PayPal has enabled incoming payments in Nigeria through a partnership with Paga as it expands its offerings and improves access to global commerce for individuals and businesses in Africa’s largest economy.
The update was announced by Tayo Oviosu, founder and chief executive officer of Paga, who disclosed that Nigerians can now receive funds via PayPal for the first time, provided their PayPal accounts are linked to Paga.
Previously, PayPal users in Nigeria were largely restricted to outbound transactions.
Under the new arrangement, Nigerian PayPal users who connect their accounts to Paga can receive payments, view PayPal balances within the Paga app, and withdraw funds in naira at their discretion.
The functionality extends PayPal access to freelancers, gig workers, merchants, and individuals receiving remittances from abroad.
The partnership enables Nigerians to use PayPal across more than 30 million merchants globally, while also allowing Nigerian merchants to accept PayPal payments, improving access to international customers and cross-border transactions.
Gig workers can now receive compensation directly through PayPal, and families can send money to Nigeria using the platform.
According to Oviosu, the collaboration is the result of more than a decade of engagement, regulatory alignment, and infrastructure development.
He noted that discussions with PayPal began as far back as 2013, when Nigeria’s fintech ecosystem was still in its early stages and global interest in African digital finance was limited.
The development highlights the growing role of local fintech infrastructure in enabling global platforms to scale effectively in emerging markets.
Rather than operating independently, PayPal’s integration with Paga reflects a strategy of leveraging established local systems to navigate regulatory requirements, settlement processes, and domestic payment flows.
For Nigeria’s digital economy, the move is expected to improve participation in global commerce, particularly for freelancers, small businesses, and export-oriented service providers who rely on international payment channels.
It also strengthens Nigeria’s position within the broader African fintech ecosystem as a hub for cross-border digital payments.
While the rollout is limited to PayPal accounts linked to Paga, industry observers view the partnership as a meaningful step toward deeper financial integration and broader access to global payment networks for Nigerian users.
Overall, the PayPal–Paga integration represents a structural shift in how Nigerians engage with international financial platforms, reinforcing the importance of local fintech partnerships in expanding financial inclusion and global market access.
