Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to all users of the Food for Nations Platform, including:

• Registered merchants (exporters, importers, food producers, off-takers)
• Trade finance partners, logistics providers, and certification bodies
• Visitors to our website who have not registered
• Recipients of our newsletter and marketing communications

By accessing or using the Platform, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use our Platform.

2.1 Information You Provide Directly

• Registration data: Full name, email address, phone number, business name, and password when you create an account or become a member.
• Business information: Company registration details, tax identification numbers, business address, commodity categories, trading experience, and product catalogues.
• KYC / compliance documents: Government-issued identity documents, certificate of incorporation, trade licences, and other verification documents required under our Know Your Customer (KYC) programme.
• Trade data: Details of trade offers (BUY/SELL listings), commodities, volumes, Incoterms, pricing, and payment terms submitted through the Platform.
• Payment information: Billing details processed through Stanbic IBTC Zest. We do not store full card numbers on our servers.
• Communications: Messages sent through the Platform's messaging system, support enquiries, and feedback you provide.
• Newsletter subscriptions: Email address when you subscribe to our newsletter or marketing communications.

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

• Log data: IP addresses, browser type and version, pages visited, time spent on pages, referring URLs, and device identifiers.
• Usage data: Actions taken within the Platform such as searches performed, offers viewed, and features used.
• Cookies and tracking: Session cookies, persistent cookies, and similar tracking technologies as described in our Cookie Policy.
• Location data: General geographic location derived from your IP address.

2.3 Information From Third Parties

• Identity verification providers for KYC compliance checks
• Payment processors (Stanbic IBTC Zest) for transaction status
• Bureau Veritas and other certification partners for product certification status
• Public trade registries and business databases for business verification

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Providing the Platform: To create and manage your account, process membership fees, and provide access to trade marketplace features.
• Trade facilitation: To match buyers and sellers, display trade offers, and facilitate connections between platform stakeholders.
• KYC and compliance: To verify your identity and business credentials in accordance with applicable anti-money laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) regulations.
• Payments: To process membership subscription fees and facilitate payment-related services through our partner Stanbic IBTC Zest.
• Communications: To send you service notifications, transaction confirmations, security alerts, and support responses.
• Marketing: To send newsletters, market intelligence updates, event invitations, and promotional materials — with your consent where required by law.
• Market intelligence: To generate anonymised and aggregated commodity market insights, price trends, and trade corridor analytics.
• Platform improvement: To analyse usage patterns, diagnose technical issues, and improve our services.
• Legal obligations: To comply with applicable laws, regulations, court orders, and lawful requests from government authorities.

Under the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 (NDPA) and, where applicable, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we process your personal data on the following legal bases:

• Contract performance: Processing necessary to provide the Platform services and fulfil our membership agreements.
• Legal obligation: Processing required for KYC, AML compliance, tax reporting, and other statutory requirements.
• Legitimate interests: Processing for Platform security, fraud prevention, and improving our services, where your interests do not override ours.
• Consent: Marketing communications and non-essential cookies, where we have obtained your explicit consent. You may withdraw consent at any time.

We share your information only in the following circumstances:

• With other Platform members: Your business name, commodity categories, and trade offers are visible to other verified members as part of the trade marketplace functionality. Personal contact details are only shared upon mutual agreement.
• With service providers: We engage trusted third-party service providers including Stanbic IBTC Zest (payments), Bureau Veritas (certification), logistics partners, and cloud infrastructure providers. These parties are contractually bound to protect your information and use it only for the specified purpose.
• With financial partners: When you apply for trade finance through the Platform, relevant business and trade data is shared with the partnering bank or DFI, subject to their own privacy policies.
• Legal requirements: We may disclose your information to law enforcement, regulatory authorities, or courts when required by law or to protect the rights and safety of our users.
• Business transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of our business assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you before your information is subject to a different privacy policy.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes.

We retain your personal data for the following periods:

• Account data: For the duration of your membership plus 7 years after account closure, to comply with Nigerian financial record-keeping requirements.
• KYC documents: Minimum 5 years after the end of the business relationship, as required by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) AML/CFT regulations.
• Trade records: 7 years after the relevant transaction, for audit and dispute resolution purposes.
• Marketing data: Until you unsubscribe or withdraw consent, plus 1 year for suppression list management.
• Technical logs: Up to 90 days for security and debugging purposes.

Subject to applicable law, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right of access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right of rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Right of erasure: Request deletion of your data, subject to our legal retention obligations.
• Right to restrict processing: Request that we limit processing of your data in certain circumstances.
• Right to data portability: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
• Right to object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests, or to direct marketing.
• Right to withdraw consent: Withdraw consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.

To exercise any of these rights, contact our Data Protection Officer at contact@foodfornations.com with the subject line "Data Rights Request".

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your personal data, including:

• TLS/SSL encryption for all data transmitted between your device and our servers
• Encryption at rest for sensitive data stored in our databases
• Role-based access controls limiting staff access to personal data
• Regular security audits and penetration testing
• Multi-factor authentication for administrative access
• PCI-DSS compliant payment processing via Stanbic IBTC Zest

Despite these measures, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. We encourage you to use strong passwords and to report any suspected security incidents to contact@foodfornations.com.

Food for Nations operates primarily in Africa but may transfer data to service providers located in other jurisdictions (including EU/EEA countries and the United States) for hosting, analytics, and email services. Any such transfers are made with appropriate safeguards, including Standard Contractual Clauses under GDPR or equivalent protections under the NDPA.

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience on the Platform. For full details of the cookies we use and how to manage them, please refer to our Cookie Policy.

The Platform is intended for business use by persons aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 18. If you believe a minor has provided us with personal data, please contact us immediately at contact@foodfornations.com.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify registered users of material changes by email and by displaying a notice on the Platform. The "Effective date" at the top of this policy indicates when the current version took effect. Continued use of the Platform after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

For questions about this Privacy Policy, to exercise your data rights, or to report a privacy concern, please contact:

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) at ndpc.gov.ng.