Nigeria’s Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has announced its commitment to eradicate loan applications that harass customers, and has called upon Google to permanently remove such apps from its app store.
This move comes as a response to the persistent complaints of harassment and defamation faced by Nigerians from digital lenders. The FCCPC aims to protect Nigerian consumers from the activities of these lenders.
Earlier this year, the FCCPC mandated that loan apps must register with the commission. Currently, 180 apps have received full or conditional approval to operate in the country.
In line with Google’s recent announcement, loan apps on the Play Store are now required to obtain regulatory approval and will be denied access to users’ contacts or photos starting from May 31, 2023.
Babatunde Irukera, the Chief Executive Officer of the FCCPC, expressed the commission’s determination to permanently shut down the operations of these apps.