Community Guidelines

01A Letter to Our Community

02Our Community Values

Everything in these guidelines flows from five values. When a situation arises that these guidelines do not specifically address, ask yourself: does my action honour these values? If not, reconsider.

03Who These Guidelines Apply To

3.1 All Platform Users

These guidelines apply to every person who uses the Kofa Africa platform, in any capacity:

3.2 On and Off the Platform

These guidelines apply to conduct that occurs on the Platform (listings, messaging, reviews) and to conduct that occurs in the physical world as a direct result of a Platform booking, including during Tour Experiences, at meeting points, and in any interaction between Travellers and Operators connected to a Kofa Africa booking.

3.3 Relationship to Terms of Service

These guidelines are incorporated into and form part of the Kofa Africa Terms of Service. A breach of these guidelines is a breach of the Terms of Service. The enforcement framework in Section 13 applies alongside the enforcement provisions in the Terms of Service.

04Traveller Standards

4.1 Before You Book

Being a great community member starts before you tap ‘Book Now’. Please:

• Read the full listing carefully, including the day-by-day itinerary, inclusions and exclusions, group size, cancellation policy, and any physical requirements.
• Ask questions through the Platform messaging system before booking if anything is unclear. Operators welcome genuine enquiries and it protects you both.
• Book only if you genuinely intend to travel. Frivolous bookings that are immediately cancelled create operational disruption for operators who may have turned away other travellers.
• Ensure that all participants in your booking, including friends and family members you are booking for, meet any health, fitness, or age requirements stated in the listing.

4.2 Preparing for Your Trip

A well-prepared traveller makes for a better experience for everyone:

• Obtain all required travel documentation including any state tourism entry requirements, permits for national parks or protected areas, and personal travel insurance before your departure date.
• Respond promptly to pre-trip communications from your operator. They often need to confirm logistics, share meeting point details, or ask about dietary or health requirements.
• Arrive at the designated meeting point on time and ready to depart. Operators and fellow travellers should not be kept waiting. If you are running late, communicate immediately.
• Carry emergency contact information and ensure someone not on the trip knows your itinerary and expected return date.

4.3 During Your Tour Experience

You are a guest in someone else's expertise and, often, in local communities that operators have built relationships with over years. Honour that:

• Follow the instructions of your guide at all times, particularly regarding safety. A guide who asks you not to cross a particular terrain, enter a certain area, or continue an activity in dangerous conditions is not restricting your freedom — they are doing their job.
• Treat local communities, sacred sites, and natural environments with the same respect you would want shown to your own home. Ask permission before photographing local people. Observe cultural protocols at traditional sites.
• Respect the experience of other travellers in your group. Behaviour that is disruptive, intoxicated, or aggressive affects everyone's experience.
• Leave environments as you find them. Take your waste with you. Do not remove natural materials from protected areas.
• If something goes wrong during the tour, raise it calmly with your guide or operator in the first instance. Most issues can be resolved on the ground with good communication.

4.4 After Your Trip

Your post-trip contribution matters enormously:

• Leave a Verified Review. Your experience, honestly shared, helps other travellers make better decisions and helps good operators grow. Reviews are only meaningful if people write them.
• If you had a negative experience, say so honestly and specifically in your review. Vague negative reviews are not helpful to anyone. Specific, factual feedback is.
• Contact the operator first if you have a complaint that can be addressed directly. Escalate to Kofa Africa support only if the operator is unresponsive or the issue cannot be resolved between you.
• Do not misuse the dispute process. Disputes are for genuine failures of delivery, not for personal preferences that were clearly stated in the listing before you booked.

05Operator & Guide Standards

5.1 Representing Your Experience Honestly

What you show on the platform is a promise to every traveller who books. Keep that promise:

• Your listing must accurately represent what you deliver. If the accommodation in your listing photograph is not available on a particular date, update the listing or note the substitution clearly. If the guide featured prominently in your listing has left your team, update the listing.
• Do not list experiences you cannot reliably deliver. A listing for a kayaking tour that you only run twice a year with the right seasonal conditions should reflect that clearly in its availability calendar.
• Pricing must reflect the true cost to the traveller. Do not advertise a price that requires the traveller to pay additional fees on arrival that were not disclosed in the listing.
• Photographs must be honest. If the beach at your coastal tour destination looks nothing like its most flattering 6am photograph in the dry season, make sure the rest of your listing content sets appropriate expectations.

5.2 Delivering What You Promise

• Maintain the itinerary you have published. Deviations for weather, safety, or logistics are understandable and expected on adventure tours. Deviations driven by cost-cutting or convenience are not.
• Deploy guides who hold the qualifications you represented during verification. Do not substitute an unqualified guide for a verified one without notifying affected travellers.
• Maintain group sizes within your stated minimum and maximum. Exceeding your maximum group size to capture revenue compromises safety and experience quality.
• Communicate proactively. If something changes before or during a tour, tell your travellers. A message sent at 5am the morning of a departure is better than silence.

5.3 Treating Travellers as Guests

• Punctual, professional conduct from your team at every touchpoint — confirmation messages, the meeting point, throughout the tour, and at the farewell.
• Responsiveness to traveller questions before, during, and after the tour. A traveller who cannot reach their operator before departure is an anxious traveller.
• Patience with travellers who are unfamiliar with the terrain, culture, or activity. Meet people where they are.
• Zero tolerance for discrimination. A traveller's state of origin, ethnicity, religion, gender, disability status, sexual orientation, or nationality must have no bearing on the quality of service you deliver.

5.4 Managing Cancellations Responsibly

• Notify Kofa Africa and affected travellers as soon as a cancellation becomes necessary. Notify first; worry about the paperwork second.
• Never cancel a confirmed booking to accept a more commercially attractive booking. This is a breach of both your obligation to the traveller and your agreement with Kofa Africa.
• Where you cancel for legitimate reasons, offer alternative dates before accepting a refund request. Many travellers would rather reschedule than lose a trip they have been looking forward to.

5.5 Representing Your Community

• Share knowledge generously. The operator who gives a traveller their best meal recommendation or their favourite sunset spot has created a memory that outlasts the tour.
• Support local communities on your routes. Sourcing food from local markets, engaging local artisans and storytellers, and ensuring your tours contribute to the communities they pass through is both the ethical and the commercially smart approach.
• Welcome feedback without defensiveness. The operator who responds to a critical review with aggression is advertising their worst self to every future traveller who reads the exchange.

06Review & Rating Standards

6.1 Why Reviews Matter So Much Here

In a market where trust has historically been the scarcest commodity, verified reviews are infrastructure. A traveller who reads 20 honest reviews before booking a tour in an unfamiliar part of Nigeria is not being overcautious — they are being rational. Our review system is only as valuable as the honesty of every person who writes one.

6.2 Writing a Review Worth Reading

• Be specific. 'The guide knew the history of every structure on the Benin trail' is more useful than 'great guide'. 'The accommodation was clean but 45 minutes further from the meeting point than the listing suggested' is more useful than 'okay hotel'.
• Be fair. Rate the experience you actually received against the listing that described it. If you did not read the listing carefully and were surprised by something it clearly stated, that is not a basis for a poor review.
• Be honest, even when it is uncomfortable. An operator who consistently receives uncritical reviews when they are falling short of expectations will never improve, and the next traveller will pay the price.
• Be timely. The review prompt unlocks the day after your trip ends. Your memory and your impressions are sharpest in the days immediately following. Write it then.

6.3 What Reviews Must Not Contain

Our review system is a trust mechanism, not a platform for anything else. Reviews that contain the following will be removed:

• Personal attacks on guides, operators, or other travellers by name, beyond factual description of conduct relevant to the tour.
• Hate speech, slurs, discriminatory language, or content targeting a person's ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, or sexual orientation.
• Promotional content for competing tour operators or booking platforms.
• Content that was not based on a genuine first-hand experience of the tour being reviewed.
• Private contact details of any person encountered during the tour.
• Threats, extortion, or any suggestion that a positive review is available in exchange for something of value.
• False statements of fact that the reviewer knows to be untrue.

6.4 Operator Review Responses

Operators may respond publicly to any Verified Review. A good operator response acknowledges the traveller's experience without dismissing it, addresses specific feedback constructively, is written for the audience of future travellers reading the exchange, and is measured in tone.

6.5 Review Disputes

If you believe a review contains false statements of fact, contact info@kofa.africa with the review reference, the specific statement you dispute, and the evidence supporting your position. We do not remove reviews simply because the subject of the review disagrees with the reviewer's opinion.

07Messaging & Communication Standards

7.1 Platform Messaging as the Primary Channel

Kofa Africa's in-app messaging system is the primary communication channel between Travellers and Operators for all booking-related matters. Using Platform messaging:

• Protects both parties by creating a documented record of all pre-trip and post-trip communications.
• Ensures Kofa Africa can assist in any dispute investigation with accurate context.
• Keeps all tour-relevant information accessible in one place for the Traveller.

Operators should use Platform messaging for all substantive booking communications. Sharing a personal WhatsApp number or email address for operational convenience is understandable once a booking is confirmed; using it to conduct commercial negotiations or accept payments outside the Platform is a breach of these guidelines and the Operator Onboarding Agreement.

7.2 Communication Standards

• Respectful in tone. Disagreements, complaints, and commercial negotiations can all be conducted professionally. Abusive, threatening, or demeaning language is not acceptable regardless of the provocation.
• Honest and accurate. Do not misrepresent facts in Platform messages, whether about a tour experience, a booking status, or a dispute.
• Relevant to the Platform relationship. Platform messaging is not a marketing channel for Operators to promote services unrelated to the booking in question.

7.3 What Is Not Permitted in Platform Messages

• Threatening, abusive, harassing, or intimidating language directed at any person.
• Solicitation of off-platform payment or booking arrangements.
• Sharing content that is sexually explicit, graphic, or that would be inappropriate in a professional commercial context.
• Spam or unsolicited promotional communications.
• Sending personal contact details of third parties without those individuals' consent.
• Any communication designed to pressure a Traveller into withdrawing or modifying a review or dispute.

7.4 Kofa Africa's Access to Messages

Kofa Africa may review in-Platform messages for the purposes of dispute investigation, trust and safety monitoring, and regulatory compliance. This is disclosed in our Privacy Policy. We do not routinely read all messages. Automated systems may flag messages that match patterns associated with off-platform solicitation, harassment, or prohibited content.

08Content & Media Standards

8.1 Who This Section Applies To

These standards apply to all content submitted to the Platform, including Operator listings and photographs, Traveller reviews, profile photographs, and any other user-generated content.

8.2 Content Must Be Accurate & Original

• All content submitted to the Platform must be accurate and must not be intentionally misleading.
• Listing photographs must authentically represent the Tour Experience. AI-generated images and heavily manipulated photographs that misrepresent destinations or conditions are prohibited.
• Profile photographs must be genuine images of the person or business they represent.
• All content must be original or properly licensed. Submitting content that infringes the copyright, trademark, or privacy rights of another person is prohibited and may result in both Platform consequences and legal liability.

8.3 Content That Is Never Permitted

The following content will be removed immediately and may result in account termination:

• Sexually explicit or pornographic content of any kind.
• Content depicting or promoting violence, self-harm, or harm to others.
• Content that exploits, endangers, or sexualises children in any way. This is a zero-tolerance violation reported to relevant authorities without exception.
• Content that promotes hatred against any group based on ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, nationality, or political affiliation.
• Content promoting illegal activities, including drug use, human trafficking, or any activity prohibited under Nigerian law or applicable international law.
• Content designed to defraud or deceive other Platform users.
• Photographs of individuals taken without their consent, particularly in sensitive contexts.

8.4 Photography of Local Communities

• Always ask permission before photographing individuals, particularly in rural communities, at traditional ceremonies, and in places of worship.
• Respect a refusal without argument or pressure.
• Do not share photographs on social media that identify individuals without their consent, even where the photograph was taken with permission for personal use.
• Operators should brief their traveller groups on local photography etiquette at the start of every tour that passes through communities.

09Inclusion, Diversity & Anti-Discrimination

9.1 Our Commitment

Kofa Africa is built on the premise that Africa's travel experiences belong to everyone. We are an African platform serving a diverse continent and a global diaspora. The diversity of our community is not a complexity to be managed — it is the thing that makes the platform worth building.

9.2 Protected Characteristics

Discrimination, harassment, or differential treatment on the basis of any of the following characteristics is prohibited on the Kofa Africa Platform and in all interactions arising from Platform bookings:

9.3 What Discrimination Looks Like on This Platform

• An operator cancelling a confirmed booking or providing inferior service after learning a traveller's state of origin, ethnicity, or religion.
• A traveller leaving a negative review that targets a guide's accent, ethnic background, or religious practice rather than the quality of the tour experience.
• Listing descriptions that implicitly or explicitly target or exclude travellers based on protected characteristics without legitimate operational justification.
• Operators charging different prices to travellers of different nationalities for the same Tour Experience without a transparent, non-discriminatory basis.
• Using Platform messaging to make comments about a person's protected characteristics in a manner that is demeaning, threatening, or unwelcome.

9.4 Accessibility

Kofa Africa encourages Operators to clearly indicate in their listings the accessibility features and limitations of their Tour Experiences, including terrain difficulty, physical fitness requirements, accommodation accessibility, and the availability of support for travellers with disabilities. Travellers with specific accessibility requirements are encouraged to use Platform messaging to discuss their needs with Operators before booking.

9.5 Reporting Discrimination

If you experience or witness discrimination on the Platform or during a Tour Experience connected to a Kofa Africa booking, report it to info@kofa.africa. Discrimination reports are handled by Kofa Africa's Trust and Safety team as a priority matter. Retaliation against a person who makes a good-faith discrimination report is itself a violation of these guidelines.

10Safety Standards

10.1 Safety Is Non-Negotiable

Kofa Africa lists Tour Experiences that include adventure activities, remote terrain, water-based activities, and travel to areas that may have environmental or security sensitivities. Safety is the non-negotiable baseline for every experience on this platform.

10.2 Operator Safety Obligations

• Providing all safety equipment required for the activity type (life jackets, helmets, harnesses, first aid kits) in good condition and of appropriate size for participants.
• Conducting a pre-activity safety briefing for every tour group, in a language all participants can understand.
• Carrying a working communication device at all times during the tour and ensuring there is a method of emergency communication available in remote areas.
• Having a documented emergency response protocol that the entire guide team is trained on.
• Not proceeding with an activity where environmental conditions (weather, water levels, visibility) fall below the safe operating threshold, regardless of traveller expectation or commercial pressure.
• Disclosing known safety risks associated with the Tour Experience in the listing, so that travellers can make an informed decision before booking.

10.3 Traveller Safety Obligations

• Disclose relevant health conditions to the Operator before departure where the listing requests this or where a condition may affect your ability to participate safely.
• Follow guide safety instructions without argument, particularly in conditions that are time-sensitive or physically precarious.
• Do not undertake activities that exceed your disclosed fitness or experience level in ways that put yourself or others at risk.
• Carry emergency contact information and personal identification on all multi-day tours.
• Obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before any multi-day tour. Kofa Africa strongly recommends insurance that covers medical evacuation from remote locations.

10.4 Reporting Safety Incidents

• Operators must report any incident involving personal injury, medical emergency, or significant property damage to Kofa Africa at info@kofa.africa within 24 hours of the incident.
• Travellers who experience a safety incident during a tour should raise it with the operator during the tour where possible, and report it to Kofa Africa via the dispute mechanism or at info@kofa.africa after the trip.
• Kofa Africa may conduct a safety investigation following an incident report and may suspend the relevant listing pending investigation.

10.5 Destination Safety Advisories

Kofa Africa monitors Nigerian government and international travel advisories for destinations listed on the Platform. Where a formal security advisory is issued for a specific destination, Kofa Africa may add a safety advisory notice to affected listings, temporarily suspend bookings for affected destinations, or proactively contact Travellers with confirmed bookings to discuss their options. Operators are obligated to monitor advisories for their operating areas and to notify Kofa Africa and affected Travellers immediately if conditions materially change.

11Zero-Tolerance Behaviours

12How to Report a Violation

12.1 Report Channels

Kofa Africa provides multiple reporting mechanisms. Use the channel that best fits the nature of your report:

12.2 Making a Good Report

• The username, listing name, or booking reference involved.
• A clear description of what happened, when it happened, and what guideline you believe was violated.
• Screenshots, photographs, or other evidence where available.
• Whether you have attempted to resolve the matter directly and what the outcome was.

12.3 Good-Faith Reporting

Kofa Africa will never penalise a user for making a good-faith report, even if the investigation does not result in a finding against the reported party. Filing a false report knowingly, or using the reporting mechanism as a harassment or competitive tool, is itself a violation of these guidelines.

13Enforcement Framework

13.1 Our Approach

Kofa Africa's Trust and Safety team reviews all reported violations and responds proportionately. Our goal is to maintain the integrity of the community, not to penalise users at the first available opportunity. Context matters. Severity matters. Pattern of behaviour matters.

13.2 Enforcement Levels

13.3 Immediate Action Without Notice

Kofa Africa reserves the right to take immediate enforcement action without prior warning or notice period where:

• The violation poses an immediate risk to the safety or wellbeing of a person.
• The violation is a zero-tolerance breach as listed in Section 11.
• Continuing the account's access would compromise an ongoing investigation.
• The account is being used to commit fraud or financial crime.

13.4 Effect of Enforcement on Bookings

Where an Operator's account is suspended or terminated, Kofa Africa will assess all confirmed future bookings individually. Travellers will be notified and will receive full refunds where Kofa Africa determines the Operator cannot credibly deliver. Where a Traveller's account is suspended, bookings already confirmed and paid remain valid subject to their continued compliance with these guidelines during the tour.

13.5 Consistency & Fairness

Kofa Africa is committed to applying these guidelines consistently regardless of the commercial value of the account under review, the social media following of the user, or any other factor unrelated to the violation itself. Our Trust and Safety team operates independently from commercial functions.

14Appeals Process

14.1 Right to Appeal

Any user who receives a formal warning, suspension, or termination notice has the right to appeal the decision. We take our enforcement decisions seriously, and we expect the same from people asking us to reconsider them.

14.2 How to Appeal

• Email info@kofa.africa within 14 calendar days of receiving the enforcement notice.
• Use the subject line: 'Appeals — [your account username] — [enforcement action type]'.
• Include: a clear statement of why you believe the decision was incorrect, any evidence that was not considered in the original investigation, and the outcome you are seeking.
• Appeals submitted after the 14-day window will not be considered unless exceptional circumstances are demonstrated.

14.3 Appeals Review Process

All appeals are reviewed by a member of the Kofa Africa Trust and Safety team who was not involved in the original decision. The appeals reviewer will acknowledge receipt within 48 hours, review all submitted evidence alongside the original investigation file, reach a decision within 14 business days of receiving the complete appeal, and notify the appellant of the outcome by email with reasons.

14.4 Appeal Outcomes

• Upholding the original decision with explanation.
• Modifying the enforcement action (for example, reducing a 90-day suspension to 30 days where mitigating circumstances are established).
• Overturning the original decision and restoring full account access.

The outcome of an appeal is final within Kofa Africa's internal process. It does not affect a user's right to seek resolution through applicable legal channels.

14.5 What Appeals Cannot Do

An appeal cannot reverse a termination resulting from a zero-tolerance violation as listed in Section 11. These violations are absolute. Enforcement action taken by law enforcement following a Kofa Africa referral is entirely outside the scope of the appeals process.

15Keeping These Guidelines Current

15.1 Living Document

These Community Guidelines are a living document. As the Kofa Africa community grows, as new types of experiences are listed, and as new challenges emerge on the platform and in the field, these guidelines will be updated to reflect the community's evolving needs.

15.2 How We Update

• We will post a notice on the Platform and notify registered users by email at least 14 days before material changes take effect.
• We will update the version number and effective date below.
• We will maintain an archive of previous versions at kofa.africa/guidelines/history.

15.3 Community Input

We actively welcome feedback on these guidelines from operators and travellers who use the platform. If you believe a guideline is unclear, unfair, or missing something important, write to us at info@kofa.africa with the subject line ‘Guidelines Feedback’. We read every message.

16Contact

We are a community. If you want to talk to us, we want to hear from you.