Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, will begin charging businesses about ₦14 per message sent to Nigerian numbers from October 1, 2026.

The new rate affects companies using the WhatsApp Business Platform to communicate with customers.

According to Meta, ordinary WhatsApp users will not be affected and will continue to use the app for free.

The businesses likely to feel the impact include banks, fintechs, telecom companies, retailers and e-commerce platforms that rely on WhatsApp to send transaction alerts, order confirmations, customer support messages and marketing campaigns.

With the new charge, companies that send bulk messages to customers will see a significant rise in their communication costs.

Meta has not announced whether the ₦14 rate will be fixed or if it will vary based on message type, but the fee will apply to all business-initiated messages to Nigerian numbers.