Pecohub PayPal will now allow 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.
The development was disclosed by Paga’s founder, Tayo Oviosu, in a LinkedIn post announcing the long-awaited collaboration.
The partnership comes nearly 13 years after Oviosu 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.
While announcing the partnership, 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.
