Nigeria
WhatsApp Business API in Nigeria
The WhatsApp Business API, set up for Nigerian businesses
Run your business number on the official Meta API. Automate replies, take bookings, collect naira, broadcast to thousands and let your whole team answer from one inbox, without your number ever getting banned.
Official Meta partner stack
Keep your current number
Green tick support
Naira billing
API vs the free app
What the official API gives you that WhatsApp Business app cannot
The green app on your phone was built for one person with one device. The API was built for a business with a team, a queue and a marketing calendar.
One number, whole team
Everybody answers from one inbox
Your receptionist, your manager and your sales person all reply from the same number at the same time, with notes and assignments. No more passing one phone around the shop.
No 256 limit
Broadcast to thousands, not 256
The free app caps a broadcast list at 256 saved contacts. On the API you send an approved template to your entire opted-in list, with delivery and read reports.
Automation
Replies that run without you
Keyword flows, menus, buttons, AI answers and follow-ups run day and night, including on Sunday and during a fuel queue.
Safety
Built to not get banned
Bulk blasting from a personal number is the fastest way to lose it. The API is the approved route, with template review and quality ratings that keep your number healthy.
Getting started
How to get the WhatsApp Business API in Nigeria
Four steps, and we walk through all of them with you. Most Nigerian businesses are live within three to five working days.
01
Meta Business verification
You need a Meta Business account verified with your CAC certificate or utility bill. We review your documents before submission so it passes the first time.
02
Pick your number
Use your existing business number or take a new line. If the number is already on the green app we migrate it, so customers keep reaching the number they saved years ago.
03
Display name approval
Meta checks that your display name matches your business. We write it the way Meta accepts, so you do not lose a week to a rejection.
04
Go live and apply for the green tick
Your flows, templates and team go live. Once you have volume we help you apply for the official business verification badge.
A real conversation
One number that sells, books and collects
This is a real flow a Nigerian salon runs today. Nobody on the team typed any of it.
Instant, at any hour
A customer messaging at 11pm on Saturday gets prices, availability and a payment link before your team wakes up.
Buttons instead of typing
Interactive lists and reply buttons mean no spelling mistakes and no back and forth about what is available.
The money is collected in chat
A Paystack or Flutterwave link is generated for the deposit, and the receipt lands in the same thread.
Message types
Everything you are allowed to send on the API
Meta gives the API message formats the free app does not have. These are the ones Nigerian businesses get the most out of.
Template messages
Pre-approved messages you can send first, for order updates, appointment reminders, payment receipts and campaigns.
Buttons and list menus
Up to three quick reply buttons or a ten item list. Customers tap instead of typing, which matters on a slow network.
Media and documents
Price lists as PDF, product photos, voice notes, menus and location pins for your shop.
Call to action links
Send a payment link, a Google review link or a booking page as a proper button inside the message.
Catalogue and product messages
Show items with prices in naira and let the customer add to cart without leaving WhatsApp.
Use cases
What Nigerian businesses actually run on it
Different trades, same engine. Here is what the API is doing across DMly accounts in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt.
Salons and barbers
Bookings with deposits
Comment to DM to booked, with a ₦5,000 deposit collected upfront so the chair is never empty on a Saturday.
Restaurants
Orders and reservations
Menu as a list message, order taken in chat, address and delivery rider details confirmed, payment before dispatch.
Pharmacies and clinics
Appointment reminders
Reminders the day before, refill nudges every 30 days, and a private channel for results and follow-ups.
Schools and tutors
Parent communication
Fee reminders, result notifications and class updates sent to every parent as an approved template.
Real estate
Inspection scheduling
Property photos and videos in chat, inspection slots as buttons, and the agent notified the moment a serious lead replies.
E-commerce
Abandoned cart recovery
A nudge 30 minutes after checkout is abandoned, with the exact items and a payment link attached.
The numbers
Why WhatsApp and not email in Nigeria
Nigerians live on WhatsApp. Your marketing should be where your customers already are.
98%
Open rate on WhatsApp messages, against roughly one in five for email.
3 min
Typical time to first reply once automation is handling the first response.
0
Apps your customer has to download. They already have WhatsApp.
24/7
Your business answers at midnight, on Sunday and during public holidays.
Inside DMly
Everything you can do once the API is connected
The API is the pipe. DMly is what you run through it.
Inbox
One inbox for every channel
WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Telegram, SMS and webchat land in the same queue, with assignment, notes and tags.
AI
An agent that knows your prices
Feed it your price list, menu and policies. It answers in English or pidgin, and hands over to a human the second it matters.
Broadcast
Campaigns with real reporting
Segment by service, location or last visit, send an approved template, and see delivered, read and replied in naira terms.
Booking
Calendar that never double books
Live availability from Google Calendar, deposits collected, staff assigned and reminders sent automatically.
Payments
Paystack and Flutterwave built in
Invoices and payment links in chat, card or bank transfer, receipt posted back into the conversation.
Reports
Know what the chats are worth
Response times, conversations per agent, bookings created and revenue collected, exportable to Google Sheets.
Questions Nigerians ask
WhatsApp Business API questions, answered plainly
How much does the WhatsApp API cost in Nigeria?
You pay DMly in naira from ₦19,500 per month on the launch offer, plus Meta conversation charges. Service and utility conversations are a few naira each, and user-initiated conversations have a free window. We show the meter inside your dashboard.
Can I keep my current WhatsApp number?
Yes. We migrate the number you already use onto the API. You will lose the green app on that phone, which is the point, because the number now lives in a proper team inbox.
Do I need CAC registration?
For Meta Business verification you need a CAC certificate or, in some cases, a utility bill and a bank statement in the business name. We check your documents before submitting.
How long does approval take?
Three to five working days is typical when the documents are clean. Display name rejections are the usual delay, and we write yours to pass.
Will my number get banned?
Not if you use templates properly and only message people who opted in. The API is the approved route and DMly monitors your quality rating and warns you before it drops.
Does it work with poor network?
Yes. Messages queue and deliver when the customer comes back online, and button menus mean less typing on a weak connection.
Watch it work
A customer from "how much" to paid deposit
This is a real flow running on the official API. Nobody on your team typed any of it.
Answered in four seconds
Your price list, your wording, at 11pm on a Sunday when your competition is asleep.
The calendar is the truth
She is only offered slots that are genuinely free, so double bookings stop happening.
₦5,000 held the chair
Paystack link in the chat. The deposit clears before she puts her phone down.
Side by side
The green app on your phone versus the official API
Both are WhatsApp. Only one of them can run a business with staff, deposits and thousands of customers.
The honest detail
What Meta actually asks of a Nigerian business
People promise you instant approval. Here is the real process, in the order it happens, with the parts that catch businesses out.
Business verification with your CAC papers
Meta wants to see that the business exists. Your CAC certificate, a utility bill or bank statement showing the business address, and a phone number or website that matches. Names must agree exactly: if CAC says "Zuri Beauty Concepts Ltd" and your bill says "Zuri Salon", verification is rejected. We review your documents before submission, which is why most of our customers pass on the first attempt within two to three working days.
Your display name has rules
The name customers see must relate to your real business name. Meta rejects generic words, "official", emojis, or anything promotional like "Best Prices Lagos". Once approved, changing it means a fresh review, so pick the name you will still want in two years.
Quality rating and messaging limits
You start at 1,000 unique customers a day. Keep quality green and the limit climbs to 10,000, then 100,000, automatically. Get blocked and reported often and the limit drops. This is why we refuse to import scraped contact lists: one bad broadcast can cost you the number.
Templates and the 24 hour window
Once a customer messages you, you can reply freely for 24 hours. After that, you must use a template Meta pre-approved. DMly ships approved Nigerian templates for reminders, deposits, delivery updates and review requests, so you are not waiting on reviews to send a booking confirmation.
Your existing number can move
The number on your current WhatsApp Business app can migrate to the API, keeping your customers and your display name. With coexistence the app keeps working on your phone too, so nothing changes for whoever answers today. We connect it on a call with you, usually in under thirty minutes.
What it costs in naira
Your DMly plan starts at ₦19,500 per month. Meta charges separately per conversation, in the region of ₦11 to ₦30 depending on the category, and service conversations a customer starts are free. We show the running total in your dashboard so there are no month-end surprises.
Questions we get every week
Straight answers before you commit
Do I need a new SIM?
No. A landline or existing mobile number works, as long as it can receive one verification code and is not active on the consumer WhatsApp app.
How long until I am live?
Two to five working days in practice. Same-day if your CAC documents are ready and your display name is straightforward.
Can I still use my phone to chat?
Yes. With coexistence you keep the WhatsApp Business app on your phone, and replies you send from it show up in DMly. You can also answer from the DMly mobile app. Either way your staff answer from the same number and the history stays in DMly.
What if Meta rejects us?
We fix the document mismatch and resubmit with you, at no extra charge. Rejections are almost always a name or address mismatch.
Is bulk messaging allowed?
To customers who opted in, yes, using approved templates. Cold lists are not allowed and will get your number restricted.
Do you charge per message?
No markup from us on Meta conversation fees. You pay your plan, and Meta pass-through at cost.
Get your WhatsApp Business API number this week
We handle the Meta Business verification with you on a call, at no extra cost, and you go live in days not months.