When Francis Adelore speaks about Africa’s future in the global outsourcing market, it is with the conviction of someone who has lived the problem, and then built the solution.
His startup, Bottomline Assist, is quietly engineering one of the boldest repositionings of Africa’s digital workforce yet, by shifting the continent from undervalued talent source to global outsourcing powerhouse.
In less than a year, the Nigerian-born Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) company has secured clients across the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Spain, and Gibraltar, while scaling to more than 50 employees and maintaining a 100% client close rate.
Their pitch is disarmingly simple, world-class talent, drastically lower costs, and a smarter way of doing work.
“We’re not just about cost savings, we’re about quality and innovation,” Adelore disclosed. “Clients save enormously while employees earn wages far above what local employers typically offer.”
But behind this simplicity lies a much bigger story, one about a US$340 billion global outsourcing industry overdue for disruption, and a continent uniquely positioned to lead that change.
What You Should Know About Bottomline Assist
Bottomline Assist operates as a digital outsourcing platform that provides entire business functions, customer support, software development, sales, virtual assistance, and administrative roles, to global companies.
Founded earlier this year, the company taps into Africa’s pool of educated, English-speaking, highly skilled talent, offering global businesses up to 75% reduction in labour costs.
Its model is built on three pillars:
Quality-first talent: the startup imposes stricter standards than most traditional outsourcing hubs, screening for education, experience, and excellent communication skills.
Affordable pricing: clients pay 55% less than they would when using major BPO players in India, the Philippines, or Latin America.
Smarter, streamlined work: Bottomline Assist improves client operations using automation, modern customer experience systems, and efficient SOPs.
“We don’t just execute, we improve the way work gets done,” Adelore says. “We’re tackling inefficiencies that have plagued the outsourcing industry for decades.”
A Personal Story That Sparked a Movement
The idea for Bottomline Assist emerged during Adelore’s early career in a foreign company. He joined as a summer intern while still in law school, rose to assistant team lead in six months, and quickly became indispensable.
But one discovery changed everything, despite outperforming many colleagues, he was paid nearly half of what junior employees abroad earned, solely because he lived in Nigeria.
“African professionals often deliver equal or higher-quality work than peers abroad,” he recalls. “And companies save massively when they hire from Africa. It was a win-win model hiding in plain sight.”
This revelation became the foundation of Bottomline Assist. If one company benefited from African talent, why couldn’t hundreds more?
Africa’s Untapped US$8 Billion Opportunity
The global outsourcing industry is valued at US$340 billion, but Africa contributes less than US$8 billion, a figure Adelore sees as wildly disproportionate to the continent’s capabilities.
He believes the global market is ripe for rebalancing. Traditional hubs like India and the Philippines are becoming more expensive due to rising wages, stricter rules, and workforce instability.
Many hubs have become one-dimensional (IT in India, customer support in the Philippines, sales in Latin America).
Africa is the only region offering strong talent across both technical and non-technical roles in one place.
“Africa offers a deeper pool of highly educated, English-speaking, and versatile talent,” he says. “Most companies haven’t realized they can get ‘better for less’ in Africa.”
For many global SMEs priced out of outsourcing to traditional hubs, Africa could become the next big frontier.
Inside Bottomline Assist’s Operations
The company operates physical hubs in Lagos, Abuja, and Ibadan, alongside remote teams. Expansion into Ghana is next, driven by the country’s rising talent pool and stability.
Bottomline Assist also maintains strategic partnerships that strengthen its global credibility:
AnswerNet (US): A 2,000-employee outsourcing giant generating US$65 million annually.
Cloud Tech Gurus (US): Joint delivery of BPO tech solutions across 15+ services.
Outsource Accelerator: The world’s largest BPO directory, where Bottomline Assist is a recognized source partner.
The company’s strongest selling point shows that every single client meeting so far has ended in a signed contract.
“Our approach is what makes the difference,” Adelore explains. “We personalize every engagement and make outsourcing easier for small and mid-sized businesses.”
Revenue Model: Simple, Transparent, Profitable
Bottomline Assist earns money primarily from a percentage of the cost per agent. There are no upfront or setup fees, reducing barriers for small businesses, an underserved segment in the BPO world.
Here’s how the numbers break down, 65% covers employee salary, technology, utilities, and quality assurance, 35% is profit. If a client pays US$1,000, the company retains roughly US$350 as profit.
The majority of this profit is being reinvested into:
- proprietary CRM systems
- support infrastructure
- expansion into new markets
- talent development
This reinvestment strategy echoes the playbook of young but ambitious African tech companies preparing for long-term leadership.
Why It Matters
Africa Is Becoming a Global Talent Engine
Africa’s youth population is the fastest-growing in the world. By 2030, 42% of the world’s young people will be African. This demographic strength positions the continent as the next major global supplier of digital labour.
Outsourcing Is Shifting Away From Traditional Hubs
India, the Philippines, and Latin America are experiencing:
- rising wages
- regulatory pressures
- labour strikes
- operational saturation.
The world needs a fresh, stable, cost-efficient alternative, and Africa checks all boxes.
African Professionals Benefit Directly
For many Nigerian and African workers, outsourcing roles offer:
- higher-than-local salaries
- global exposure
- career mobility
- access to advanced tools and training.
Bottomline Assist’s model keeps talent in Africa while boosting incomes.
SMEs Gain Affordable Global Talent
Small and mid-sized businesses abroad often cannot afford traditional BPO giants.
Bottomline Assist offers a path into skilled outsourcing at a fraction of the cost.
A US$340 Billion Market Is Opening Up
If Africa increases its market share from under US$8 billion to even 10%, that unlocks tens of billions in new economic value.
For Nigeria alone, Africa’s largest talent hub, this could reshape the employment and tech landscape.
Talking Points
Bottomline Assist embodies a deeper narrative about Africa’s evolving place in the global digital economy, challenging long-held assumptions that have framed the continent primarily as a consumer market rather than a creator of value.
Its model underscores a transformative shift in which African talent is not only globally competitive but strategically positioned to drive outsourced innovation, efficiency, and operational excellence.
By delivering top-tier services at sustainable costs, while investing in workforce quality, modern processes, and technology-driven delivery, the company reflects a broader continental awakening, that Africa is no longer waiting for inclusion in global value chains; it is actively building and owning them.
Bottomline Assist’s rise signals that the future of outsourcing is not merely about cheaper labour but smarter, diversified, and globally aware talent ecosystems.
If its trajectory continues, the company could become one of the defining examples of how African enterprises can rewrite global perceptions and command meaningful participation in high-value digital work.
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