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Key Points
- SeamlessHR targets Nigeria's $720 million public sector, aiming to digitize HR systems for government agencies, including NITDA and the Nigerian Ports Authority.
- The company raised $19 million in Series A funding, boosting its expansion efforts with investors like the Gates Foundation and Helios Digital Ventures.
- SeamlessHR faces competition from local HR-tech startups and global giants like SAP, but its local expertise positions it to lead Nigeria’s digital HR transformation.
SeamlessHR, a payroll and HR software company led by Nigerian tech entrepreneur Emmanuel Okeleji, is positioning itself to capitalize on a $720 million opportunity in Nigeria’s public sector, targeting government agencies with its digital HR solutions.
With over 720,000 civil servants, the Nigerian government represents a lucrative growth opportunity. The company is in talks with key ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), including the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), to onboard them onto its platform, according to a former employee familiar with the discussions.
SeamlessHR already powers performance management for the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and provides recruitment tools for the government’s 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) initiative, the company’s Chief Technology Officer Deji Lana said.
Tackling legacy challenges in government HR
The company’s expansion ambitions received a boost with a recent $9 million Series A extension funding round, backed by major investors such as the Gates Foundation and Helios Digital Ventures. This follows a $10 million Series A round led by TLcom Capital in 2022, reinforcing investor confidence in its ability to scale across Africa’s core markets.
Breaking into Nigeria’s government sector presents both opportunities and challenges. Many agencies still rely on legacy HR systems with complex data integrations, making migration costly and cumbersome. However, SeamlessHR is offering modular solutions to ease the transition. “Government organizations don’t need to switch all at once,” said Deji Lana. “They can start with individual modules before fully transitioning.”
The company also aims to address long-standing inefficiencies such as ghost workers, lack of transparency, and inequitable resource distribution. “We need to play in that space to drive fairness, transparency, and efficiency,” Lana noted.
Navigating a competitive HR-Tech landscape
Nigeria’s HR-tech sector is heating up, with emerging competitors like PaidHR, Bento, Ropay, WorkPay, Cloudenly, and NotchHR challenging SeamlessHR’s lead. Despite this, CTO Lana highlights global giants SAP, Zoho, and Oracle as the company’s main rivals. “While they scale globally, our local expertise gives us an edge,” he noted.
SeamlessHR's move into the public sector mirrors the success of fintech firms like Remita, processing ₦21 trillion in government transactions annually, positioning the company to capitalize on Nigeria's digital transformation.
SeamlessHR bets on AI to power digital HR expansion
SeamlessHR is integrating artificial intelligence to enhance its platform, developing an AI-powered recruitment agent capable of conducting interviews.
Founded in 2018 by Emmanuel Okeleji and Deji Lana, the Lagos-based HR tech firm is Africa’s first locally managed end-to-end HR software provider, streamlining workforce management for businesses across the continent.
Serving nearly 2,000 companies, it processes payroll for over 300,000 employees in 20 countries. In 2023 alone, SeamlessHR handled $311 million in payroll transactions, cementing its industry leadership. As it expands into the public sector, success will hinge on securing government contracts and driving digital HR adoption amid regulatory complexities.
