Nigerian Innovator Develops Mobile App For Offline Payments

A Nigerian innovator, Temitayo Gbadebo, has developed a mobile app to facilitate offline payments using Short Lived Distributed Ledger Technology (SLDLT) and Short Message Service (SMS) technology.

According to him, the discovery was an innovative solution that enables seamless offline transactions for payment of goods and services.

In a statement made available to LEADERSHIP, he said: “This innovative solution eliminates the need for Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) and any form of data transport to the financial institution’s server before a transaction is completed. It ensures that payments are finalized without relying on data transport to the financial institution.

“Given the challenges posed by limited internet access in the country, which hinders financial transactions on mobile apps, users can transact using this technology in two ways: person-to-person and via transport over an SMS line.

“Limited internet access in Nigeria has been a major challenge, impeding financial transactions on mobile apps. Internet access has decreased from 45.57% to 43.53%. Telecom companies responsible for expanding internet access face various issues including fiber cuts, multiple taxes, excessive right-of-way fees, insecurity, high energy costs, and inflation.

“The person-to-person transactions utilize technologies such as NFC, Bluetooth, or Wifi Direct, along with Short Lived Distributed Ledger Technology (SLDLT) for updating transaction history. The transport over SMS line employs a highly efficient compression technology for data exchange.

“This technology is crucial in providing financial users and the unbanked population with the confidence to use financial services, akin to the assurance of having cash at hand for any form of payment,” he stated

Gbadebo said the idea was birthed in 2021 after he faced a challenge with card payment due to poor Internet connection and the absence of an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) in his area.

This experience prompted him to develop a payment system that can function without Internet or USSD.