Chances are you have seen someone in a Hollywood movie pay for coffee by tapping their phone or card and walking away. CashAfrica, a Nigerian fintech providing contactless payment infrastructure, wants to make that the new checkout routine at Chicken Republic, the Nigerian quick-service restaurant (QSR) chain run by Food Concepts.

What happened? CashAfrica has partnered with Food Concepts to introduce mobile tap-to-pay across 350 outlets run by the restaurant chain. Customers with compatible phones, such as those with near-field communication (NFC) tech, and supported banking or fintech apps will be able to tap their devices at PalmPay’s point-of-sale (PoS) terminals. 

CashAfrica provides the contactless technology, while ChamsSwitch, a Nigerian payment switching company, routes transactions between financial institutions. The rollout will begin in Lagos before expanding to Abuja and other locations.

Explain like I’m new here: Nigeria has been moving towards digital payments for years, but tapping a phone—or card—to pay is not yet the default. In 2022, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) introduced a plan to facilitate contactless payments, later noting that over 12 million contactless payment cards were in circulation by November 2025.

Why aren’t Nigerians tapping everywhere already? Most Nigerians pay with bank transfers, cash, or the familiar card-and-PIN method. Even where contactless payments are possible, there has been little concerted effort to make tapping a familiar option at checkout. Tap-to-pay technology needs Near Field Communication (NFC)-enabled devices—a wireless technology that lets two devices placed close together exchange information. NFC-enabled PoS terminals and compatible phones already exist in Nigeria. The hard work is in getting banks and fintechs to support the service, giving merchants a reason to offer it, and making customers aware they can tap to pay in the first place.

What’s different now? CashAfrica has already learnt that getting the technology to work is only part of the challenge. The company said earlier integration discussions with PalmPay, AltBank, and Sterling Bank stalled amid extended due diligence and regulatory concerns. Financial institutions needed assurance that the infrastructure met their compliance requirements before integrating it. 

Can Chicken Republic instil the habit? With more than 350 outlets, the restaurant chain gives the company a chance to put tap-to-pay in front of customers during everyday transactions. However, if CashAfrica wants the service to catch on at scale, customers need access through the banking and fintech apps they already use. They also need to know the option exists, which means user awareness. Tap-to-pay needs to work safely and reliably, protecting merchants from fraudulent chargebacks and giving customers an authenticated way to request refunds when a transaction goes wrong. Get those basics right, and CashAfrica has a better chance of making tapping a habit rather than a novelty.