The short answer
Do not start with feature lists or price quotes. Start with:
- Your key processes, written as scenarios (for example, "quote to cash for a custom order").
- Your Nigerian requirements: VAT and withholding tax, currencies, payroll deductions, record keeping and data location.
- A shortlist of three or four options that plausibly fit your size and industry.
- Scripted demonstrations where each vendor or implementer runs your scenarios, not their standard demo.
- A weighted scorecard completed by the people who will use the system.
- Five-year cost of ownership, including implementation, support and exit.
A note on fairness
We implement our own Prometheus ERP, built on the open-source ERPNext, and we also work with other platforms. The checklist below is deliberately vendor-neutral. Options commonly considered by small and mid-sized organisations in Nigeria include ERPNext and systems built on it, Oracle NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, Sage products, and others suited to specific industries. Each can be a good fit for some organisations and a poor fit for others. We do not quote licence prices here because they change often and depend on edition, users and negotiation; get current quotes directly, and treat any figures as estimates in naira (or US dollars where a licence or service is priced in dollars).
Step 1: Write your key scenarios
Pick five to eight end-to-end processes that matter most, such as:
- lead to quote to order to invoice to payment,
- purchase request to purchase order to receipt to supplier payment,
- stock movement between locations, including counts and adjustments,
- production or project delivery, from plan to cost,
- month-end close and management reporting,
- returns, credit notes and warranty claims.
Write each one as a short script with realistic data and at least one awkward exception. These scripts become the demonstrations you ask for.
Step 2: Nigerian requirements
- VAT and withholding tax: VAT (currently 7.5 %), withholding tax deducted from supplier payments or suffered on your own invoices, exempt and zero-rated items, and the reports your accountant needs. Ask whether the vendor supports any tax invoicing or e-invoicing requirements that apply to you, and confirm current rules with your accountant and the Nigeria Revenue Service.
- Currencies: naira and US dollars (or others), exchange-rate handling and revaluation. Many Nigerian organisations buy in dollars and sell in naira, so check how the system records rate differences.
- Languages and documents: English interface and documents will usually be enough, but check whether any staff-facing screens or printed documents need another language.
- Payroll: is it inside the ERP, or connected to a separate payroll service? Check PAYE, pension contributions under the Pension Reform Act and other statutory deductions, and the schedules your staff and the authorities expect.
- Payments and banking: can the system reconcile bank transfers, card and wallet settlements, and work with the payment channels your customers use?
- Record keeping: can you retain and export records in a readable electronic format for as long as your accountant and the relevant authorities require?
- Localisation: does the vendor provide Nigerian functionality itself, or through a partner app? Microsoft, for example, publishes a list of countries with local functionality for Business Central. Ask every vendor the same question about Nigeria, and ask to see it working.
- Data location and protection: where is the system hosted, where are backups kept, and where can support staff access data from? The Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 (NDPA) sets rules for transfers of personal data outside Nigeria, and the NDPC publishes guidance.
- Power and connectivity: how does the system behave during power cuts or link failures, for example offline-tolerant stock and point-of-sale entry, and how quickly can users resume afterwards?
- Industry rules: any sector-specific obligations (for example, lot tracking, health information, or Central Bank of Nigeria rules for financial services).
This is general information, not tax or legal advice. Confirm tax set-up with your accountant.
Step 3: Evaluation criteria
Process fit. How much of each scenario works with configuration alone? Where it doesn't, is the answer a workaround, an add-on or custom development?
Deployment and hosting. Vendor-hosted software as a service, hosting by a partner, or your own cloud or servers. Open-source systems such as ERPNext can be self-hosted or hosted by a provider, which gives more control over data location but makes someone responsible for hosting, backups and updates. There is no major public cloud region in Nigeria, so the choice is usually between a local data centre and a region abroad. See on-premise vs cloud ERP.
Upgrades and customisation. How often are new versions released, and what happens to your customisations? ERPNext publishes its releases openly, which lets you check the release pattern yourself. For any system, ask how many past customers are on the current version.
Integration. Which systems must it connect to (e-commerce, CRM, banking, payroll, shipping)? Is there a documented API, such as NetSuite's REST web services, and does API access cost extra?
Reporting. Can finance and operations build the reports they need without a developer? Ask to see your month-end pack rebuilt.
Permissions and audit. Can access be limited by role, company, location or document type? ERPNext, for example, manages access through role-based permissions. Check what is logged and who can see it.
Implementation partner. The partner often matters as much as the software. Who will configure it, migrate the data, train your people and support you afterwards? See how to choose a technology implementation provider.
Cost of ownership. Licences or hosting, implementation, data migration, integrations, training, support, internal staff time and future upgrades, over five years. If prices are quoted in US dollars, model the effect of exchange-rate movements on the naira cost.
Exit. Can you export all your data, including history and attachments, in a usable format if you leave?
Step 4: The weighted scorecard
| Criterion | Weight (1 to 5) | Option A | Option B | Option C | Notes and evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fit with scripted scenarios | |||||
| Nigerian tax, currency and payroll needs | |||||
| Reporting without a developer | |||||
| Integration and API access | |||||
| Permissions and audit trail | |||||
| Hosting, data location and power resilience | |||||
| Upgrade path and customisation impact | |||||
| Implementation partner and support | |||||
| Five-year cost of ownership (estimates in naira or US dollars) | |||||
| Data export and exit | |||||
| Weighted total |
- Each option was demonstrated using your scripts and your sample data.
- Scores were given by the people who will use the system, not only by the project lead.
- Reference customers of a similar size and industry were contacted for each finalist.
- Every cost assumption is written down, including what is excluded.
Questions to ask every vendor and implementer
- Which of our scenarios need customisation, and what does that do to upgrades?
- What does a typical implementation of our size include, and what is excluded?
- Who owns the configuration, custom code and documentation at the end?
- How is support provided after go-live, and how are response targets set?
- Can we speak to two customers in Nigeria or elsewhere in West Africa with similar needs?
- How do we get all of our data out if we leave?
Limitations
A checklist cannot replace a careful look at your own processes. If your processes are unclear or disputed, fix that first; any ERP will expose the disagreement. If you are replacing an existing system, also plan the move early with the data migration readiness guide.
Next step
If you would like an independent view on your shortlist, or help running scripted demonstrations, see ERP implementation. If you are considering an ERPNext-based system, you can also look at Prometheus ERP.
Sources and further reading
Product capabilities and guidance change. These are the primary sources this article relies on, checked on the review date above.
- What is ERPNext?, ERPNext documentation (Frappe)
- ERPNext releases, Frappe (GitHub)
- Role Based Permissions, ERPNext documentation (Frappe)
- Local functionality and localization strategy (Business Central), Microsoft Learn
- Overview of SuiteTalk REST Web Services, Oracle NetSuite Help Center
- Nigeria Data Protection Commission, Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC)
This article is general information, not legal, accounting or security advice for your specific situation. Examples are hypothetical unless stated otherwise.