Founder Sells Dubai Business to Fix Nigeria's Payment Problem

Akindele Liasu made a choice most founders never make. He sold his Dubai business to fund a Nigerian startup solving a problem that sounds simple but affects millions every single day.

The problem is this: Nigerians share their bank account numbers publicly in WhatsApp chats, Instagram DMs, and social media comments with complete strangers. Freelancers lose international deals because they can't explain cryptocurrency payments. Vendors look unprofessional pasting account details into every conversation. People send money to wrong accounts and lose it forever.

"These are not edge cases," Liasu said. "This is daily Nigerian life."

Keepaza gives every Nigerian a single verified username that works like a payment address. Instead of copying and pasting sensitive financial details into public chats, users share one clean link: keepaza.com/theirname. Anyone who wants to pay them sees exactly what they need without screenshots, typos, or exposing private information.

The platform connects to Nigerian bank accounts and cryptocurrency wallets across five blockchain networks including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana. It also includes an invoicing system that lets freelancers and small business owners generate professional payment requests in under 30 seconds. Clients see a clean invoice page, make their transfer through their own banking app, and upload proof of payment directly.

What makes Keepaza different from platforms like Paystack or Flutterwave is that it doesn't process payments. It verifies identity and tells people where to send money safely. The platform is free for all users and makes revenue through premium username registration and business licensing.

The Ripple Effect

Liasu's decision to liquidate overseas operations and redirect proceeds into a Nigerian solution goes against the usual founder playbook. Most African entrepreneurs move capital out, not in. His commitment signals something important: the biggest opportunities aren't always where the biggest markets appear to be. Sometimes they're hiding in plain sight in the daily frustrations people have learned to accept as normal.

The founder capital gives Keepaza runway to prove traction before pursuing institutional funding in the coming months. Liasu already has a UAE entity set up, positioning the company ahead of most Nigerian startups that build that structure from scratch during fundraising.

"I did not want to come to investors with only an idea and a pitch deck," Liasu said. "I wanted to come with a working product, real users, documented traction, and money I had already put in myself."

Registration takes under 60 seconds, and the platform is live now at keepaza.com.