With DingPay, Itohowo Udofia is bringing Apple Pay’s reliability and ease to Africans

Itohowo Udofia wants to make paying for things in Nigeria feel as simple as tapping your phone on the London Underground. That single idea sits at the heart of DingPay and explains why the young fintech has garnered early momentum, investor attention, and a growing user base.

Udofia did not set out to build yet another payments app. The idea grew out of irritation. After living in the UK during his further studies, he grew used to Apple Pay’s quiet reliability. He could take an Uber, catch a train, check in for a flight and buy lunch without touching his wallet. His phone handled everything.

Then he returned to Lagos.

One hour spent in a supermarket queue, waiting for a bank transfer to clear, stayed with him. So did the need to carry several bank cards “because I don’t know which bank is going to work.” It felt archaic when compared with everyday life in London. That friction became the founding problem.

“I want DingPay to be what Apple Pay is to me in the UK,” he tells me during the interview. “I want to be able to go out, and the only thing I have is my phone.”

That clarity has shaped every product decision since.

Early traction, real customers and a surprising use case

DingPay was launched quietly in early 2025. The team wanted to test the technology in a controlled setting. Udofia and his co-founder, Josteve Adekanbi, an engineer, returned to their alma mater, Bowen University, and ran a beta for event ticketing.

Students adopted it quickly. By the end of the trial, more than 4,000 users had signed up.

Weddings followed. Friends used DingPay to manage ticketing and payments for their ceremonies, allowing the team to test the core wallet, improve customer support and watch the system under load.

They processed over 10 million naira.

Today, DingPay has around 5,000 users. Udofia calls this “proof that beyond the little we’ve done, the world understands the product.” He is cautious about product–market fit, but the enthusiasm from judges at the just-concluded Verto’s 2025 Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, which DingPay won, suggests the idea is resonating.

Building an ecosystem over waging a payment war

Nigeria’s fintech sector is crowded. Any new entrant must answer the same question: why now? Udofia’s answer is disarmingly modest. He has no desire to displace existing giants.

“We don’t want to compete,” he said. “We just want to complement.”

In practice, that means partnerships. The team plans to finalise deals with some of the leading financial players in the region. They want DingPay to operate as a wallet layer that rides on top of existing rails, not a standalone challenger bank.

This approach aligns with a broader shift in African fintech. The market has matured. Investors now look for products that integrate and interoperate rather than attempt to bulldoze their way in. DingPay fits that mood. Its pitch hinges on simplicity: a clean user experience, a wallet that works both online and offline, and a reliable payment layer for everyday spending.

The offline element is particularly striking. DingPay’s wallet can store assets and process payments even without a live internet connection. Merchants will get offline capabilities too. Udofia will not reveal how it works, but if it holds up at scale, it could remove one of the most persistent barriers to digital payments in Nigeria.

DingPay’s next play

The African fintech story has reached a difficult chapter. Capital is tighter. Valuations are under scrutiny. Many startups now face hard questions about sustainability and reach.

DingPay’s story matters because it focuses on a real, lived problem. The company is not promising another “super app”. It wants to fix the everyday pain that millions of Nigerians experience at tills, events and transport points. That narrow focus, paired with a willingness to partner rather than recreate infrastructure, gives it a clearer path than many of its peers.

It also signals a shift among the new wave of founders. Udofia talks openly about feedback, about pitching mistakes, and about learning how to tell the story better. His willingness to refine the narrative and iterate on the product distinguishes DingPay in a market where confidence sometimes outruns execution.

What comes next?

A major launch is planned for 2026, backed by integrations with Apple Pay, Google Pay and stablecoins. Fundraising will follow.