How to send money from Nigeria to other African countries: A tired Nigerian's guide to sending money across borders

Pulse Mix 08:00 - 28 September 2022

<strong><em>#FeatureByYellow Card:</em></strong> If you ask a regular Nigerian how easy it is to send and receive money from Nigeria to another African country, you won't get a straightforward answer.

Even though the average Nigerian has a minimum of 4 fintech apps on their phone, sending money cross-country in Africa is a herculean task.

After tons of research and conversations with different people, this is a tired Nigerian's guide to sending money to other African countries.

Google will not help you: The first thing anyone typically does when facing a challenge is asking Google. However, the operations within the African continent, specifically Nigeria, defy the search engine's power. Google may show you articles and posts like this one you're reading, filled with options to use. But they usually aren't satisfactory, or their processes are exhausting.
Send the money via pigeon: The people of old who used birds to send messages and packages knew what they were doing. It could all be so simple. Wrap up the money you intend to send, strap it to the pigeon's back, and hope for the best.
Go to the country with the cash: If you are uncomfortable with using birds, book a flight and deliver the money yourself. It might cost you a little extra, but at least the funds will get to where it needs to be.
Try Jazz: Jazz or juju has many uses, so why not see if fintech is something it can do? You may need to bring the tail of a virgin antelope, the eye of a newborn goat, and the feathers of 30 hens, but it's probably worth a try.
Use Yellow Pay: After looking at all the other options above and deciding to use some of the money to buy suya to ease my frustration, I found Yellow Pay. Yellow Pay is a new payment feature on Yellow Card that allows you to send money across borders instantly, for free. What's the catch? It runs on cryptocurrency. Now, you may start closing this article, but unless you have a pigeon that can deliver money across Africa, hear me out.

How Does Yellow Pay Work?

Once you do the standard sign-up and account creation after downloading the yellow card mobile app, you need to get verified. After your identity is successfully verified, you can begin using the Yellow Pay feature.

Yellow Pay allows you to send money in your local currency (e.g. Naira), and the receiver will receive the equivalent in their local currency (e.g. Cedis).

To provide further context, here's how Yellow Pay works between sender and receiver.

Joel, a Yellow Card Nigerian customer, wishes to send money to his friend Edem in Ghana, who is also a Yellow Card customer.
Joel opens his Yellow Card app and funds his account with Naira. He then selects the Yellow Pay feature and inputs Edem's phone number, which Edem used to register on Yellow Card.
Joel enters the amount he wants to send and sees how much Edem will get. He confirms the transaction and sends the money on its way.
Edem instantly receives the cedis equivalent of what Joel sends (based on the current Yellow Pay exchange rate).
Upon receiving the funds, Edem can instantly withdraw to his bank account or Mobile Money (MoMo).

How to Sign Up for Yellow Card

Visit the Yellow Card Web App or download the mobile app from Google Play Store or App Store for iOS devices.
Click on "Sign Up" and fill out some important information like your Full name, email address and phone number.
Set a strong password
Next, you'll be taken to an SMS verification page. You'll receive a 6-digit OTP with which you can verify your account.
Once verified, your account is ready for use!

Why Should You Use Yellow Pay?

Yellow Pay simplifies your intercontinental payments and is significantly cheaper than using traditional money services and fintech exchanges. This service is easy to use with zero charges and excellent conversion rates that won't give you a headache.

Here are three more logical reasons to use Yellow Pay:

You can send money to your family, friends, business partners, and vendors across Africa with minimal effort and no worries.
You can send money for free across African countries, and the conversion rates are the best you can get in the market.
The transactions between you and the receiver or sender are instant. You don't have to wait for the money to "drop" or to be approved by a third party.

Yellow Pay money transfers are absolutely free and even better - for the first time you send 7000 Naira and above to someone in another country, you get 1500 Naira back. Pretty cool right?!

A tired Nigerian's guide to sending money across borders

Other Options For Sending Money Across Africa

If you are still unsatisfied with the ways to send money listed in this guide, you can use a dispatch rider or send the money through a courier. Either way, Yellow Pay will always be there to make your cross-country payments as simple and efficient as you deserve.

A tired Nigerian's guide to sending money across borders

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