Finding a reliable plumber, electrician, cleaner or other service professional in Lagos often starts with a WhatsApp message, a personal recommendation or a search through multiple contacts. A new platform, Handi, is betting that customers will prefer a more structured way to find help, compare prices and hold service providers accountable.

The Lagos-based platform has officially launched, connecting customers with service providers across home, personal and business services. Its model allows users to post a job, receive competing quotes from vetted professionals and choose a provider based on price and ratings.

According to the company, posting a job and comparing quotes are free. Customers pay after selecting a provider and confirming that the work has been completed.

How Handi’s Service-Matching Model Works

Handi is designed to reverse the traditional process of finding and hiring an artisan. Instead of contacting several people individually to ask about availability and prices, users can publish a single request through the platform.

Providers can then respond with quotes, allowing customers to compare offers before making a decision. Users can also review provider ratings and communicate with their selected professional to confirm the job’s details and timing.

The process is intended to give customers greater visibility into their options before committing to a service.

Handi’s website describes a similar workflow: users post a task, receive quotes, compare prices and ratings, book a professional, and release payment after confirming the work is satisfactory. The company also advertises identity checks and background screening for listed professionals.

Payment Protection and Provider Screening Are Central to the Pitch

Trust is a major part of Handi’s proposition. In the informal services market, customers can face uncertainty about pricing, reliability and the quality of completed work. Service providers, meanwhile, may struggle to demonstrate their track records or secure consistent business beyond personal referrals.

Handi says it screens professionals before allowing them onto the platform. Its payment model is designed to hold customer funds until the job has been confirmed complete, rather than requiring customers to rely entirely on a provider’s promise.

The platform’s co-founder, Adejare Nathaniel, said the company was created to address common frustrations with unreliable appointments, unexpected prices and poor-quality work.

Fellow co-founder Kolade Bisolu said provider vetting was a priority, arguing that a fast matching process is of limited value if the professional who arrives cannot deliver the required service.

These are important commitments, but the platform’s longer-term credibility will depend on how consistently it verifies providers, handles complaints, resolves payment disputes and responds when work falls short of expectations.

Why Lagos Is a Significant Market

Handi is entering a large market where many workers and small businesses operate outside conventional formal structures.

A Jobberman Nigeria report produced in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation found that the informal sector accounted for 76.7% of employed Nigerians under the report’s measure. The research also highlighted the role of informal work in providing livelihoods, particularly for young people and other groups facing barriers to formal employment.

Moniepoint’s 2025 Informal Economy Report identified the South West as home to nearly one-third of Nigeria’s informal businesses, with Lagos alone accounting for 16% nationwide.

These figures help explain the opportunity for platforms that connect customers with artisans, technicians and other independent professionals. However, they describe the wider informal economy, not the size of Handi’s addressable market or its expected share of service bookings.

For service providers, a digital marketplace could offer a way to reach customers beyond existing personal networks. Ratings and completed-job histories could also help reliable professionals demonstrate their performance to prospective customers.

For consumers, the potential benefit is a more organised way to discover available providers and compare quotes before hiring.

Competition Will Depend on More Than an App

Digital marketplaces can make service discovery easier, but launching a platform does not automatically eliminate the problems associated with informal hiring.

Customers will still need confidence that quoted prices are clear, providers arrive as agreed and work meets acceptable standards. A payment-holding system can offer an additional layer of protection, but its effectiveness depends on transparent rules for completion, refunds and disputes.

Handi will also need to attract enough active providers across different service categories and neighbourhoods. If users post jobs but receive few suitable quotes, or professionals struggle to find worthwhile work, the marketplace may have difficulty building repeat usage.

The company’s ability to maintain reliable vetting and customer support as it grows will therefore be just as important as the technology itself.



Handi Is Now Available in Lagos

Handi says the platform is live across Lagos, with an app available for iOS and Android users. Customers can post a job and compare provider quotes without charge, then pay once they have selected a professional and the work has been confirmed complete.

The company says its broader goal is to create a more accountable service marketplace while helping skilled workers access customers and build a reputation through completed jobs.

Users can find more information at tryhandi.com.

Handi is tackling a familiar problem with a practical marketplace model: make it easier to find professionals, compare prices and create a record of service quality. Its potential value goes beyond convenience if it can help trustworthy artisans win repeat business and give customers a clearer route to resolving problems.

The real test will be execution. Consistent provider quality, fair dispute handling, transparent payment rules and enough active professionals across Lagos will determine whether Handi becomes a regular tool for customers or just another app they try once.