AD Tech Watch is our short, selected roundup of the AI, search and software news that matters to businesses in Nigeria, explained in plain English. In this issue: WhatsApp replies stop being free for businesses on Meta’s platform, Google’s AI starts phoning businesses on customers’ behalf, voice AI is learning African languages, and Nigeria sets out where it wants to go with AI.
Issue #2 · 26 September 2026 · By AD Technologies Limited, an AI technology company in Lagos
1. WhatsApp Business Replies Stop Being Free on 1 October
What happened: From 1 October 2026, Meta will charge per message for service messages (a business’s normal replies after a customer messages first) and for utility messages sent inside the 24-hour customer service window, such as order and payment confirmations. Both were free before. The change applies to the WhatsApp Business Platform, the API used by banks, fintechs, e-commerce stores and chatbot providers. Nigerian press report a rate of about $0.0101 per message for Nigerian numbers, roughly ₦14, and report that businesses without a payment method on file by 30 September will stop having these messages delivered. Businesses using the free WhatsApp Business app on a phone are reported to be unaffected. Meta also began charging for its own Meta Business Agent AI replies on 1 August, at $2 per million tokens.
What this means for Nigerian businesses: If a provider runs your WhatsApp chatbot or notifications, ask them today whether a payment method is set up and how the new fees will be passed on. Every reply now has a cost, so design automations to resolve questions in fewer messages, rather than sending several short ones. For a full cost picture, read how much a WhatsApp AI chatbot costs in Nigeria.
- Add a payment method for WhatsApp Business Platform Meta Billing and payments
- See Meta’s official WhatsApp message rates Meta for Developers
Sources: ThisDay, Meta for Developers, WithinNigeria.
2. Google Tests Gemini Phoning Businesses for Customers
What happened: On 24 September, Google began testing “Call for Me”, which lets Gemini phone a business on a user’s behalf. It can check whether a product is in stock, book or reschedule an appointment, make a restaurant reservation, navigate phone menus and wait on hold, while the user follows a live transcript. The AI introduces itself on the call. For now it is limited to Pixel 11 owners in the United States with a paid Gemini subscription.
What this means for Nigerian businesses: It is not in Nigeria yet, but the direction is clear: AI assistants will increasingly contact businesses for customers, not just search for them. The assistant can only call the number it finds, so keep your phone number, hours and services correct on your Google Business Profile and website, and make sure whoever answers is ready to handle a polite, direct AI caller.
- Check your phone number and opening hours on Google Google Business Profile, free
Source: TechCrunch.
3. Voice AI Is Learning Nigerian Languages
What happened: NKENNEAi, the AI division of African-language learning app NKENNE, launched speech-to-text and text-to-speech models starting with Swahili, trained on more than 65,000 hours of audio. Nigerian Pidgin, Yorùbá and Igbo are next. The models are built to handle tone and regional dialects, and the company says it is partnering with NITDA and telecom operator T2 Mobile on customer service uses. A first public demo is scheduled for 29 September.
What this means for Nigerian businesses: Voice is how many Nigerians prefer to communicate, and voice AI that understands Pidgin, Yorùbá and Igbo would open customer service lines, voice notes and IVR menus to AI automation. If your customers call or send voice notes more than they type, this is worth watching. We can advise on where voice AI fits: how Nigerian businesses can use AI.
Source: TechCabal.
4. Nigeria Pushes for Its Own AI Infrastructure
What happened: At GITEX Nigeria in Abuja and Lagos, NITDA Director General Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi said Nigeria needs its own connectivity, compute, data centres and cloud capacity rather than relying on foreign technology. Officials cited Project Bridge, about 90,000 km of fibre, a National Digital Cloud Policy targeting $750 million of private investment over 24 months, and 1.87 million registrations for the 3MTT tech talent programme. On 24 September, China’s ambassador invited Nigeria to join the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation, as Nigeria–China trade reached $18 billion in the first half of 2026.
What this means for Nigerian businesses: Expect more local data centres and cloud options, which can mean faster, naira-priced hosting and AI services, and more pressure to keep customer data in Nigeria. A growing pool of trained tech talent also makes it easier to hire. Build with data protection in mind today, since the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 already applies.
- Join 3MTT or find trained tech talent NITDA 3 Million Technical Talent programme
Sources: Morocco World News, ThisDay.
This Week’s 2-Minute Action
If you use a WhatsApp chatbot or WhatsApp notifications through a provider, message them today: “Is a payment method set up with Meta for 1 October, and how will the new service message fees be billed to us?”
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Read the previous issue: AD Tech Watch #1. Next issue: AD Tech Watch #3.