Nigeria
WhatsApp API setup guide
How to get the WhatsApp API in Nigeria
The official API is not something you download. It is an approval process with Meta, and this is what it involves, in the order it happens, with the parts that trip Nigerian businesses up.
CAC and verification
Display name rules
Number migration
Live in days
The basics
What the WhatsApp Business API actually is
Before the paperwork, it helps to know what you are applying for, and why the green app on your phone is not it.
It is a connection, not an app you install
The API is a pipe between your business number and Meta. There is no new icon on your phone and nothing to open. Your messages arrive in software like DMly, where your whole team works from one screen.
The free app is one phone, one person
WhatsApp Business, the green app, was built for a single owner answering from a single handset. It caps broadcast lists, it has no real roles or assignment, and the history lives on that one device.
You have outgrown the app when two people need it
The move makes sense once more than one person must answer at the same time, or you want to message beyond a saved broadcast list, or you want bookings, reminders and payments to run without somebody typing them.
Two bills, not one
Meta provides the API and bills your conversations at the Nigeria rate. The software you run on top of it is a separate monthly fee in naira. Neither one replaces the other, so budget for both.
Side by side
The free app against the official API
Same WhatsApp for your customer. A completely different thing behind the counter.
Before you start
What you need to have ready
Gather these first. Most of the delay we see is a missing document, not Meta being slow.
CAC
A business registered with CAC
Meta wants proof the business is real and that you are connected to it. A CAC certificate in the name you trade under is the cleanest route, and a utility bill or bank statement in the business name can support it.
NUMBER
A number you can commit to
It must not be sitting on a personal WhatsApp account you want to keep, or you must be ready to migrate it. A new line or a landline works too, as long as it can receive a call or an SMS for the code.
META
A Meta Business account
This is the Business Manager that holds your Facebook page, your ad account and, once approved, your WhatsApp number. One for the business, not one per branch.
ONLINE
A website or a public profile
Somebody will look you up. A working site carrying your business name, address and the same phone number makes verification easier, and an active Facebook or Instagram profile with matching details is the minimum.
COST
Room for both bills
The software is billed monthly in naira, and Meta bills conversations separately at the Nigeria rate with nothing added by DMly. Service replies inside the 24 hour window after a customer messages you are free.
BADGE
Realistic expectations about the green tick
The badge is not part of getting the API and is decided separately, at Meta's own discretion. Read what it involves before you promise it to anybody in the business.
The process
The steps, in the order they happen
Five steps, and we do all of them with you on a call. Most Nigerian businesses are live within three to five working days.
01
Meta business verification
You submit your CAC certificate and business details in Business Manager, and Meta checks that the business exists and that you are tied to it. This is the step most likely to come back asking for more documents, so we review your file before it goes in.
02
Display name approval
You propose the name customers will see above the chat, and Meta checks it against your business and your documents. A rejection here is the usual reason a setup drags on, so it is worth writing it properly the first time.
03
Number migration or a new line
If your number is already on the green app it is migrated across, and the app stops working on that handset. If you would rather keep the old app running, take a fresh line and point customers to it. Either way the number is verified by a code sent by call or SMS.
04
Templates and flows
Anything you send first has to be an approved template, so your reminders, receipts, promos and follow-ups are written and submitted for review. Your menus, buttons, opening hours and AI answers are built while that review runs.
05
Go live
The number connects to your inbox, your team get their own logins, and you start on a low messaging limit that climbs as your quality rating holds. We watch the first few days with you and fix whatever the templates get wrong.
The fine print
The details people get wrong
These four are behind almost every setup that takes longer than it should.
NAME
Display name rules
The name must be the business your customers already know, not a keyword. No prices, no slogans, no website address and no odd capitalisation. If it is not your exact CAC name, it has to be the name your website and your profiles already use, and that will be checked.
HISTORY
What happens to your chat history
When a number migrates, the chats sitting on that handset stay on that handset. They do not come across, and the green app stops working on that number, so export anything you need before the switch. Everything from go live onward sits in the team inbox instead.
TIME
How long each step takes
Verification is the slow one and depends entirely on how clean your documents are. Display name review is quick unless it is rejected, migration happens the same day once the code arrives, and template review runs in the background while you build. Most Nigerian businesses are live within three to five working days.
AFTER
What you get once it is connected
One inbox for every channel, templates, flows, bookings, payments in naira through Paystack and Flutterwave, and reporting, all on the number your customers already have saved.
Questions Nigerians ask
The things people ask us on the first call
Do I have to be registered with CAC?
Meta wants proof the business exists, and a CAC certificate is the cleanest way to give it. A utility bill or a bank statement in the business name can support the file. We check your documents before anything is submitted.
Can I keep the number I already use?
Yes. It is migrated onto the API so customers keep reaching the number they saved years ago. The green app stops working on that number, which is the point, because the number now lives in a proper team inbox.
Will I lose my old chats?
The chats on that phone stay on that phone and do not transfer. Export what you need before the migration, then everything from go live onward is kept in the shared inbox with the full history attached to each customer.
Do I need a website?
It helps. Whoever reviews your file will look your business up, so a live site with your name, address and phone number makes it easier. An active Facebook or Instagram profile carrying the same details is better than nothing at all.
What does it cost to run?
You pay for the software monthly in naira, and Meta bills conversations separately at the Nigeria rate with nothing added by DMly. Service replies inside the 24 hour customer service window cost nothing.
Can I do all this myself?
Yes, it is your Meta account and your number. Most people would rather not lose a week learning Business Manager, so we sit on a call and do it with you at no extra cost.
Get your number onto the API this week
Setup help and Meta business verification help are free, on a call with the Abuja team.