands etc.

To start as a virtual assistant you may first define the scope of services you offer. Limit them to services or tasks you will have little problems offering because reputation is important if you are to get repeat business.

Next create a profile. No need spending money to do this. You can create a social media profile/page for the business or set up a free About page describing what you do, services/tasks you render as a virtual assistant and how to contact you. It may also help to have handy a rate card that shows your fees for different tasks.

You can also sign up on some sites where you can find and apply for virtual assistant tasks. TaskRabbot, PeopleperHour etc are a few of the websites where you can get virtual assistant work.

7. Real Estate Agency

You can start your own real estate agency with no capital in your current city. As a real estate agent you simply connect buyer/renters with sellers and owners looking to lease/rent out their properties.

You can, for a start specialise in rental properties – apartments, duplexes etc.

You can register your business name and start building your rental property database by reaching to people building new houses or looking to rent out their houses. Check if there are any licenses or registrations required to be an agent in your location/country.

When you have a decent collection of properties you can start looking for renters. Join forums, post on social media. Real Estate agencies earn commission on any property rented or bought through them.

As your network grows you stand to make more money as you match more property owners with buyers or renters.

8. Tutoring

If you are very good in one or more academic subjects or even non-academic subjects like playing a musical instrument (piano, guitar etc) you can actually create a decent business as a tutor.

Your biggest challenge will be to identify your ideal buyers and convince a few to take you on. You can tutor kids of a couple parents (and build a schedule that allows you have at least a handful of clients). Your tutoring can be done several times a week at specific times so you create a calendar that enables you take on a few clients.

The interesting thing is that asides your knowledge you do not need to spend on things like a venue. Most of your prospective clients will be happy for a hime tutoring arrangement.

You only need at least 3 clients that you bill a decent monthly amount to make it a worthwhile business.

9. CV/Cover Letter Writing

Even if you are not a HR expert or very skilled in CV Writing you can actually acquire the skills very quickly by accessing free online resources on CV writing.

To get samples you need to use in selling your CV writing service you can create new CVs for a few friends. These samples can be proof that you can help anyone rewrite or re-create their CV.

The key is to price your CV writing services appropriately. You can charge very affordable prices for the entry level, mid and senior level respectively.

You can also easily find and build your own diverse library of CV templates that you can then use to create attractive, professional CVs for your customers.

If you have a laptop already and can access reliable internet you are halfway there. If you can write well then all you need is

  • find good resources and templates on CV writing
  • Do sample CV writing jobs (even if for free) to get initial testimonials and test your skill
  • Start creating simple content and advice around CV writing, post them in relevant forums and social media targeting jobseekers/career individuals
  • Have a simple web page where you can link to for anyone to reach you or contact you

10. Event Planning

If you are highly organised and love planning events, parties, weddings etc this could be turned into a lucrative event planning business for you.

Lots of people are busy with their day jobs or are too lazy to plan significant events in their lives like birthday parties, weddings, traditional marriage events, child dedication parties etc. 

You can create a very good cashflow positive business helping people plan and execute their events if you live in a big city.

Of course you may need to take more courses to learn more about event planning and especially the aspects of finance, how to charge fees and how to use tools that help you stay organised and effective. 

But these are no big deals. You can find event planning courses online and plenty of guides on how to start your event planning business.

By having the passion/interest and researching a few guides on event planning business you should be ready for your first client. Start by reaching out to friends, create a business name/card or a simple webpage that tells people what you do. You might even offer to waive your fees to help a couple of friends plan/organise their next events. 

This way you have videos and photos you can use as your sample when talking to future clients. And also you may need to be more outgoing, attend events, network, give out your cards and meet potential clients. 

RECOMMENDED

Whether you need a personal loan to tide you over some rough times or a business loan to invest in and grow your business income, it is never easy to come across loans from commercial banks without being asked for collateral that is worth at least the amount of loan you are asking for.

So asking for and getting a loan from the big banks is not always easy and possible.

So what are the options for someone who wants to get a cheap loan (one that does not have high interest rates) in Nigeria?

We researched and came up with several sources, websites and apps where you can easily apply for and get a loan ranging from a few thousands to hundreds of thousands (or even millions) of Naira.

Here are Apps, Websites and Places Where You Can Get up to N1 million Loan Without Collateral

1. Lidya

Lidya provides business loans and support to small business owners. You can also get personal loans from Lidya. You first create an account, link your bank account and apply for a loan. Lidya analyses your bank account transactions in 24 hours to come up with the appropriate amount you can borrow.

You can register and apply for loans at Lidya here – https://www.lidya.info/ng/en/home/

2. GTBank QuickCredit

If you have a GTBank account and use the GTWorld app you can qualify for a quick credit loan after 6 months. Quick Credit analyses your transaction and inflow to your GTbank account to determine how much you can get in loans from your GTWorld app.

Depending on your bank account transaction volume you can qualify to take up to N500,000 loan from Quickcredit via your GTWorld app.

3. Aella Credit

On Aellacredit you can get up to N1 million loan without collateral. With Aella Credit you simply create an account, answer some questions to check your eligibility and then apply for loan. You can build up your credibility by starting with the low loan amount and you get your limit increased as you repay your loan on time.

4. Payhippo

Payhippo focuses on providing fast, seamless loans to small businesses. Applicants can download the Payhippo app, register and apply for loans.

Payhippos claims to use Artificial intelligence to analyse data and show you how much you can borrow for your small business

5. Branch

Branch is a personal finance and loan app where individuals can apply for loans without physical presentation of documents.

Branch is touted as one of the best loan apps in the country. Applicants download the app, create account and apply for loans which are reviewed based on available data provided.

6. FCMB Fastcash Loan

The First City Monument Bank (FCMB) FastCash loan enables an individual get up to N200,000 loan without collateral and paperwork.

If you have an FCMB account you apply for a loan through the mobile app or through the short code – *329*11#.

7. WEMA Bank Salary Loans

If you are a confirmed salary earner and have a Wema bank account you can qualify to apply for a salary loan from the bank.

You can apply for up to 7 x your net salary or a maximum N2 million.

After application and review the loan is usually disbursed within 48 hours.

8. Access Bank Payday Loan

If you have an access bank account and use the Access bank app you can check if you qualify for a loan.

You stand greater chances if you use your access bank account to receive salary payments.

You simply open the Access bank (Access More) app. Click on Instant Loans to see if you qualify.

You will see eligible loan amount, if you do. Interest is 4% payable in 31 days.

9. Lendigo

Lendigo gives loans to small business owners such as ecommerce merchants, POS agents, distributors and other small businesses.

As a first time applicant you could get a loan of N100,000 if you qualify. You can download and apply for loan through the Lendigo app.

10. Carbon

Carbon is a fintech app that enables you take a loan to be repaid between 15 days – 6 months.

Through the Carbon loan app you can take a loan of between N7,500 – N1 million at various interest rates depending on your credit rating.

ALSO SEE

So you are interested in getting into cryptocurrency and making a decent amount of income? Everyone is getting to know about cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, ethereum and we read stories of people who make thousands of dollars from the cryptocurrency markets.

Cryptocurrency is becoming huge as more and more people try to get in. Still experts believe cryptocurrency still has a lot of progress to make – this means there are still more opportunities for people to get involved and make good money from cryptocurrency.

To take advantage of the opportunities in cryptocurrency you have to know about what is called – cryptocurrency exchanges. These are platforms where you buy, sell or hold cryptocurrencies. You also need to know about the major cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), Cardano (ADA), Polygon (MATIC) etc.

How Money is Made in Cryptocurrency

To make money from cryptocurrency you can choose from any of these six (6) strategies;

  1. Investing

Investing in cryptocurrency means to buy and hold crypto assets for long term. Cryptocurrencies may be volatile in the short term but when you buy and hold for a while they appreciate significantly in value.

This strategy requires you to find, buy and hold only major cryptocurrencies or assets that have shown long term price increase in the past such as Bitcoin, Ethereum. You buy them whenever you have spare cash and hold for as long as possible as they appreciate in value.

2. Trading

Many people make money from cryptocurrencies through trading. Trading crypto assets means exploiting the short term volatility of crypto by buying when they are low and selling when the prices rise.

To be a successful trader, you need to have the proper analytical and technical skills. You’ll need to analyze market charts on the performance of the listed assets so that you can make accurate predictions about price increases and decreases.

3. Staking and Lending

If you are the type that does not like to take risks you can actually make money (even if smaller gains) from cryptocurrency by staking and lending your crypto coins (assets). When you stake your coins, you still own them but can’t spend them. Instead you lock the coins in a cryptocurrency wallet.

The crypto network uses your coins to validate transactions and you receive rewards for that. The reward you receive is like the interest a bank pays you when you leave your money in your account so the bank uses it for business.

4. Airdrops and Forks

Cryptocurrency exchanges do airdrops to help attract users for a cryptocurrency project. If you are part of an airdrop you can get free coin that you can then use to buy things or to invest or trade.

A blockchain forks because of changes or upgrades in a protocol that create new coins. If you hold coins on the original chain, you will typically get free tokens on the new network. This means you get a free coin because you were in the right place at the right time.

5. Dividends

Just the way some stocks pay dividends to shareholders who own those stocks, in crypto there are coins or crypto assets that also pay dividends. While you may not see a tidal wave of dividends hit your crypto account without a large balance, it can be a way to make money with the crypto you already own. However, you need to do some research to see which cryptocurrencies are paying dividends and whether the dividends are worth it.

Some cryptocurrencies that pay dividends in more coins (or tokens) include VeChain, NEO, Reddcoin, NAVCoin, Decred, and their annual dividends broadly. Therefore, cryptocurrency dividends differ from stock dividends in that they pay additional tokens rather than cash.

6. Mining

Cryptocurrency mining is a crucial component of the proof of work mechanism. If you mind a cryptocurrency, you are rewarded with the new coins. Mining requires technical expertise and computing investment. You need to have a coding background and massively powerful computers in cold environments.

For the past few weeks we have researched and studied browsing habits of Nigerians online. We sought to know what Nigerians search for most on the internet.

Is this article useful?

You can bet. Information marketers and bloggers will find it useful to have the information about the most searched things online by Nigerians. In compiling this report we did not take into account single word searches like “2go” “Facebook” etc. We, rather, wanted to find out the sort of information (How to’s) that Nigerians seek most online.

Note also that this report is not complete in its entirety as we will still continue our research and effect any changes we discover along the way. We also give credit to the following site/organizations through which some of our research was carried out:

a. Google.com
b. Nairaland.com
c. Facebook.com
d. Twitter.com among others.

And now, the list.

Please note that we do not compile in an order of importance or most searched,. We just let you have the list and do whatever you wish with it.

1. Job Vacancies/Opportunities: the relative success of many job sites in Nigeria attest to the fact that thousands of Nigerians go online everyday seeking information on available job openings. They type in several phrases depending on the job they want. You see phrases like, ‘engineering jobs in Lagos, accounting jobs in Nigeria’ etc.

Also, many search for web address of known recruiting firms, oil companies’ banks and telecom companies. When government agencies like the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) advertise for recruitment thousands of people go online to search for details and application process.

Job vacancies is one thing Nigerians will continue to search for online for sometime to come given that unemployment has continued to be a huge challenge to the country.

2. How to Make Money/Income Online: this is a particularly popular search term for Nigerians. As the internet opens more and more in Nigeria, thousands dream for a life where they work on their computer for a couple of hours per day and get the dollar cum naira rain to live the life of their dreams. For many however they soon realize how difficult it is to make money online in Nigeria. Nigerians search to discover best ways to make money online without much stress.

3. News: depending on the latest occurrences in the Nation’s political or sporting sector (these two are the most eventful parts of Nigerian’s lives) Nigerians go online to search for more information. News sites like 234next.com, Vanguard and sports sites like goal.com are very popular in Nigeria for this purpose.

4. How to Get Overseas Scholarship: the craze to go abroad by Nigerians did not start today. And it is not about to end. Undergraduates and graduates all seek multiple ways to escape the country and study abroad to presumably have access to better life with the degrees they’ll acquire abroad.
The search for overseas scholarship and educational opportunities include a wide varieties of country; Canada, Malaysia, US among the most common searches.

5. Where and How to Get Laptops, Phone Accessories and Other IT Gadgets: do we need to say more on this? As the latest gadgets and tools appear many Nigerians search online for information on these gadgets and tools and how to get them.

6. Computer/Mobile Phone Cheats: many young Nigerians want to browse the internet with their mobile phones for far cheaper costs or even for free. Hence, the search for phone cheats to enable free or low-cost browsing. The same applies to the computer.

7. Sports: the country has some of the craziest fans of the English Premier League, Spanish League and UEFA Champions League.
Every transfer window in Europe brings plenty of searches by Nigerians who wish to keep up to date on latest sales and acquisition of players by their favourite dubs.

Nigerians also search for match results and issues concerning Nigerian football.

8. Answers to Term paper Questions, Project Topics & Other Academic Questions:
This consist a reasonable percentage of searches conducted by Nigerians on the net.

9. Free Stuff: yeah, Nigerians love free money, free browsing, free tips on how to get a woman to like you and stuffs like that. So they search for free things. When I started out as a blogger I searched for many free tips to help improve my blog.

10. Online Dating: the last but not the least. Curiously, many young Nigerian are into searching for online dates with the opposite sex.

Do you have any other ideas? Lets us know about it through the comment box.