Terms of Service

1.1 Welcome to Madeinafrica.io ("Platform", "Website", "we", "us", "our"), a B2B marketplace operated by [Your Company Name (Pty) Ltd], a company registered in [South Africa / your jurisdiction] with registration number [number] and registered address at [address] ("Company").

1.2 These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Platform, whether as a buyer, supplier, advertiser, visitor, or any other user ("User", "you", "your").

1.3 By accessing, browsing, registering on, or using the Platform in any way, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms, our Privacy Policy, our Acceptable Use Policy, and all other policies referenced herein (collectively, the "Agreements").

1.4 If you do not agree to these Terms, you must immediately cease using the Platform.

1.5 We reserve the right to update these Terms at any time. Material changes will be communicated via email and/or a prominent notice on the Platform. Your continued use of the Platform after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

2.1 "Buyer" means a User who registers on the Platform to search for products, submit Requests for Quotation (RFQs), contact suppliers, and/or purchase goods or services.

2.2 "Supplier" means a User who registers on the Platform to list products, advertise, respond to RFQs, and/or sell goods or services.

2.3 "SADC" means the Southern African Development Community, comprising 16 member states: Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

2.4 "Product" means any good or service listed on the Platform by a Supplier.

2.5 "Trade Order" means a confirmed transaction between a Buyer and a Supplier facilitated through the Platform.

2.6 "Escrow" means the secure holding of funds by the Platform or its licensed escrow partner on behalf of the Buyer until the terms of a Trade Order are fulfilled.

2.7 "Trade Assurance" means the Platform's buyer protection programme that guarantees refund or resolution in the event of non-delivery, quality disputes, or supplier default on verified Trade Orders.

2.8 "Credits" means the virtual currency used on the Platform to purchase advertising placements, listing boosts, RFQ responses, and other premium features. Credits have no cash value and are non-transferable.

2.9 "Verification" means the process by which the Platform reviews and confirms the legitimacy of a Supplier's business through document submission and manual review.

2.10 "Content" means all text, images, videos, logos, product descriptions, reviews, and other materials uploaded to or displayed on the Platform.

3.1 You must be at least 18 years of age and have the legal capacity to enter into binding contracts in your jurisdiction to use the Platform.

3.2 If you are registering on behalf of a business entity, you represent and warrant that you are duly authorised to bind that entity to these Terms.

3.3 You must provide accurate, complete, and current information during registration. You are responsible for maintaining the accuracy of your account information and for all activities that occur under your account.

3.4 You must not create more than one account per business entity. Duplicate accounts will be suspended without notice.

3.5 The Platform is designed for business-to-business (B2B) trade within and with the SADC region. While we welcome international Buyers, all Suppliers must be registered businesses operating within one of the 16 SADC member states.

3.6 We reserve the right to refuse, suspend, or terminate any account at our sole discretion, including but not limited to cases of suspected fraud, misrepresentation, violation of these Terms, or failure to complete Verification.

4.1 The Platform provides the following services:

• A searchable marketplace for B2B products and services from SADC Suppliers;
• Supplier profiles, product listings, and advertising placements;
• An RFQ system enabling Buyers to post sourcing requests;
• A real-time messaging and communication system;
• A Verification system for Supplier legitimacy;
• An Escrow and Trade Assurance system for secure transactions;
• Multi-currency pricing display and conversion;
• Shipping and logistics estimation tools;
• Duty and tariff calculation tools;
• Market intelligence and commodity pricing data;
• Trade finance marketplace and invoicing tools;
• Review and rating systems.

4.2 The Platform acts as an intermediary and facilitator of trade. Unless explicitly stated otherwise (e.g., in the Escrow Terms), the Platform is NOT a party to any transaction between Buyers and Suppliers. We do not manufacture, sell, inspect, store, or ship any Products listed on the Platform.

4.3 We do not guarantee the quality, safety, legality, or availability of any Product listed on the Platform. Buyers are responsible for conducting their own due diligence before entering into any transaction.

5.1 Suppliers must complete the Verification process before their Products become visible in public search results.

5.2 Suppliers must ensure that all Product listings are accurate, truthful, and not misleading. This includes product descriptions, images, pricing, minimum order quantities (MOQs), certifications, and country of origin.

5.3 Suppliers must respond to Buyer inquiries and RFQs within a reasonable timeframe. Failure to maintain an acceptable response rate may result in reduced search visibility or account suspension.

5.4 Suppliers must honour the prices, terms, and specifications stated in their Product listings and RFQ responses for the duration specified.

5.5 Suppliers must comply with all applicable laws and regulations in their country of operation and in the destination country of any export, including but not limited to export controls, sanctions, customs regulations, and product safety standards.

5.6 Suppliers must not list counterfeit, pirated, illegal, prohibited, or restricted goods as defined in our Acceptable Use Policy.

5.7 Suppliers are solely responsible for obtaining and maintaining all necessary licenses, permits, certifications, and registrations required to manufacture, sell, and export their Products.

6.1 Buyers must provide accurate information when registering, submitting RFQs, and placing Trade Orders.

6.2 Buyers must not use the Platform to solicit Suppliers for purposes unrelated to legitimate B2B trade (e.g., spam, phishing, competitive intelligence gathering without intent to purchase).

6.3 Buyers must honour confirmed Trade Orders and release Escrow funds in accordance with the Escrow Terms once goods are received and inspected.

6.4 Buyers are responsible for verifying that imported Products comply with the regulations, standards, and import requirements of their destination country.

6.5 Buyers must not attempt to circumvent the Platform's Escrow or payment systems by conducting off-platform transactions for goods discovered through the Platform.

7.1 Registration on the Platform is free. The Platform offers three membership tiers: Free, Growth, and Gold, each with different features and pricing as displayed on the Membership page.

7.2 All membership fees, advertising costs, and Credit purchases are priced in United States Dollars (USD). The Platform may display converted prices in local SADC currencies for convenience, but all transactions are settled in USD unless otherwise agreed.

7.3 Currency conversions displayed on the Platform are estimates based on prevailing exchange rates and may differ from the actual rate applied by your bank or payment provider. The Platform is not responsible for exchange rate fluctuations.

7.4 Membership fees are billed monthly or annually in advance. Annual plans include a discount as displayed on the Membership page.

7.5 Credits are purchased in predefined packages and are non-refundable, non-transferable, and have no cash value. Unused Credits expire 12 months after the date of purchase unless otherwise stated.

7.6 The Platform may charge a transaction fee on Trade Orders processed through the Escrow system. The current fee structure is displayed on the Trade Assurance page and may be updated from time to time.

7.7 All payments must be made through the Platform's approved payment gateways (Paystack, Flutterwave, Stripe, M-Pesa, bank transfer, or other approved methods). The Platform does not accept cash payments.

7.8 Suppliers are responsible for all taxes, duties, and levies applicable to their income from sales facilitated through the Platform. The Platform does not withhold taxes on behalf of Suppliers unless required by law.

8.1 Suppliers may purchase advertising placements (banners, top spots, featured listings, etc.) using Credits. Advertising rates and availability are displayed on the Advertising page.

8.2 All paid advertising placements will be clearly labelled as "Sponsored" or "Ad" on the Platform.

8.3 The Platform reserves the right to reject, remove, or modify any advertisement that violates our Acceptable Use Policy, applicable advertising laws, or our quality standards.

8.4 The Platform does not guarantee specific results (impressions, clicks, inquiries, or sales) from any advertising placement. Advertising is sold on an "as available" basis.

8.5 Click fraud, impression fraud, or any attempt to artificially inflate advertising metrics is strictly prohibited and will result in immediate account suspension and forfeiture of all Credits.

9.1 All intellectual property rights in the Platform, including but not limited to the website design, code, logos, trademarks, trade names, databases, and algorithms, are owned by the Company or its licensors.

9.2 Suppliers retain ownership of their Content (product images, descriptions, logos) but grant the Platform a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable license to use, display, reproduce, and distribute such Content on the Platform and in marketing materials for the duration of their account.

9.3 Buyers retain ownership of their RFQ descriptions and inquiry content but grant the Platform a license to display and match such content with relevant Suppliers.

9.4 You may not copy, reproduce, scrape, data-mine, or reverse-engineer any part of the Platform without our prior written consent. Automated scraping by AI agents and bots is permitted only in accordance with our robots.txt file and MCP guidelines.

10.1 The Platform's Verification system is designed to confirm the legitimacy of Suppliers through document review. Verification does not constitute an endorsement, warranty, or guarantee of a Supplier's products, services, or business practices.

10.2 Verified status is valid for 12 months and must be renewed annually. The Platform reserves the right to revoke Verification at any time if new information comes to light.

10.3 The Platform is not liable for any losses arising from reliance on a Supplier's Verified status. Buyers should conduct their own due diligence, including requesting samples, conducting factory inspections, and using the Escrow system.

11.1 TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE PLATFORM, ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, AND AFFILIATES SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF DATA, LOSS OF GOODWILL, OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE OF THE PLATFORM.

11.2 The Platform's total aggregate liability to you for all claims arising out of or related to these Terms or your use of the Platform shall not exceed the total amount you have paid to the Platform in the 12 months preceding the claim.

11.3 The Platform is not liable for:

• The quality, safety, or legality of Products listed by Suppliers;
• The accuracy or completeness of Supplier information or Product descriptions;
• Any disputes between Buyers and Suppliers;
• Any losses arising from currency exchange rate fluctuations;
• Any losses arising from shipping delays, customs holds, or force majeure events;
• Any unauthorised access to your account due to your failure to maintain password security;
• Any downtime, errors, or interruptions in the Platform's services.

12.1 You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Company, its directors, officers, employees, agents, and affiliates from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or related to:

• Your use of the Platform;
• Your violation of these Terms or any applicable law;
• Your Content or Products;
• Any dispute between you and another User;
• Your breach of any representation or warranty in these Terms.

13.1 Any dispute between a Buyer and a Supplier should first be raised through the Platform's Dispute Resolution Centre. Both parties agree to participate in good faith in the Platform's mediation process before pursuing external legal action.

13.2 Any dispute between you and the Platform arising out of or related to these Terms shall be resolved as follows:

• First, through informal negotiation by contacting support@madeinafrica.io;
• If unresolved within 30 days, through mediation administered by the Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa (AFSA);
• If mediation fails, through binding arbitration in Johannesburg, South Africa, under the rules of AFSA.

13.3 These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of South Africa, without regard to its conflict of law principles.

13.4 Nothing in this clause prevents either party from seeking urgent interim relief from a court of competent jurisdiction.

14.1 You may terminate your account at any time by contacting support@madeinafrica.io. Upon termination, your Products will be removed from public view, and any unused Credits will be forfeited.

14.2 The Platform may terminate or suspend your account immediately and without notice if:

• You violate these Terms or any other Agreement;
• You engage in fraudulent, illegal, or deceptive activity;
• Your Verification is revoked or expires without renewal;
• You fail to pay any fees owed to the Platform;
• We receive a valid legal request or court order requiring termination;
• Your account has been inactive for 12 consecutive months.

14.3 Upon termination, sections 9 (Intellectual Property), 11 (Limitation of Liability), 12 (Indemnification), 13 (Dispute Resolution), and 15 (General) shall survive.

15.1 Force Majeure: Neither party shall be liable for failure to perform its obligations due to events beyond its reasonable control, including but not limited to natural disasters, war, terrorism, pandemics, government actions, strikes, power outages, or internet service disruptions.

15.2 Severability: If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

15.3 Entire Agreement: These Terms, together with all referenced policies, constitute the entire agreement between you and the Platform and supersede all prior agreements.

15.4 Assignment: You may not assign your rights or obligations under these Terms without our prior written consent. We may assign our rights and obligations to any affiliate or successor entity.

15.5 Waiver: Our failure to enforce any provision of these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.

15.6 Notices: All notices under these Terms shall be sent to the email address associated with your account or to support@madeinafrica.io.

15.7 Contact: For questions about these Terms, contact us at:

• Email: support@madeinafrica.io
• Address: [Your registered address]
• Phone: [Your phone number]