A USSD code is a quick code that allows access to some additional services via SMS messages. Banks and other financial service providers use USSD to facilitate access to their services in sub-Saharan Africa, where only 28 percent of the population has access to the Internet (according to the GSMA).
Nigerian banks and financial institutions may soon be denied access to the unstructured supplementary services data (USSD) provided by telecom operators. On September 29, 2022, Gbenga Adebayo, President of the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), revealed that those actors failed to pay a bill of NGN80 billion (about US$185.7 million) for the services they were rendered.
“Banks deduct charges from their customers but refuse to pay telecom operators. You don’t expect us to keep rendering services when you don’t pay,” he indicated.
In 2021, telecom operators had threatened to stop rendering their USSD services to financial institutions, still over unpaid invoices. The accumulated bill was NGN42 billion at the time. The Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) got involved, helping find a compromise solution, including the introduction of NGN6.9 (US$0.016) per transaction as a new fee for customers using USSD services.
If the threat is carried out, it will greatly affect the financial services offered to Nigerians, creating revenue shortfalls for banks. “...Bank customers will not be able to make ATM withdrawals or do transfers as well as other digital banking related services if the telecommunications operators withdraw their services,” Mr. Adebayo said.
Isaac K. Kassouwi
• Global coffee consumption projected to hit a record 169.4 million 60-kg bags in 2025/2026, up from...
In a West African financial landscape marked by tighter regulation of the fintech sector, digital fi...
• Burkina Faso-based financial group, Vista Group Holding, has acquired a majority stake in Société ...
Transport and food prices have been climbing steadily across Africa in recent years. In Côte d’Ivoir...
• Kenyan President William Ruto signs strategic partnership with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to b...
• Investors seem to keep focusing on yields, which are high for the moment• New Leadership might seek to address rating concerns • April 2026 allows...
• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has authorized a $262.3 million disbursement for Ethiopia, taking total payments under Extended Credit...
• ECOWAS Bank funds 47.7-km stretch of strategic 700-km road project• Lagos-Calabar highway seen boosting regional trade and investment• Part of broader...
• IFC teams up with AfDB and Nigeria’s EbonyLife to assess a new fund for African cinema• Sector could grow to $20 bln annually and create 20 mln...
The Gerewol tradition is a fascinating ritual celebrated by the Bororo Fulani, a nomadic community primarily located in Chad and Niger. This annual...
In northern Ethiopia, in the Tigray region, lies Axum (also spelled Aksum), an ancient city that once stood at the heart of one of Africa’s most powerful...