Had a rough week at work? Doing research on potential business ideas which could save you from the rat race? I found a really interesting idea today, and would like to share it with you. As the most populous black nation on earth, there are no prizes for guessing what the most recreational sport in Nigeria is. Someone asked what people did for fun in Nigeria a while ago, and the responses that came were pretty much self-explanatory.
Really? Sure? “@CheRox: Our ever growing population should be a hint. “@zLm4: When you live in Nigeria, what do you do for entertainment?”
— Andy (@ChidiAndy) September 13, 2014
I find it even more interesting that most people are actually quite shy about this. Therefore, in keeping with my aim to present a result-oriented perspective on things, what business opportunities do these two factors combined present?
Private STD testing
It is impossible to tell how many people have an an STD but in Africa’s 2nd most populous nation, my guesses are that this is a really high number. This translates to a viable market, aided by the reluctance of most people to even admit having pre/extra-marital sex. So here’s the idea: Why not mail people testing kits for STD via post in some sort of secure package with a sealable, preservative-filled container ? They mail the kits back to the lab and results are posted/e-mailed/sent via text message?
A US companydoes exactly this. How it works is that customers order a 10-test panel online or over the phone or online, select a test centre close to them (obviously better if this step could be eliminated, but a blood sample is required or some of the conditions they test for), and then go home and wait 48 hours for results – which are then sent by e-mail. The test screen for HIV (type 1 & 2), Herpes (1 & 2), Hepatitis (A, B & C), Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and Syphilis.
If you ask me, this is a perfect model scalable in Nigeria. As an added feature, customers not wishing to go to the centre could even pay for a nurses to visit and take a blood sample.
This should cost the equivalent of the costs of setting up a laboratory, or better still hiring the lab of a renown hospital to test the idea in the interim.
What do you think about this business idea? Let me know in the comments section!
