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Send money from Ghana to Nigeria - MoMo to OPay, PalmPay and bank

Sending from Ghana to Nigeria is a real retail corridor. You pay in cedis (GHS) from MTN MoMo Ghana or a bank account; the recipient gets nairas (NGN) on an OPay/PalmPay/MoMo PSB Nigeria wallet, or a bank account via NIP. Here are the verified operators that actually do Ghana → Nigeria today, and what each really costs.

Verified June 2026.Operator availability cross-checked against their live Ghana channels.

Verified Ghana → Nigeria operators (June 2026)

Here are the four channels that actually accept a send from Ghana to Nigeria today. All cross-checked against their live Ghana-origin availability.

ProviderRailCostSpeed
SendwaveMTN MoMo → OPay / PalmPay / MoMo PSB / bank accountFree send fee on most amounts; spread embedded in GHS/NGN rateMinutes
LemFiCard or MoMo → Nigerian bank or OPay/PalmPay walletFree transfer fee; competitive FX spreadMinutes to hours
WiseGHS bank or card → NGN bank (NIP)Transparent fee + mid-market FX with small markupSame day
Bank wire (GCB, Stanbic, Ecobank Ghana)Ghana bank → SWIFT → Nigerian bankHigher fee (GHS 40-150 + correspondent fees)1-3 business days

The Ghana → Nigeria corridor context

Ghana and Nigeria form one of the most active intra-African corridors: trade, students, crossed diasporas, supplier payments. Annual retail value between the two countries runs into hundreds of millions of dollars. But it is also a corridor where traditional operator infrastructure stayed expensive for a long time - which is why Sendwave and LemFi grew so fast over a few years.

The arrival of OPay, PalmPay and MTN MoMo Payment Service Bank on the Nigerian side transformed the receive end. Before 2023, an inbound remittance typically landed on a Nigerian bank account (USD or NGN) then had to be moved manually to a wallet. Today, those three wallets receive directly, within minutes, from Sendwave/LemFi/Wise. See our article on the MTN MoMo PSB Thunes expansion.

MTN MoMo PSB + Thunes: 100+ inbound corridors opened →

The GHS/NGN rate today

The GHS/NGN interbank rate moves daily. All operators in the table above start from the same mid-market then add their spread. To check your rate before sending, compare the mid-market to the value the app shows you: if the gap exceeds 4-5%, look elsewhere.

See the GHS/NGN rate live →

Practical: how to pay a Nigerian on OPay from your Ghana MoMo

The most direct path in 2026: (1) download Sendwave or LemFi on your Ghana phone, (2) link your MTN MoMo Ghana number as source, (3) enter the recipient's OPay phone number (the same Nigerian number is the wallet identifier), (4) enter the amount in GHS or NGN, the app shows the other side, (5) confirm with your Ghana MoMo PIN. The recipient gets the OPay notification within the minute.

On the Ghana side, the MTN MoMo fee of the transaction is typically a few cedis (the remitter app triggers a standard MoMo transfer). On the Nigeria side, OPay charges nothing on receipt. The real cost sits in the GHS/NGN spread applied by Sendwave/LemFi.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest way to send from Ghana to Nigeria?
Sendwave and LemFi are the most competitive retail options on this corridor in 2026. Both advertise zero visible transfer fee with a GHS/NGN spread embedded in the rate. Wise displays a more transparent cost (visible fee + mid-market FX); depending on amount and rail, either can win. A classic SWIFT bank wire stays the most expensive.
Can I send directly from MTN MoMo Ghana to MTN MoMo Nigeria?
Not directly without an intermediary in 2026. MTN MoMo Ghana and MTN MoMo Nigeria sit on different platforms. The practical path: use an aggregator (Sendwave, LemFi, Wise) that takes your MoMo Ghana funds and settles on OPay, PalmPay, MoMo PSB Nigeria or a bank account via Nigeria's NIP rail.
How long does a Ghana → Nigeria transfer take?
With Sendwave, LemFi or Wise to OPay/PalmPay/NIP: minutes during business hours, sometimes up to 24h off-hours or weekends. With a SWIFT bank wire: 1 to 3 business days. The NIP (Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement) rail is open 24/7 - that is what makes the retail options so fast.
Does the recipient in Nigeria pay a fee?
Into an OPay, PalmPay or MoMo PSB wallet: zero receive fee. Into a Nigerian bank account via NIP, some banks apply a small entry fee (often ₦25-₦50). Nigeria's ₦50 EMTL stamp duty on transfers ≥ ₦10,000 does NOT apply to international inbound - it is only intra-Nigeria.
Why does my GHS/NGN rate differ between operators?
Each operator applies its margin on the interbank mid-market. Sendwave and LemFi embed their margin directly in the displayed rate ('free' transfer but a less favourable rate). Wise separates a visible fee + near-mid-market FX. Always check the exact naira amount the recipient will receive before confirming.
What if I want to pay a Nigerian supplier (B2B)?
For regular B2B payments between Ghana and Nigeria, the SWIFT bank rail stays the standard (paper trail, compliance, large amounts). Wise Business serves this use too. Retail apps (Sendwave, LemFi) have per-transaction caps that may not fit large supplier settlements.