Guide
Sender ID approval for Nigerian businesses
What a Sender ID is, how to get one approved on Nigerian networks, how Do-Not-Disturb (DND) rules affect delivery, and what the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA) 2023 expects when you message customers.
This is general guidance, not legal advice. Network and regulator rules change — check current requirements with the NCC, the NDPC, or your adviser before relying on it.
What is a Sender ID?
The name that shows as the sender of your SMS — for example MyBrand instead of a phone number. It must be 3–11 letters or numbers. Nigerian networks register Sender IDs to cut fraud and impersonation, so an unregistered name may be blocked or replaced with a generic sender.
How approval works
- Pick a name you can prove you own. Ideally your registered business name or a clear short form of it. Names of banks, government bodies or other brands you don't own will be rejected.
- Prepare documents. Usually a letter of authorisation on company letterhead (stating the Sender ID, what you'll send, and that you own the name) and your CAC certificate. Some names or message types need more.
- Say what you'll send. Transactional (OTPs, alerts, receipts) and promotional messages are treated differently. Be accurate — misclassifying promotional messages as transactional can get the Sender ID blocked.
- Submission to networks. Requests go through our messaging partner to MTN, Airtel, Glo and 9mobile. Each network approves separately, so a name can be live on one before another.
- Wait, then test. Approval often takes several working days and can be longer. When approved, send a test to a number on each network before your first campaign.
How DND affects delivery
The NCC's Do-Not-Disturb service lets subscribers block unsolicited messages — typically by texting STOP or HELP to 2442. Some people block all promotional messages; others block only certain categories.
- Promotional messages to DND numbers are blocked by the networks. Don't try to get around this.
- Transactional messages the person needs (OTPs, account alerts, receipts) can be sent on a DND-capable route. In Sendloom, that's the DND option, charged at the DND page rate.
- Respect opt-outs. When someone replies STOP or asks to be removed, mark them as opted out — Sendloom then blocks that number from future campaigns, even if it's imported again.
- Send at reasonable times and always name your business in the message.
The NDPA and your contact lists
The Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023, enforced by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), covers personal data such as names, phone numbers and email addresses. When you upload contacts you decide why they're used, so you're responsible for:
- A lawful basis. For marketing that usually means clear consent. Transactional messages may rely on a contract or legitimate interest.
- Telling people. Say in your privacy notice that you'll contact them by SMS or email, and how to opt out.
- Collecting only what you need, keeping it accurate, and deleting it when it's no longer needed.
- Honouring rights. Act on requests to see, correct, delete or stop using someone's data.
- Keeping it secure, and reporting serious data breaches to the NDPC promptly (the Act sets a 72-hour window).
Sendloom processes your contacts on your behalf to deliver messages, and shares numbers and message content only with our messaging partner and the networks for delivery. See our Privacy Policy.
Pre-launch checklist
- ✓Sender ID matches a name you own, 3–11 characters
- ✓Letter of authorisation and CAC documents ready
- ✓Each message correctly classed as transactional or promotional
- ✓DND option used only for transactional messages
- ✓Consent recorded for marketing contacts
- ✓Opt-outs imported and marked in Sendloom
- ✓Test sent to one number on each network