Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of these Terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of OmiChain, a platform that connects communities reporting water needs, sponsors and donors who fund solutions, and verified drillers who deliver them.

By creating an account or otherwise using OmiChain, you agree to be bound by these Terms and by our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the platform.

2. Eligibility and your account

You must be at least 18 years old and able to form a binding contract under the laws of Nigeria to create an account. When you register, you choose one of three roles: a community account (which can also donate as a sponsor), a driller account, or an administrator account assigned directly by OmiChain.

You are responsible for providing accurate registration information, for keeping your login credentials confidential, and for all activity that happens under your account. Let us know immediately if you suspect unauthorised access.

We may suspend or deactivate an account that provides false information, is used to violate these Terms, or is inactive or abusive in a way that puts other users or the platform at risk.

3. How OmiChain works

Community members report water points that need repair, funding, or new construction, including a description, an estimated cost, and photos with location data. Our moderation team reviews each report and may approve it, reject it, or ask for more information before it becomes a public, fundable project.

Once approved, a project is visible to donors, who can contribute toward its funding target through Paystack. Once a project is fully funded, verified drillers can bid to carry out the work; an administrator reviews the bids and assigns one driller to the project, at which point the winning bid amount is held in escrow.

The assigned driller carries out the work and submits photographic, location-stamped proof of completion. An administrator verifies that proof before the project is marked complete and the held funds are released to the driller.

4. Community reports and content you submit

You agree to submit water point reports, photographs, comments, and any other content honestly and accurately, and to only report water points you have genuine, first-hand knowledge of. Submitting duplicate, fabricated, or misleading reports to attract funding is a serious violation of these Terms and may result in account suspension.

By submitting content to OmiChain — including report photos, completion proof, and comments — you grant OmiChain a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, display, and use that content for the purpose of operating and promoting the platform. You retain ownership of what you submit.

Moderation decisions (approving, rejecting, or requesting more information on a report) are made at OmiChain's discretion based on the information available at the time, and are final subject only to the resubmission process built into the platform.

5. Donations and payments

All donations are processed in Nigerian Naira (NGN) through Paystack, a licensed third-party payment processor. OmiChain never stores your full card or bank details — those are handled directly by Paystack under its own security standards.

A portion of each donation (currently 2.5%) is retained by OmiChain as a platform fee to cover payment processing and operating costs; the remainder is credited toward the project's funding target and, once a driller is assigned, held in escrow until verified completion.

Donations are a voluntary contribution toward a community project, not a purchase of goods or services, and are non-refundable once a project has been approved for work and funds have moved into escrow, except where a project is formally cancelled by OmiChain (for example, because it was rejected as a duplicate, could not be completed, or funding failed to convert into a completed project) — in which case reasonable efforts will be made to refund the donation to its original source.

6. Driller verification, bid credits, and bidding

To bid on projects, a driller account must first submit verification documents (including a licence or CAC registration and evidence of past work) for review. Bidding is locked until an administrator approves this verification, and OmiChain may reject or request resubmission of verification at its discretion.

Submitting a bid requires spending bid credits, purchased in fixed packages through Paystack. Bid credits are consumed when a bid is submitted and are automatically refunded to your balance if that specific bid is rejected, withdrawn, or cancelled before an award decision is made; credits are not refunded for a bid that is fairly outbid and lost to another driller, and purchased credit packages are otherwise non-refundable once bought.

Only one bid may be accepted per project. Once an administrator accepts your bid, you are committing to carry out the described work for the bid amount, and the project moves into your active work queue.

7. Project completion and escrow release

When work is finished, you must submit photographic proof, including device location data captured at the time the photo was taken, through the platform. An administrator compares this against the project's reported location before verifying completion.

Completion proof may be rejected with a written reason if it does not adequately demonstrate the work described in the project — for example, if photo location data does not reasonably match the reported site. A rejected submission returns the project to your active work queue so you can address the issue and resubmit.

Funds held in escrow for a project are only released to the assigned driller after an administrator has verified completion. OmiChain is not responsible for delays caused by incomplete or unclear proof of completion.

8. Driller balance and withdrawals

Released escrow funds are credited to your OmiChain balance. To withdraw, you must add and verify a bank account through Paystack's account-resolution service; withdrawals are only ever paid to a verified account belonging to you, and OmiChain does not accept destination account details typed by hand for a specific withdrawal request as a substitute for this verification.

Withdrawal requests are processed by OmiChain administrators and disbursed through Paystack's transfer service. While we aim to process requests promptly, OmiChain is not liable for delays, failures, or errors that originate with Paystack or with your bank.

9. Prohibited conduct

You agree not to: submit false, duplicate, or misleading water point reports or completion proof; misrepresent your identity, qualifications, or licensing as a driller; attempt to circumvent verification, moderation, or escrow processes; harass or defraud other users; or use the platform for any unlawful purpose. We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate this section, and may report suspected fraud to the relevant authorities.

10. Disclaimers

OmiChain is a platform that connects reporters, donors, and independent drillers — it does not itself perform drilling or repair work, and does not guarantee the outcome, quality, timeliness, or safety of any project. Drillers on the platform are independent contractors, not OmiChain employees or agents.

OmiChain makes reasonable efforts to verify driller documentation and completion proof, but does not guarantee the accuracy of any report, bid, or verification submitted by a user, and is not a party to the underlying work agreement between a project's funders and the assigned driller.

The platform is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind, to the fullest extent permitted by Nigerian law.

11. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, OmiChain and its officers, employees, and agents will not be liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of the platform, including losses arising from the acts or omissions of drillers, donors, or other users, or from third-party services such as Paystack. Our total liability for any claim relating to the platform is limited to the fees OmiChain actually retained in connection with the transaction giving rise to the claim.

12. Suspension and termination

You may stop using OmiChain at any time. We may suspend or terminate your access if you violate these Terms, if required by law, or if we discontinue the service, in each case with notice where reasonably practicable. Provisions that by their nature should survive termination — including sections on payments already processed, disclaimers, and limitation of liability — will continue to apply.

13. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time to reflect changes to the platform or applicable law. We will post the updated Terms with a new "last updated" date, and material changes will be communicated in-app. Continuing to use OmiChain after an update means you accept the revised Terms.

14. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and any dispute arising from them will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Nigerian courts.

15. Contact us

Questions about these Terms can be sent to hello@omichain.org.