Hello from Bowie State University (BSU). I am an advocate for financial inclusion, and I am part of the Interledger Impact Team in my school. I have 5 years of experience developing web solutions for diverse organizations, including e-commerce businesses, agencies, and nonprofits. I have been working on a solution as part of the Interledger Impact Team, and I would like to share details about the project here.
Current Problem
According to the World Bank, as of 2023, there were about 17.5 million online gig workers in Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa. Nigeria alone is known to have one of the largest freelance workforces in Africa. Yet Nigerian freelancers face some of the toughest payment challenges. PayPal doesn’t allow them to receive funds. Stripe doesn’t work for them. Bank transfers are expensive and slow. Payoneer and other platforms like Grey and Geegpay take big cuts, and USD to Naira conversions are rarely fair.
I believe that getting paid in U.S. dollars shouldn’t be so hard, especially when you’ve delivered the work to your client. But for millions of Nigerian freelancers and creative professionals, it’s an everyday struggle. I interviewed freelancers across major cities in Nigeria, who told me they have lost clients due to slow payments. They even mentioned that they have no control over how they receive and use their funds. It’s a broken system that is frustrating to freelancers and harmful to their business. CTRL+Pay was designed to change that.
CTRL+Pay as the Solution
CTRL+Pay solves this payment problem by letting Nigerian freelancers receive USD from clients from any part of the world fast, fairly, and securely. I built a working prototype that leverages open payment systems. With CTRL+Pay, freelancers can get paid directly into a USD wallet and then choose what to do next. They can either cash out to a domiciliary account, convert and cash out to their local banks in Naira, or hold the USD in their wallet for later.
It’s a simple platform with no middleman, no delays, and no hidden fees. Freelancers own the process and control their money.
User Flow of CTRL+Pay
Let’s walk through what happens on both sides.
Freelancer Side:
- The freelancer signs up or signs in and creates a USD wallet.
- A unique payment pointer (like $ctrlpay.com/username) is generated for easy invoicing.
- They create an invoice, add project details, and price.
- They generate a secure payment link (like ctrlpay.com/username/invoice-id) and send it to their client.
- Once the client pays, the USD instantly arrives in the wallet, they get notified, and it updates in their transactions log.
- The freelancer then chooses what to do with the money. To hold USD in wallet, to convert to Naira and send to a local bank, or to send USD to a domiciliary account. Even crypto withdrawals are allowed. It’s their choice.
Client Side:
- The client receives the freelancer’s invoice payment link (it’s secure, and no login is needed).
- They click and view the invoice details and choose their payment method.
- Payment is made, confirmed, and verified immediately.
- They are to receive receipts of payment.
This process is fast, clean, and transparent. It works across borders and payment systems, thanks to the flexibility of the Interledger Protocol.
Why It Works
While I built the CTRL+Pay prototype using Firebase Studio for frontend and backend logic, the Interledger Protocol makes this system instant and interoperable. For payments currently, I have integrated Paystack and Interledger. This will make CTRL+Pay future-proof and scalable. Nigerian freelancers can choose how they receive money, while clients enjoy a smooth experience. It’s a win-win for both.
The dashboard lets freelancers generate invoices, share links, and receive real-time payment alerts. It shows payment history and provides control over withdrawal methods. Client payment simulation is also there to make the process easy to understand. Everything is mobile-friendly and built with user simplicity in mind. The current prototype is live but semi-functional. I tested it with a few freelancers in Nigeria, and the feedback has been positive.
What’s Next?
For the production version, my plan is to develop a mobile application compatible with both Android and iOS platforms. I plan to remove Paystack and leverage only the Interledger Protocol. This means better performance, real-time settlement, and lower fees.
I also plan to integrate directly with local Nigerian banks and enable real-time automated withdrawals to domiciliary and Naira accounts. Also, I plan to integrate systems for cryptocurrency withdrawals to enable freelancers to withdraw their money into their crypto wallets in real time. Eventually, CTRL+Pay will be the go-to payments tool for Nigerian freelancers who work with clients from other countries.
Getting paid should be simple. For too long, Nigerian freelancers and creative professionals have had to fight just to access what they’ve earned. CTRL+Pay is designed to change that by making global payments easy, instant, and empowering, using Interledger. With this solution, everyone will be reminded that in a world obsessed with building for the West, we can still build for ourselves.
Link to the prototype: CTRL+Pay
Top comments (0)