Logistics & dispatch · Nigeria

SMS for logistics companies and dispatch riders in Nigeria

In Lagos traffic a delivery window can slip by hours, and the customer who knows the rider is twenty minutes away is the one who is home to receive the parcel. eSMS Africa sends pickup codes, rider details, waybill updates and failed-delivery notices on the transactional route, so they reach every receiver on MTN, Airtel, Glo and T2.

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MTN, Airtel, Glo, 9mobile Delivery reports From NGN 9.1 per SMS

SwiftDropOTP

SwiftDrop: Your delivery code is 7316. Give it to the rider only after you receive parcel {waybill}.

102 chars · 1 segment · GSM-7

Nigeria context

What makes logistics & dispatch messaging different in Nigeria

Last-mile delivery in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt runs on motorbike and van dispatch riders. Receivers often give a phone number but no precise address, so an SMS with the rider's name and number before arrival reduces missed deliveries.
Interstate parcels and waybills travel by road through motor parks and courier hubs. Receivers in another state want to know when the parcel left, which hub it is at and when it can be collected.
Pay on delivery is common, by cash, transfer or POS. A delivery SMS that states the exact amount due avoids arguments at the door.
Delivery notices about a parcel the customer is expecting are transactional. A logistics firm advertising its own services is sending promotions, which networks typically class under consumer goods or new products in the DND categories.

What to send

Messages logistics & dispatch teams in Nigeria send

Pickup and delivery codes

Send the receiver a one-time code that the rider must enter to complete the delivery. It proves the right person received the parcel and settles disputes later.

Rider assigned and ETA

When a rider is assigned, send their name, phone number and an estimated time, then a second message when they are close. Customers prepare payment and come to the gate.

Interstate waybill tracking

Notify the receiver when the parcel leaves the origin hub, when it arrives at the destination hub and the hours it can be collected, with the waybill number.

Failed delivery and rescheduling

If no one is home, send a message with a link to choose a new time or a pickup point, rather than leaving the parcel to bounce between hubs.

Sample messages

Copy-ready templates for Nigeria

Character counts and segments are calculated with the same GSM-7 and Unicode rules used for billing. Replace the example brand and values with your own.

Delivery code OTP

SwiftDrop: Your delivery code is 7316. Give it to the rider only after you receive parcel {waybill}.

102 chars · 1 segment · GSM-7

Rider on the way (Pidgin) Transactional Pidgin

SwiftDrop: Your rider Emeka (0803 000 0000) don dey come, e go reach in about 20 min. Abeg dey around.

102 chars · 1 segment · GSM-7

Waybill arrival Transactional

SwiftDrop: Waybill {waybill} has arrived at our Enugu hub, Ogui Road. Collect Mon-Sat 8am-6pm with valid ID.

110 chars · 1 segment · GSM-7

Missed delivery Transactional

SwiftDrop: We could not deliver parcel {waybill} today. Choose a new time or pickup point here: {link}

106 chars · 1 segment · GSM-7

Rules that apply

Compliance for logistics & dispatch SMS in Nigeria

A practical summary with sources, not legal advice. Check the regulator's current text for edge cases.

Courier and logistics operators should check licensing requirements with the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), which regulates courier services.
Delivery notices and codes are transactional. Keep marketing for your own services in separate, promotional messages that respect DND choices.
Receivers did not always give you their number themselves; the sender did. Use it only for that delivery, not for marketing, unless the receiver separately opts in, in line with the NDPA 2023.
Do not put the full delivery address or parcel contents in an SMS, to reduce the risk of theft of high-value goods.

Across Nigeria

Telecom regulator: Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC)
Data protection: Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023, Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC)
Languages: English, Nigerian Pidgin, Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo
Payments: Bank transfer, USSD banking, MoMo PSB, OPay, Moniepoint, PalmPay

The NCC Do-Not-Disturb service lets subscribers text STOP to 2442 to block all promotional messages, or choose partial DND by category (banking, real estate, education, health, consumer goods, tourism, sports, religion and more).
Promotional SMS does not reach numbers on DND. OTPs, alerts and other transactional messages are sent on a separate transactional (corporate) route that operators restrict to non-promotional content.
The Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023 gives people the right to object to direct marketing at any time, and processing for marketing must stop once they object.
Sender IDs are approved per network (MTN, Airtel, Glo, T2) and operators apply sending windows to promotional traffic.

Sender ID registration in Nigeria

Send it

From your system to MTN and Airtel in one call

1Create an account and copy a test key (esms_test_...) to try the integration without spending credit.
2Request your sender ID for Nigeria. Until it is approved you can send from the eSMS default sender.
3Call the send endpoint from your app, or upload a CSV in the dashboard with merge fields like {{name}}. Delivery reports arrive by webhook.

Need one-time codes? eSMS Verify generates, sends and checks them in two calls. Full reference in the API docs.

curl -X POST https://sms.esmsafrica.io/api/messages/send \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ESMS_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "to": "+2348031234567",
    "text": "SwiftDrop: Parcel {waybill} is out for delivery. Rider {rider}, {rider_phone}. Amount due NGN {amount}. Your code: {code}",
    "sender_id": "SwiftDrop"
  }'

Live pricing

SMS pricing in Nigeria

Per-SMS rates for one segment, updated live. Pay as you go with no monthly minimum; volume rates apply automatically by monthly spend.

Basic

NGN9.1

per SMS· USD 0.0068

Monthly spend USD 1 - USD 1,000

Business

NGN7.5

per SMS· USD 0.0056

Monthly spend USD 1,001 - USD 4,999

Enterprise

NGN6.1

per SMS· USD 0.0046

Monthly spend USD 5,000+

Estimate a campaign with the SMS cost calculator or compare all countries in the Africa SMS pricing index.

FAQ

Logistics & dispatch SMS in Nigeria: common questions

Can we send delivery codes through eSMS Verify?

Yes. Start a verification for the receiver's number when the parcel goes out, and check the code the rider enters at the door. Verify expires codes and caps attempts. A simple random code in a normal transactional SMS also works if you check it in your own system.

Do delivery notices reach people on DND?

Yes. Notices about a parcel the receiver is expecting are transactional and travel on the transactional route, so DND does not block them. Keep them free of offers such as a discount on the next delivery, which would make the message promotional.

Can riders send SMS from the field?

Riders do not need the dashboard. Your dispatch app calls the eSMS API when a rider taps "arriving" or "delivered", and the message goes out from your company sender ID rather than the rider's personal line, so receivers see one trusted name.