When something breaks in a Nigerian home—a pipe, a socket, or a TV—the solution usually begins with a referral from a neighbour. Sometimes it works. Often, it doesn’t.
Tunde Ebohon saw an opportunity to change that through Wrkman.
Ebohon is an entrepreneur with over three decades of business experience across the United States and Nigeria. At the core of his work is a long-standing commitment to uplifting people, a motivation that ultimately led to the founding of Wrkman.
Ebohon holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and an MBA from St. Mary’s University, Minnesota. He began his professional career at Carlson Companies before moving to the United States Postal Service, where he later met his business partner. Together, they established a consulting firm focused on building data-warehousing solutions, working on long-term projects with the United States Postal Service and serving clients such as Teradata and Luxottica.
Today, they are building Wrkman, a platform focused on transforming how Nigerians access and deliver everyday services.
The idea behind Wrkman and the problem it set out to solve
Wrkman was an idea that had been with me for a long time, but it didn’t fully resonate until 2018. I came to Nigeria with my family and travelled to Benin. On our way back, our car broke down in the middle of the road. We were alone, and it occurred to me that in this age of technology, you still couldn’t easily find help without walking miles to get someone.
That experience was the lightbulb moment. I decided to solve this problem. Then COVID-19 hit, and everyone was home, which is when I really started the process of building Wrkman.
The goal was twofold. First, to create a way for people to access services without stress while ensuring the services are secure, reliable, and well executed.
Next was to change how artisans are perceived. In Nigeria, artisans are often seen as unreliable or problematic. I believe that many of them simply lack the tools and platforms to present themselves properly. Wrkman gives them that platform to showcase their skills, improve their livelihoods, and ultimately improve their lives. That’s something I’m very proud of.
How Wrkman works
Think of Uber, but for artisans.
You open the app, make a request, and it uses geolocation to find the closest service providers. You can view their profiles, reviews, and ratings. You select who you want, and if they’re unavailable, we assign another provider.
Once the job is done and you’re satisfied, you pay. The most important part of it is that you pay through Wrkman. Wrkman holds the money in trust, and it is not released to the provider until you inform us that the job is done and you’re satisfied. Then you can rate and review them.
Uplifting people through work
I believe strongly in impact. Nigeria has a high poverty level, and the economic structure doesn’t always help people get seen. There might be a great plumber in your neighbourhood, but only a few people know about him.
Wrkman enables the plumber to reach more customers. It’s not based on who you know but on what you know and what you can do. Over time, it creates a level playing field.
So far, more than 12,000 service providers have gotten jobs through Wrkman, and about 4,000 have significantly improved their lives.
Unemployment is a huge issue in Nigeria, and Wrkman is helping to reduce it by keeping people busy and productive, which also contributes to reduced crime.
The biggest challenge in building Wrkman
Adoption has been and remains the biggest challenge. People are used to calling their neighbours. There’s also fear about trusting strangers and letting them into homes. But we have seen a gradual change in how people perceive us.
Getting providers onto the platform was not as difficult. They want the opportunity. Many sit idle for long periods with no way to reach customers beyond their immediate circles.
There was a day when we had a technical glitch and were down for one day. Providers panicked, calling to inquire about what had happened. That was when we realised how much they relied on us.
People doubted whether the idea would work, especially in a society like ours. It’s not a novel idea, but implementing it in a society like ours is challenging. Still, we’ve made a lot of progress. We now have over 100,000 users and more than 25,000 providers, with strict policies and zero tolerance for misconduct.
Scaling trust: Growing Wrkman to 100,000 users
We continued to spread the gospel, encouraging people to try it. Once people try it and see how easy it is, adoption improves.
We guarantee that no one runs away with your money. If a job isn’t done properly, we try to fix it, and if all else fails, we refund 100% of the payment.
The competitive advantage behind Wrkman
We welcome competition. There are brands that were doing similar work before us, and others that have emerged after us. What sets us apart, however, is our deep understanding of the nuances of Nigerian society.
For example, negotiation is essential here. Nigerians want to negotiate prices. Some foreign competitors don’t understand that. We built flexibility into our model.
Consistency, deep local understanding, and an incredible team that believes in the mission have also set us apart. Over the past four years, we’ve handled nearly 50,000 service requests, with about 30,000 completed jobs.
Leading a growing global team
You can’t be a boss; you have to be a leader. People go the extra mile when they believe in the vision.
I don’t believe in hunting only for perfect resumes. You discover great people over time. Some staff I thought wouldn’t make it are now top performers.
Leadership is about fairness, empathy, and making people feel their ideas matter. Most of our team members have been with us since the company’s inception. They believe in the vision and trust that they’ll be taken care of as we grow.
My mother influenced me deeply. She always told me to be kind to people, and I live by that.
Pastor Taiwo Odukoya of Fountain Life Church also influenced me, especially his teachings on integrity. All of these shaped how I lead—seeing people as they are, meeting them where they are, and uplifting them.
The moments that made building Wrkman worthwhile
The providers. Seeing thousands of lives uplifted.
We hold annual provider conventions. The last one had 600 providers. Some now own cars. Some are building houses. For many, Wrkman is their primary source of income.
We’re currently handling installations for Airtel, one of our biggest clients, and work with close to 700 installers nationwide. We’ve built a platform where they can communicate and support one another, so I see their conversations every day. I see their excitement, their growth, and the pride they take in their work.
When they talk about how Wrkman has changed their lives, it reminds me why I started this company in the first place.
Lessons for building startups in Africa
Start with your idea, but learn the nuances of the society you are building in. Build based on what users want, not what you assume.
If I knew everything I know now, I probably wouldn’t start Wrkman again; it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. But it’s also the most rewarding because of the impact.
There are real businesses in Africa that can make money and have a positive impact on people’s lives. Investors should look beyond just fintech and AI.
What’s next for Wrkman
The model we’ve built can be replicated across Africa. Expansion has been slow by design because adoption takes time.
Nigeria is our base. Once we secure the right funding, especially for marketing, we can scale faster. We’re also entering the telecom installation market and partnering with telecom firms.
Wrkman is built by Africans for Africa. Our artisans are humans looking for opportunity. With structure, they thrive. That’s what we’re building.
