PayPal has returned to Nigeria, enabling Nigerians to receive payments on its platform through a partnership with local fintech firm Paga.
marking a major shift in its long-restricted engagement with the country.
Paga founder, Tayo Oviosu, announced the collaboration in a LinkedIn post.
According to him, the partnership comes nearly 13 years after Paga first reached out to PayPal with a proposal to work together, at a time when Nigeria’s fintech ecosystem was still in its early stages.
For years, Nigerians were unable to receive funds through PayPal due to restrictions placed on accounts in the country.
Under the new arrangement, users can now link their PayPal accounts to Paga wallets, enabling them to receive funds directly through PayPal, a functionality that had previously been unavailable.
Oviosu reflected on his first outreach to PayPal in 2013, when digital payments infrastructure in Nigeria was still evolving.
He said the idea was driven by a belief in Nigeria’s long-term economic potential and the role global payment platforms could play in unlocking that growth.
“In August 2013, I emailed the PayPal team. Nigeria’s fintech ecosystem was still young. Paga was just a few years old. And the ‘Africa opportunity’ wasn’t yet part of most global boardroom conversations,” he said.
Oviosu added that in the email, he shared a simple belief: that Nigeria would become one of the most important economies in the world, and that there was strong alignment between PayPal and Paga to make payments, financial services, and global commerce work for Nigerians.
He said he also attached a presentation outlining how the two companies might collaborate: Paga could power on-ramps and off-ramps to and from PayPal in Nigeria.
“It would take more than a decade for that belief to fully materialize. Today, I’m proud to share that PayPal is now live in Nigeria through Paga,” he said.
Oviosu described the announcement as the result of patience, trust-building, and sustained investment in local infrastructure rather than a single breakthrough moment.
PayPal’s relationship with Nigeria has long been defined by restricted access and limited functionality for users.
Around 2004, the company placed Nigerian accounts on a “send-only” status, allowing users to make payments abroad but largely preventing them from receiving funds or withdrawing to local bank accounts.
PayPal cited fraud risks, regulatory challenges, and compliance concerns as reasons for limiting services in Nigeria and similar markets.
The new PayPal–Paga integration introduces inbound payment functionality that was previously unavailable to Nigerian users.
Through the partnership, users can link their PayPal accounts to Paga wallets, view PayPal balances within the Paga app, and convert and withdraw funds in Naira.
Freelancers and gig workers can now receive international payments directly through PayPal.
Nigerians in the diaspora can send money home using PayPal routed through Paga.
Local merchants can accept PayPal payments from global customers using Paga as the local settlement layer.
Oviosu noted that the milestone reflects years of regulatory engagement and investment in infrastructure that complements global platforms rather than competing with them.
