Africa's Talking API
SMS & Messaging · Communications
Africa's Talking API is the continent's most comprehensive African-built communications platform, providing a unified API for SMS, USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data), voice, airtime distribution, data bundles, mobile payments, and IoT connectivity across multiple African countries including Nigeria. Founded in Nairobi in 2010, Africa's Talking has grown into the definitive African developer communications platform, with direct carrier integrations across Nigerian mobile networks and a team that deeply understands African telecommunications infrastructure, regulatory requirements, and user behavior.
Africa's Talking API Highlights
Africa's Talking API is verified for developer integrations in Nigeria and across African markets, providing documented endpoints, sandbox testing, and developer support.
API Key (header: apiKey)
Standard limits. High-volume enterprise plans available.
Nigeria
Ghana
Kenya
AWSAfrica's Talking API is best for:
Nigerian developers needing a comprehensive African communications API SMS, USSD, voice, airtime, and data bundles in one platform, built by Africans for African mobile networks.
- Free sandbox
- Production:pay-per-use
- SMS from $0.003/message in Nigeria
- USSD from $0.0009/request
- Airtime, Voice, and Data APIs also available
Africa's Talking API Core Features & Capabilities
Features Included
Not Supported
Required Access Documents for Africa's Talking API
- Africa's Talking AccountRequiredRegister at africastalking.com. Sandbox is immediately available with test credentials. Production requires email verification and account funding. Nigerian SIM registration not required.
Different Africa's Talking API use cases
- USSD Banking App for Unbanked Nigerians:Use Africa's Talking USSD API to build a banking or savings USSD app accessible to unbanked Nigerians on feature phones dialing a short code initiates a USSD session that Africa's Talking manages, enabling financial services without internet or smartphones.
- Nigerian Airtime Reward System:Integrate Africa's Talking Airtime API into a Nigerian loyalty or reward app to programmatically send airtime top-ups as rewards to MTN, Airtel, Glo, and 9mobile users a high-value incentive for Nigerian users who prize mobile airtime.
- IVR Customer Service for Nigerian SME:Build an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system using Africa's Talking Voice API callers dial in, navigate menu options by pressing keys, and receive automated responses enabling 24/7 automated customer service for a Nigerian business without human agents.
- Nigerian OTP Delivery via SMS and Voice:Use Africa's Talking to send OTP codes via SMS with automatic voice call fallback if the SMS OTP is not entered within 60 seconds, trigger a voice call that reads out the OTP maximizing successful verification on Nigerian networks.