Nigeria App Offers ₦10M Prize to Map Hidden Economy

Every day, millions of Nigerians shop at neighborhood stores, open-air markets, and corner kiosks that never show up in any database. Now those invisible transactions are about to become visible, and shoppers will get paid for making it happen.

Shoppoint, a shopping rewards app founded in 2023, just launched the Billion Receipts Initiative starting June 2026. The nationwide program invites every Nigerian shopper to snap photos of their receipts from supermarkets, pharmacies, restaurants, gas stations, and street vendors to build the country's first comprehensive picture of how people actually spend money.

The prize structure rewards participation at every level. The shopper who uploads the one billionth receipt wins ₦10 million, with cashback prizes distributed across eight milestone levels as the national counter climbs. Since launching, Shoppoint has already verified over 10 million receipts from early users.

Founder Kessiena Majemite explains the mission simply: most of Nigeria's economy runs on cash through small shops and markets that leave no digital trace. Brands selling products have no idea who's actually buying them or where. Shoppers create valuable data with every purchase but never benefit from it.

The initiative changes that equation. Every scanned receipt earns cashback while contributing to a verified database that has never existed before. Consumer brands can sponsor additional missions tied to specific products or stores, paying shoppers directly for confirmed purchases instead of funding expensive traditional advertising.

Shoppoint openly models itself on Fetch Rewards, the U.S. receipt app that grew into a multibillion-dollar business. The difference is Nigeria's retail reality: more cash transactions, informal markets, and mobile-first shoppers who need rewards they can use immediately.

THE RIPPLE EFFECT

The program creates wins across the board. Shoppers earn money from purchases they'd make anyway while gaining price transparency through Shoppoint's comparison features. Small retailers become visible in data systems for the first time, potentially accessing services and credit previously unavailable. Brands connect directly with real customers instead of guessing at market dynamics.

The initiative runs indefinitely rather than as a limited campaign. Shoppers anywhere in Nigeria can join at any point in the journey to one billion receipts. Community ambassadors and awareness campaigns begin immediately, with brand partnerships rolling out continuously.

Nigeria's offline economy has always been there, moving billions of naira through millions of daily transactions. Now it's finally getting mapped, one receipt at a time, by the people who power it.