By Juliet Umeh

With millions of young Nigerians relying on informal income streams amid rising unemployment, a lifestyle and direct selling company, QNET has said it is reframing ethical direct selling as a transparent and regulated form of micro-entrepreneurship, as it unveils its operational strategy for Nigeria ahead of 2026.

With nearly three decades of experience in the wellness and lifestyle segment, QNET has operated in Nigeria through independent distributors and digital sales channels since 2021.

In recent years, regulators have intensified oversight of informal and semi-formal business models amid growing concerns around consumer protection, transparency, and fraud, reshaping expectations for how direct-selling companies operate in the country.

For Nigeria, where millions of young people rely on informal income streams, the distinction between legitimate direct selling and fraudulent schemes has become a policy and consumer-protection priority.

General Manager for QNET in Nigeria, Ayokunmi Solesi, said: “Against this backdrop, QNET’s 2026 strategy for Nigeria will place integrity, strict regulatory compliance, and responsible stakeholder engagement at the centre of its operations.

“As the company adapts to tighter oversight and evolving market conditions, we believe ethical entrepreneurship must be anchored in transparency and accountability if it is to remain a credible pathway for economic participation, particularly for young Nigerians facing limited formal employment opportunities.”

He explained: “At the core of QNET’s direct-selling model are product value, transparent compensation structures, and strict adherence to consumer protection standards, principles aligned with the global direct selling industry’s performance as reported in the WFDSA 2024 STATS Report, which showed the channel generating around $164 billion in retail sales and supporting more than 104 million independent representatives worldwide.

“The model ensures that Independent Distributors, IDs, earn solely from verified product sales rather than recruitment-based incentives, reinforcing the distinction between legitimate direct selling and illicit schemes.

“This distinction, earning from products rather than recruitment, is widely recognised by regulators as the primary line separating ethical direct selling from pyramid-style schemes.

“By prioritising verifiable product demand and transparent earnings, QNET supports sustainable income opportunities and professional skill development that contribute positively to Nigeria’s formal economy.

“Product innovation remains a key pillar of QNET’s 2026 outlook in Nigeria. Through its partner, Transblue Limited, since 2022, the company has hosted workshops and expos, such as the 2025 Lagos Product Expo, to promote innovation and youth opportunities.

“These events showcased certified wellness products while addressing misconceptions, with over 8,000 attendees recorded at the Abuja edition alone.
QNET’s product portfolio spans health, wellness, personal care, and home living.
“At the heart of its wellness category are the Amezcua range of products, including the Amezcua Bio Disc and Chi Pendant, which remain among the company’s most recognised offerings and are widely used for personal well-being and lifestyle optimisation.

“Complementing these are timepieces and accessories under the Bernhard H. Mayer brand, including the OMNI Watch, which earned a Silver Stevie Award in 2025 for its sustainability-forward design.
“Together, these products reflect QNET’s continued emphasis on certified wellness, durability, and long-term consumer value within Nigeria’s growing lifestyle and wellness market.”
He noted: “Beyond product innovation, consumer protection is expected to be a central pillar of QNET’s strategy amid rising financial fraud in Nigeria. Building on recent advocacy and enforcement efforts, the company says it is expanding both preventive and defensive measures to safeguard consumers.

“In an environment where financial fraud continues to undermine public trust, consumer education and institutional accountability must go hand in hand.
“The company’s ‘Say NO!’ public awareness campaign, launched in 2023, focused on helping citizens identify fraudulent schemes through mass outreach and community engagement across Nigeria and other West African markets.

“This effort was reinforced through structured collaboration with Nigerian authorities, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), aimed at disrupting impersonation networks and protecting the integrity of legitimate entrepreneurship.

“Such measures place QNET among a small group of direct-selling firms in Nigeria publicly aligning enforcement, education, and regulator engagement as part of their operating model.”
Solesi highlighted that, in addition to external advocacy, the company believes ethical direct selling must be enforced from within.
He added: “Between 2022 and 2023, QNET suspended more than 80 distributor accounts across Sub-Saharan Africa for ethics violations, underscoring its zero-tolerance approach to misrepresentation and misconduct. “Continuous monitoring of digital platforms for brand misuse further reflects QNET’s view that compliance is not a one-time response, but an ongoing responsibility essential to sustaining trust in the direct-selling sector.”

Complementing these efforts are educational programmes, such as QNET’s signature financial literacy initiative, the FinGreen Programme, launched in 2022 in partnership with Transblue Limited. The programme has trained over 1,500 young people and women across Nigeria in budgeting, saving, responsible spending, and digital financial literacy skills to reduce vulnerability to exploitation.

Moving forward, QNET aims to strengthen its role in Nigeria’s formal economy by positioning ethical direct selling as a viable pathway for micro-entrepreneurship, income diversification, and skills development, particularly among young people navigating an increasingly competitive labour market.

As Nigeria’s gig economy matures under tighter regulation, QNET argues that the future of direct selling will be decided less by scale and more by trust, measured in transparency, consumer protection, and the economic literacy of those it empowers.