Emma Okonji
Businesses that market their products on WhatsApp will no longer do so free of charge, as Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, will begin to charge all business owners N14 for every business message sent through WhatsApp, with effect from October 1, 2026.
According to Meta, the technology company that owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, businesses using the WhatsApp platform will be charged about N14 per message for Nigerian numbers by Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, from October 1, 2026.
Ordinary users are not affected by the new development as they will continue to use WhatsApp without paying per message.
The targeted businesses include banks, Fintech companies, telecommunications companies, retailers and e-commerce platforms that use WhatsApp to provide customer support, send transaction alerts, confirm orders, and market their products.
Before now, Meta made 98 per cent of its money from selling digital advertisements across its different apps. Businesses paid Meta to display targeted ads to billions of daily active users based on demographics, interests and online behaviour, while advertisers used an auction system, setting a budget and bidding for ad impressions.
The new move to charge business owners with Nigerian numbers for every business message, will be an additional stream of income for Meta, which says it spends so much to maintain the WhatsApp platform.