PayPal is expanding access for Nigerians to receive international payments through a new partnership with Nigerian fintech Paga, a move that could reshape how freelancers, creators, online sellers, and small businesses in Nigeria get paid from abroad.
With this integration, Nigerian users can link a PayPal account to a Paga wallet, receive cross-border payments via PayPal-supported markets, and withdraw funds locally in Naira or use them across Paga’s ecosystem.
What the PayPal–Paga Partnership Means for Nigerians
For years, PayPal’s experience in Nigeria was widely seen as limited, particularly in inbound payments. Nigerians could only spend with their PayPal accounts. You connect your card to your account and spend from it.
The wallet menu was not even available to users in Nigeria. However, with this announcement, we can now see that the wallet menu is available for Nigerian users.
With the Paga link now live, users can access features that make it easier to bring global earnings into the local economy, including withdrawals and everyday spending options.
With this PayPal-Paga partnership, Nigerians will be able to:
- Receive international payments via PayPal
- Withdraw locally in Naira through Paga
- Shop with global PayPal merchants
- Transfer to local bank accounts and pay bills/merchants within Paga
Paga Founder and Group CEO Tayo Oviosu described the rollout as a practical bridge between global income and local usage.
“We are proud to make this integration live and available to users across Nigeria,”
Oviosu said.
He added that the collaboration is designed to support a wide range of users, from freelancers to online businesses, who need reliable ways to access global funds locally.
On PayPal’s side, Otto Williams, Senior Vice President and Regional Head and General Manager for PayPal Middle East and Africa, said the company plans to deepen the experience over time:
“Over time, our goal is to make onboarding, settlement, and reconciliation even more seamless…”
Williams said.
Williams also framed the move as a deliberate partnership-led approach:
“We have been intentional about partnering with local innovators like Paga to develop solutions that help Nigerians earn, spend, and grow,”
he said.
How It Works
While product flows may evolve, the current setup centers on account linking:
- A user links their PayPal account to their Paga wallet.
- They can then receive international payments via PayPal which will be available in their PayPal wallet.
- Funds can be withdrawn in Naira and used for payments, transfers, and spending within Paga.
I also suspect that, while the balance is in the PayPal wallet, the user can use it to make PayPal payments directly, such as paying for subscriptions. However, I have not yet been able to confirm this. This will be clearer in the coming days and weeks.
Why This Matters Now
Nigeria has one of Africa’s largest pools of digital talent and online commerce activity, but cross-border collection has often been a pain point for individuals and smaller businesses. By combining PayPal’s global payment capabilities with Paga’s local wallet and settlement capabilities, the partnership aims to reduce friction for inbound payments and local access to funds.
As the integration rolls out, industry watchers will be looking at adoption rates, user experience, fees, and how quickly additional features, particularly for merchants, are added.
We also hope this lasts longer than PayPal’s 2021 partnership with Flutterwave.
