For years, Nigeria’s digital discovery engine has run on word-of-mouth. A friend’s WhatsApp recommendation. A viral influencer post. A cousin’s tweet about a new restaurant in Lekki.
But in 2025, that landscape is changing. As more Nigerians transact, travel, and make purchasing decisions online, trust, once a social currency, is becoming a digital necessity. And a new generation of startups is reimagining how Nigerians share and verify experiences. Leading this shift is Maoni, a homegrown review platform built by NjiaHub, which aims to make honest feedback not just scalable but rewarding.
Nigeria’s Evolving Review Culture
The average Nigerian consumer is deeply social but deeply sceptical. Paid influencer marketing has lost its bite, and people increasingly want real experiences from real users. In a market where reviews on global platforms often lack local relevance, there’s a growing appetite for context-driven, community-verified feedback.
This “review culture” isn’t just about stars and ratings, it’s about digital trust. And it’s quickly becoming the new backbone of Nigeria’s online economy.
Nigeria’s Homegrown Review Platform
Maoni (Swahili for “opinions”) takes inspiration from platforms like Yelp but rebuilds them for the Nigerian market — social, mobile-first, and community-powered.
The app lets users review places they visit, from restaurants and salons to tech hubs and tailors. Every review helps others discover new spots while shaping the visibility of local businesses online. “We’re building for a culture where trust drives discovery,” says a spokesperson from NjiaHub.
Unlike imported review systems that struggle to fit Nigeria’s ecosystem, Maoni speaks the local digital language — mixing credibility with community.
The Maoni Model: Reviews That Reward
Maoni’s ecosystem is built on participation and purpose. Users earn points by writing genuine reviews and sharing real experiences. The most active and authentic reviewers qualify for vouchers, free experiences, and exclusive offers, creating a self-sustaining cycle of credible engagement.
The result? A growing database of authentic listings, over 1,000 new places added every month, many sourced directly from user requests on the app. Discovery on Maoni is organic, democratic, and driven by the people who use the services, not those who pay for visibility.
Fighting Review Fraud with Machine Learning
Fake reviews have long plagued digital trust platforms globally. Maoni tackles this head-on with machine learning algorithms that detect unusual activity, repetitive patterns, and fraudulent feedback.
When anomalies are flagged, Maoni’s hybrid moderation system, combining automation with human oversight, steps in to verify user reports. It’s a layered defence designed to keep reviews credible without stifling community participation.
“We knew from day one that authenticity was everything,” the team notes. “Without trust, you can’t build discovery.”
Smart Search for Smarter Discovery
Beyond reviews, Maoni is building an intelligent discovery engine for Nigeria’s cities. Users can search for “romantic restaurants in Lagos” or “brunch spots in Abuja,” and the platform surfaces personalised results ranked by verified user sentiment.
In many ways, Maoni functions like a local Google for experiences but filtered through trust, not just popularity.
It’s discovery designed for nuance: powered by people, refined by data.
Why It’s Different
Maoni’s model breaks from the industry norm: no paid visibility. Businesses don’t buy rankings or ads — they earn them through consistent, verified trust.
In a market saturated with sponsored content, Maoni’s merit-based approach feels refreshing — and, perhaps, revolutionary. It’s a platform where small neighbourhood cafés can compete with established brands, solely on the strength of their service and user satisfaction.
The Bigger Vision: Building Africa’s Layer of Digital Trust
Maoni’s ambition extends beyond Nigeria. By grounding visibility in authenticity, the company hopes to build a continent-wide layer of digital trust, where local voices shape discovery and reputation.
In doing so, Maoni is not just digitising reviews — it’s digitising credibility.
And in a world where attention is bought, that might just be the most valuable innovation of all.
