Nigeria’s consumer protection landscape received a technological boost as prominent consumer rights advocate, Sola Salako-Ajulo, unveiled an artificial intelligence-powered digital platform designed to empower consumers with the knowledge and tools needed to defend their rights in the marketplace.
The innovative application, known as the CAFON Consumer Companion (3C), was launched by the Consumer Advocacy Foundation of Nigeria (CAFON) during the 2026 World Consumer Rights Day Forum, held on March 13, 2026, at the facility of Rite Foods Limited in Ososa, Ogun State.
The forum, themed “Safe Product, Confident Consumer,” was convened by the Brand Journalists Association of Nigeria (BJAN) and brought together regulators, consumer protection advocates, industry leaders, and media professionals to deliberate on strategies aimed at strengthening consumer protection and boosting trust in Nigeria’s marketplace.
AI-Powered Tool to Support Nigerian Consumers
Delivering a keynote address titled “Using AI to Improve Consumer Confidence,” Salako-Ajulo described the 3C App as Nigeria’s first artificial intelligence-driven consumer assistance platform specifically designed to guide citizens through challenges encountered when dealing with businesses and service providers.
According to her, the application serves as a digital companion that helps consumers understand their legal rights, generate structured complaint letters to companies, identify potential legal violations, and obtain guidance on how to escalate unresolved disputes to the appropriate regulatory authorities.
She explained that the platform was developed to tackle the widespread confusion and frustration many Nigerian consumers experience when attempting to resolve complaints with organizations.
“3C demonstrates CAFON’s commitment to equipping Nigerian consumers with practical tools that make them more informed, confident, and protected in the marketplace,” she said.
Salako-Ajulo added that when consumers are properly informed about their rights and the processes available for redress, they are more likely to engage confidently in economic activities and support business growth.
Building Consumer Confidence in the Economy
The consumer advocate emphasized that consumer confidence is a critical pillar of economic development, noting that trust in the marketplace encourages spending, innovation adoption, and business expansion.
According to her, when consumers feel protected and confident that the system works in their favour, they are more willing to transact, which ultimately strengthens the economy.
“When consumers trust the system, they spend more, adopt innovations faster, and businesses grow. But when trust is weak, markets struggle and economic activity slows,” she said.
She also noted that many consumers often feel powerless when businesses ignore complaints or hide behind complex corporate structures that make it difficult to obtain redress.
The 3C App, she explained, seeks to simplify the process by offering clear guidance and practical solutions for addressing such challenges.
Nigeria’s Consumer Protection Laws Need Greater Awareness
While acknowledging that Nigeria has robust legal frameworks for consumer protection, Salako-Ajulo noted that awareness of these laws remains low among the general public.
She referenced the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018 as a major milestone in strengthening consumer rights in Nigeria but stressed that the effectiveness of the law depends largely on how well consumers understand and use it.
According to her, enforcement challenges and limited consumer education have continued to weaken the impact of existing regulations.
Call for Collaboration Among Stakeholders
Salako-Ajulo called on regulators, civil society organizations, and the media to work collaboratively in educating consumers and promoting a fairer marketplace where businesses remain accountable to their customers.
Integrating Regulatory Guidelines
The consumer advocate further disclosed that CAFON is already working to expand the scope of the application by incorporating key regulatory frameworks and guidelines into the platform.
She revealed that the laws and operational guidelines of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) will soon be integrated into the CAFON Consumer Companion App to further enhance consumer awareness, particularly in areas relating to product safety, food quality, pharmaceuticals, and consumer health.
According to her, integrating these regulatory provisions will help Nigerian consumers better understand safety standards and regulatory protections governing products in the marketplace.
Consumer Confidence and Economic Growth
She emphasized that informed consumers play a crucial role in ensuring compliance with regulations and maintaining ethical standards in the marketplace.
“An informed consumer is the strongest regulator in the market,” she said.
Industry stakeholders at the forum commended the initiative, noting that the integration of artificial intelligence into consumer advocacy represents a significant step toward modernizing consumer protection mechanisms in Nigeria.
Observers believe the CAFON Consumer Companion App could become a powerful digital resource capable of bridging the gap between consumer protection laws and real-life enforcement, while also strengthening transparency and accountability within Nigeria’s business environment.
The launch of the AI-powered tool signals a new phase in Nigeria’s consumer advocacy movement, where technology is increasingly being deployed to ensure that consumers are not only protected by law but also empowered to assert their rights effectively. Consumer advocate Sola Salako-Ajulo reiterated while unveils CAFON’s AI-powered Consumer Companion (3C) App at the 2026 World Consumer Rights Day Forum to help Nigerians understand their rights, resolve marketplace disputes, and strengthen consumer protection that the 3C App is Nigeria’s first AI-driven consumer guidance tool built specifically to assist citizens in navigating disputes and challenges encountered in the marketplace.
She concluded that the platform will help consumers understand their rights, generate complaint letters to companies, identify possible legal violations, and guide users on how to escalate unresolved issues to appropriate regulatory authorities.
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