Terms of Service

Welcome to the PFS Ecosystem Marketplace (the "Platform"), a digital marketplace developed by Partners in Food Solutions (PFS) to connect African food companies with vetted service providers, experts, financing partners, and other organizations that support food-business growth.

These Terms of Use ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Platform, including its website, applications, marketplace, communication features, listings, services, and related functionality.

By accessing, registering for, or using the Platform, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree to these Terms, you should not access or use the Platform.

1. About the Platform

The PFS Ecosystem Marketplace provides a digital environment where food companies can discover and connect with organizations and professionals offering services relevant to food processing and business growth. These may include:

  • Technical and business consultants
  • Laboratories and testing facilities
  • Equipment and machinery suppliers
  • Financial institutions and financing partners
  • Logistics providers
  • Technology providers
  • Certification and compliance organizations
  • Training providers
  • Professional advisory firms
  • Other organizations supporting food businesses

The Platform is intended to facilitate connections and interactions between users. Unless expressly stated otherwise, PFS does not itself provide, guarantee, endorse, or enter into the underlying commercial agreement for services offered by independent service providers.

2. Eligibility

To use the Platform, you must:

  • Be legally capable of entering into a binding agreement.
  • Provide accurate and complete registration information.
  • Use the Platform for legitimate business purposes.
  • Comply with all applicable laws and regulations.
  • Have authority to represent the organization you register on behalf of, where applicable.

If you register on behalf of a company or organization, you confirm that you have the authority to accept these Terms on its behalf.

PFS may restrict or refuse access to the Platform where eligibility requirements are not met.

3. User Accounts

Certain Platform features may require you to create an account.

You are responsible for:

  • Providing accurate registration information.
  • Keeping your login credentials confidential.
  • Maintaining the security of your account.
  • Updating information when it changes.
  • All activity carried out through your account.

You must notify PFS promptly if you believe your account has been accessed without authorization.

You must not:

  • Share your account credentials with unauthorized individuals.
  • Create an account using another person's identity.
  • Create multiple accounts for the purpose of misleading users or circumventing Platform restrictions.
  • Allow another organization or individual to use your account without authorization.

PFS reserves the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms.

4. User Types

The Platform primarily serves two user groups:

4.1 Food Companies

Food companies may use the Platform to:

  • Discover service providers and ecosystem partners.
  • Search for relevant products and services.
  • Submit inquiries.
  • Request quotations or information.
  • Communicate with service providers.
  • Engage service providers directly.
  • Access relevant business-support opportunities.

Food companies are responsible for assessing whether a particular provider, service, product, or offer is appropriate for their business.

4.2 Service Providers

Service providers may use the Platform to:

  • Create business profiles.
  • List services, products, equipment, facilities, or capabilities.
  • Respond to inquiries.
  • Communicate with food companies.
  • Promote their services.
  • Receive business opportunities.
  • Provide quotations or proposals.

Service providers are responsible for ensuring that all information contained in their profiles and listings is accurate, current, lawful, and not misleading.

5. Registration and Verification

PFS may require users and service providers to provide information or documentation for verification.

Verification may include, where applicable:

  • Business registration information.
  • Business licenses or permits.
  • Professional certifications.
  • Contact information.
  • Tax or regulatory information.
  • Identification documents.
  • Facility or operational information.
  • Other information reasonably required to assess eligibility.

Verification does not constitute a guarantee, certification, warranty, or endorsement of a user's products, services, financial position, professional competence, or business practices.

A verified status may be withdrawn if information becomes inaccurate, expires, or if a user violates these Terms.

PFS may request additional information or conduct further checks at any time.

6. Service Provider Listings

Service providers are responsible for all information they publish on the Platform, including:

  • Company descriptions.
  • Service descriptions.
  • Prices or pricing information.
  • Availability.
  • Locations.
  • Equipment or facility information.
  • Certifications.
  • Contact information.
  • Images and documents.
  • Claims about experience, qualifications, or capabilities.

Listings must be , accurate, complete, and not misleading.

PFS may review, edit, reject, restrict, or remove listings that violate these Terms or applicable law.

7. User Responsibilities

All users agree to use the Platform responsibly and professionally.

You must not use the Platform to:

  • Provide false, fraudulent, or misleading information.
  • Impersonate another person or organization.
  • Engage in illegal activities.
  • Facilitate fraud or financial crime.
  • Harass, threaten, or abuse another user.
  • Upload malicious software or harmful code.
  • Attempt to gain unauthorized access to accounts or Platform systems.
  • Scrape, copy, or systematically collect Platform data without permission.
  • Circumvent security or verification systems.
  • Spam users.
  • Send unsolicited commercial communications in violation of applicable law.
  • Upload content that infringes another person's intellectual property rights.
  • Use the Platform for purposes unrelated to legitimate business activity where such use is prohibited by PFS.

8. Communications Between Users

The Platform may allow users to communicate directly with one another.

Users are responsible for their own communications, negotiations, commitments, and agreements.

PFS does not guarantee that:

  • A user will respond to an inquiry.
  • A provider will accept an engagement.
  • A food company will purchase a service.
  • A service will meet a user's expectations.
  • A commercial relationship will be successful.

Users should exercise appropriate due diligence before entering into any commercial relationship.

PFS may monitor or review communications where reasonably necessary to operate, secure, improve, or enforce the Platform, subject to applicable law and the Platform's Privacy Policy.

9. Transactions and Commercial Agreements

Where the Platform facilitates an interaction between a food company and service provider, the parties may independently agree on:

  • Scope of work.
  • Pricing.
  • Payment terms.
  • Delivery timelines.
  • Responsibilities.
  • Cancellation terms.
  • Warranties.
  • Confidentiality.
  • Other contractual terms.

Unless expressly stated otherwise, these agreements are between the relevant parties and not between the parties and PFS.

Users are responsible for reviewing the terms of any transaction before committing to it.

10. Payments and Fees

If the Platform introduces payment functionality, applicable fees, commissions, transaction charges, taxes, refund rules, and payment conditions will be communicated to users before the relevant transaction is completed.

Users are responsible for providing accurate payment and billing information.

Where third-party payment providers are used, payments may also be subject to the terms and policies of those providers.

PFS is not responsible for delays or failures caused by a third-party payment provider, bank, financial institution, telecommunications provider, or other external service.

11. Cancellations, Refunds and Disputes

Where applicable, cancellation and refund terms may be specified for individual services or transactions.

Unless otherwise stated, disputes concerning the quality, delivery, performance, pricing, or fulfillment of a service should first be addressed directly between the food company and service provider.

PFS may, at its discretion, assist with dispute resolution or facilitate communication between parties, but is not obligated to resolve disputes or act as an arbitrator.

12. Third-Party Services

The Platform may contain links, integrations, or references to third-party websites, applications, financial institutions, laboratories, logistics companies, technology providers, and other external services.

PFS does not control and is not responsible for third-party services, content, availability, security, or business practices.

Your use of third-party services may be subject to separate terms and privacy policies.

13. User Content

Users may submit content to the Platform, including:

  • Company information.
  • Profiles.
  • Service listings.
  • Images.
  • Documents.
  • Reviews.
  • Messages.
  • Feedback.
  • Other business-related information.

You retain ownership of content you submit, subject to the rights granted to PFS under these Terms.

By submitting content, you grant PFS a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, store, reproduce, display, format, distribute, and use that content as reasonably necessary to operate, promote, maintain, and improve the Platform.

You represent that you have the necessary rights and permissions to submit the content.

PFS may remove content that violates these Terms or applicable law.

14. Intellectual Property

The Platform and its underlying materials, including its design, branding, software, text, graphics, logos, interfaces, and other content, may be protected by intellectual property laws.

Except where expressly permitted, users must not:

  • Copy or reproduce the Platform.
  • Modify or create derivative works.
  • Reverse engineer or attempt to extract source code.
  • Sell, license, or commercially exploit Platform materials.
  • Remove proprietary notices.
  • Use PFS trademarks or branding without permission.

Nothing in these Terms transfers ownership of PFS intellectual property to a user.

15. Confidential Information

Users may encounter confidential or commercially sensitive information while using the Platform.

Users agree to handle confidential information responsibly and not disclose or misuse information obtained through the Platform without appropriate authorization.

Where a particular relationship requires stronger confidentiality protections, users should enter into an appropriate confidentiality or non-disclosure agreement.

16. Reviews, Ratings and Feedback

Where reviews or ratings are available, users must provide honest and genuine feedback based on their actual experience.

Reviews must not:

  • Contain false claims.
  • Be defamatory or abusive.
  • Be submitted in exchange for undisclosed compensation.
  • Manipulate ratings.
  • Be used to unfairly damage a competitor.
  • Contain confidential information without authorization.

PFS may remove reviews that violate these requirements.

17. Privacy and Data Protection

PFS may collect and process information necessary to operate the Platform, create accounts, facilitate connections, verify users, communicate with users, improve services, and meet legal obligations.

Personal information will be handled in accordance with the Platform's applicable Privacy Policy and relevant data protection laws.

Users are responsible for ensuring that information they submit about other individuals is provided lawfully and with appropriate authorization where required.

18. Security

PFS takes reasonable measures to protect the Platform and its users.

However, no digital platform can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

Users must not attempt to compromise Platform security or introduce malicious software, code, files, or other harmful material.

19. Platform Availability

PFS may modify, suspend, restrict, or discontinue any part of the Platform at any time.

The Platform may occasionally be unavailable due to:

  • Maintenance.
  • Technical failures.
  • Security incidents.
  • Network interruptions.
  • Third-party service failures.
  • Circumstances beyond PFS's reasonable control.

PFS does not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free access.

20. No Guarantee of Business Outcomes

The Platform is designed to facilitate connections and opportunities.

PFS does not guarantee that users will:

  • Obtain customers.
  • Secure financing.
  • Receive contracts.
  • Increase revenue.
  • Improve operational performance.
  • Obtain regulatory approval.
  • Find a suitable service provider.
  • Successfully complete a commercial engagement.

Users remain responsible for their own business decisions and due diligence.

21. Disclaimer of Warranties

To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Platform is provided on an "as available" and "as is" basis.

PFS does not warrant that:

  • The Platform will always be available.
  • Information will always be complete or accurate.
  • Listings will always be current.
  • Services offered by third parties will meet specific requirements.
  • The Platform will be free from errors or vulnerabilities.

Nothing in these Terms excludes warranties or rights that cannot legally be excluded.

22. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, PFS and its affiliates, representatives, employees, partners, and contributors will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive losses arising from your use of the Platform.

This may include losses relating to:

  • Lost revenue.
  • Lost profits.
  • Lost business opportunities.
  • Loss of data.
  • Business interruption.
  • Third-party services.
  • Transactions between users.
  • Actions or omissions of other users.

Nothing in these Terms limits liability where such limitation is prohibited by applicable law.

23. Indemnification

To the extent permitted by law, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless PFS and its affiliates, representatives, employees, and partners from claims, losses, liabilities, damages, costs, and expenses arising from:

  • Your violation of these Terms.
  • Your unlawful use of the Platform.
  • Your content or listings.
  • Your violation of another person's rights.
  • Your transactions or dealings with other users.

24. Suspension and Termination

PFS may suspend, restrict, or terminate your access to the Platform where:

  • You violate these Terms.
  • You provide false or misleading information.
  • You engage in fraudulent or unlawful activity.
  • Your conduct creates a risk to other users or the Platform.
  • Required verification cannot be completed.
  • Continued access may expose PFS to legal or regulatory risk.

You may stop using the Platform at any time.

Termination does not automatically cancel obligations that arose before termination.

25. Changes to These Terms

PFS may update these Terms from time to time.

When material changes are made, PFS may provide reasonable notice through the Platform or other appropriate communication channels.

Your continued use of the Platform after updated Terms become effective constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms, to the extent permitted by law.

26. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms will be governed by the laws specified by PFS in the applicable jurisdiction, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.

Before commencing formal proceedings, users and PFS agree to make reasonable efforts to resolve disputes through good-faith communication.

Where a dispute cannot be resolved informally, it may be referred to the appropriate courts, arbitration body, or other dispute-resolution mechanism applicable to the governing jurisdiction.

27. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is determined to be invalid, unlawful, or unenforceable, that provision will be interpreted or modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable, while the remaining provisions will continue in effect.

28. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with any applicable policies, agreements, or additional terms referenced on the Platform, constitute the agreement between you and PFS concerning your use of the Platform.

By creating an account or using the PFS Ecosystem Marketplace, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to these Terms of Use.