Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 73 | Page 43

COUNTRY FOCUS : NIGERIA must increase e growth

cost hotels millions of Naira when they can ’ t charge checked-in guests or collect penalties from cancellations , resulting in many lost customers . Being able to charge international cards and accept foreign currencies like US dollars will not only boost venue revenue , but foreign currency inflow for the country as a whole ,” said Chidinma Aroyewun , Country Manager , DPO Group in Nigeria which offers DPO Pay .
Many business owners are wary of the ever-present threat of fraud , which has made many hesitant to offer a more varied payment offering .
Cards are widely accepted around the world and are the preferred payment method of corporate travellers . Credit cards in particular offer longer payment terms , come with built-in travel insurance , accrue more loyalty points and frequent flyer miles and , most importantly , can have their spend data integrated into the company ’ s expense systems .
More protection for merchant and customer
Offering a card service would allow venues to take direct booking and , should there be a cancellation , they would still be able to apply a small
www . intelligentcio . com INTELLIGENTCIO AFRICA 43