Nigeria: Matchmaking websites increasingly popular in Kano

Matchmaking websites are in their hayday in Kano, a conservative hub in northern Nigeria.

It's not uncommon for women in the predominantly Muslim city to marry at 18.

Matchmakers have a number of theories as to why online dating has become increasingly popular.

Asabe Abba Yarmaishinkafi, a Nigerian matchmaker, says "matchmaking is becoming more popular because the population has increased. Now we are overpopulated, so many people (Kano is the second most populated city in Nigeria, ed.), and it even seems as though there are more women than men, and they all want to get married. That is why matchmaking has flourished online."

After searching for years, some, including graduate student Aisha, are trialling online dating

"Marriage nowadays is based on connections. Through this service, my picture is sent to someone who is looking for a wife, and he may develop feelings for me. T - - :hat is the only way, since he has not had the opportunity to meet me in person and express his love. For me, there is nothing wrong with this, nothing to be ashamed of. It is about marriage, and I am not the first person to do it," Aisha says.

Organisers are turning to non-tradiitonal methods, such as artificial intelligence, to help with matchmaking as Jafaar Isah Shanawa, CEO of Northern Halal Marriage & Family Solutions, explains.

"It was carried out traditionally, but now we are using more technological tools to carry out matchmaking. We use ChatGPT to modify the faces of our clients in order to maintain their privacy, so that they are not exposed to anyone," he says.

According to to the CEO, his site has attracted 1,000 clients and racked up some 10,000 followers across social media platforms.