Nigerians living in diaspora in Africa are believed to be about 3 million people with the number in Ghana believed to be over1,000,000, about 500,000 in South Africa, while in Kenya alone they make up one of East Africa’s largest diaspora communities with over 80,000 of them estimated to reside in the country. From entrepreneurs and students to professionals and families, Nigerians in the African diaspora contribute significantly to the local economy while maintaining strong ties to their homeland. thus, the need for reliable, affordable, and efficient cross-border financial services has never been more urgent.
However, for years, remittances and business transactions have been hampered by systemic bottlenecks and stiff regulations that hamper cross-border payments in Africa. This is the problem Asaba, Delta state-based fintech, HIZO Technology, is solving one African country at a time by offering tailored solutions that address the unique needs of this thriving community.
The idea for the Hizo solutions (Nigerians to be able to spend naira in other African countries) came as a result of the founders travelling and experiencing so much hassle and frustration in trying to change their Naira to the local currency. “As frequent travellers to various African countries, one of the biggest challenges we often faced was making cross-border payments. Whether it was paying for hotels, transportation, or even meals, we always struggled with getting different currencies, finding a reliable exchanger, high transaction fees, and long processing times.
Being a firm believer in creating solution-driven technology, we began to consider the possibility of building a solution for the cross-border payment challenges we and other Nigerian travellers have to deal with whenever we travel to an African country.
We set out to build a solution that would make it not just possible but very seamless to spend our Naira in another African country. While discussing the idea for this solution, we discovered that this was a particularly pain point and we tinkered with one experiment or the other until we arrived at HIZO” the CEO shared.
Hizo is a cross-border payment solution specifically designed to help Nigerians spend Naira in African countries cutting out the hassle of making the conversion from naira to USD and then local currency. Since launching the product in 2023, it’s been useful and has tremendously reduced the hassle of cross-border payments for thousands of our users in countries like Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, South Africa and Tanzania.
Speaking at the recently concluded 2025 Africa Tech Summit in Nairobi, HIZO Chief Executive Officer Victor Chiedu called on Nigerians and other Africans alike to join the platform, which is set to officially establish offices in Nairobi to better serve their customers. He also divulged plans by the company to launch a marketing campaign in Ghana, a move aimed at increasing customer awareness and acquisition among the thousands of Nigerians-in-ghana-.
Mr Chiedu displayed the platform’s seamless and user-friendly ability, taking the time to take some of the attendees through the platform and transact. “Some users here in Kenya have asked us to set up a customer support line which we are working to deliver. Beyond that, the reception in Kenya has been fantastic,” he asserted.
Nigerians in Kenya send millions of dollars annually to support families, fund education, and invest in businesses back home. However, traditional remittance channels like banks and money transfer operators (MTOs) often charge fees as high as 15%, eroding the value of these critical funds. HIZO’s blockchain-powered platform disrupts this model ensuring more money reaches loved ones.
Delayed payments have dire consequences such as; Students missing tuition deadlines, medical emergencies going unfunded, and businesses losing contracts. HIZO’s real-time settlement system ensures transfers between Kenya and Nigeria are completed in under 3 minutes, a game-changer for time-sensitive needs.
With a significant percentage of Nigerians in the African diaspora lacking access to formal banking due to documentation barriers or distrust in institutions, HIZO bridges this gap with their no-barrier digital wallets. This means users only need a smartphone number to create an account.
This inclusivity empowers informal workers, such as artisans and market vendors, to participate securely in the digital economy. They can hold, send, and receive funds in NGN, KES, and USD, mitigating exchange rate risks.
With a marked increase in fraudulent schemes targeting diasporas with fake investment plans and phishing scams eroding trust. HIZO Technology combats this with biometric authentication, AI fraud detection and educational campaigns where in-app tutorials and SMS alerts warn users about common scams.
For Nigerians in South Africa, Uganda, Ghana and other African countries where this solution is currently available, HIZO is more than a fintech platform, it’s a lifeline to home, a growth engine for businesses, and a guardian of community aspirations. By reducing financial barriers, it is not only easing transactions but also restoring dignity and agency to a diaspora long underserved by traditional systems. As HIZO scales, its impact will echo beyond individuals to uplift entire communities, proving that when technology serves people first, borders become bridges, and diaspora potential knows no limits.
