Nigerian vocational services company Kalvia has announced plans to launch a digital marketplace designed to connect households and businesses with trained technicians, backed by a three-month warranty on completed services. The initiative forms part of the company's broader effort to rebuild trust and professionalism in Nigeria's skilled trades sector.

The proposed platform will give customers access to electricians, plumbers, carpenters and other technical professionals who have either completed formal training or passed skills assessments. Unlike conventional artisan marketplaces, Kalvia intends to combine vocational education, professional certification and job placement within a single system.

Speaking at a stakeholder conference, Kalvia founder and Chief Executive Officer Khafid Gbadamosi said the company was established to address a problem many Nigerians encounter when hiring artisans: finding skilled professionals who can deliver quality work, communicate effectively and take responsibility when something goes wrong.

According to Gbadamosi, Nigeria does not lack artisans; the deeper challenge lies in finding professionals capable of delivering reliable services without constant supervision. "What we have is too few professionals. People who can diagnose a fault, price it honestly, fix it and close it without supervision," he said.

He argued that existing artisan marketplaces frequently recruit technicians without addressing gaps in their training or professional conduct, leaving customers exposed to the same problems they face when hiring artisans independently. Kalvia aims to change this by requiring technicians who join its marketplace to have completed its training programme or passed a skills assessment, with additional training provided where necessary.

Beyond matching customers with available technicians, Kalvia plans to introduce a service management system that oversees every job from the initial request through to completion. Customers will be asked to describe the problem they need resolved, enabling the company to pair each request with a technician whose skills and experience fit the task. The system will also support job documentation, customer feedback, service supervision and quality checks to confirm that technicians meet the company's professional standards.

One of the platform's flagship features will be a three-month warranty covering faults directly linked to previously completed work. "Our services are going to be insured and warranted," Gbadamosi said.

He explained that if a repair fails within three months as a result of work carried out by a Kalvia technician, the company will fix the problem at no additional cost. The arrangement, he said, is intended to encourage technicians to get jobs right the first time while giving customers greater confidence in the services they pay for. In practice, the guarantee places responsibility for faults linked to previous work on Kalvia itself during the warranty window, addressing the accountability gap the company identified in the wider market.

Kalvia also plans to employ some of its technicians directly, allowing the company to supervise service delivery and maintain consistent standards. Gbadamosi noted that the company is already engaging residential estates and exploring other channels to generate demand for its services ahead of the marketplace's rollout. However, the platform's commercial structure — including how customers will be charged and how technicians will earn from completed jobs — is still being developed. The company has also yet to announce when the marketplace itself will go live, making the commercial model and launch timing two of the main details prospective users will be watching for.

The stakeholder engagement also marked the inauguration of three advisory councils, made up of young people, technical experts and employers, who will contribute to the development of Kalvia's training programmes and employment model.

The Youth Council will represent the interests of prospective trainees, helping the company understand what attracts young Nigerians to vocational careers and the challenges that could discourage them from participating.

The Trade Experts Council will provide technical guidance on training standards, industry requirements and the practical skills graduates need to succeed in their chosen professions.

The Hiring Council, composed of employers and industry representatives, will help align the training programme with workplace expectations and identify employment opportunities for graduates.

Kalvia Chief Operating Officer Toun Roberts said the councils were established to ensure that the company's programmes reflect the needs of the people who will receive the training, the professionals working across different industries and the businesses expected to employ its graduates. "We have a model, but we don't have proof. We have designed it carefully, but we cannot prove it without you," she said.

The inauguration comes ahead of Kalvia's planned training launch on February 15, 2027, when the company aims to admit its first cohort of 200 learners. The 16-week programme will initially focus on five technical trades: carpentry and joinery, plumbing and pipe fitting, electrical installation and maintenance, HVAC maintenance and support, and solar PV maintenance and support.

The company also plans to expand into other industries, including construction, as it develops additional training pathways.

Although the training will ordinarily attract fees, Kalvia is seeking sponsors to support its first 200 learners, recognising that many prospective trainees may be unable to afford the programme. Subsequent cohorts are expected to operate under a paid training model.

Beyond training, Kalvia is targeting a 70 per cent job placement rate, with graduates expected to secure opportunities through partner employers, direct employment or the company's marketplace. Gbadamosi stressed that the company's success will not be determined simply by the number of people trained, but by their ability to find work and increase their income. "What we want to count are the number of students we trained that gained jobs, stayed in the jobs and grew their earning power," he said. With the first cohort not due to begin until February 2027, hard evidence on whether the placement target is being met remains some way off.

The Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), which was also represented at the event, expressed its willingness to support graduates interested in establishing their own businesses.

The LSETF executive secretary explained that the agency provides access to business loans and entrepreneurship support programmes that could help trained artisans purchase equipment, set up businesses and manage their operations. Under its existing financing programmes, eligible Lagos entrepreneurs can access loans ranging from ₦50,000 to ₦5 million, depending on the business category, at an annual interest rate of 9 per cent.

Kalvia's proposed marketplace is expected to address the challenge by creating a direct connection between technical training and income opportunities. While the company's training and marketplace plans are still in their early stages, Gbadamosi said the larger ambition is to change how Nigerians perceive skilled work and to create an environment in which technical professionals can build sustainable careers.

Source: TechNext24