Ajo on WhatsApp
Run your Ajo in a chat.
No notebook needed.
Ajo, esusu, isusu or adashe. Everyone pays the same amount each round. One person collects the whole pot. TrustAm moves the money, keeps the record and sends the reminders. No fees.
You need a TrustAm account checked with your BVN or NIN. No account yet? The chat sets one up, then carries on with your Ajo.
The idea
How Ajo works
- 1Everyone pays the same amount each round.
- 2One person collects the whole pot each round, in the order agreed at the start.
- 3It goes round until everyone has collected once.
Example: ten people pay ₦5,000 every week. Each week one of them collects ₦50,000. After ten weeks, everyone has collected once.
Why run it here
The hard parts of Ajo, handled
Ajo works because people trust each other. The hard part is the admin around it.
The problem
Someone has to keep the book. Then people argue about who paid.
The fix
TrustAm keeps the record. Send "who never pay" and see, by name, who has not paid this round.
The problem
One person holds everybody’s cash.
The fix
Payments go into a separate TrustAm Ajo pot account. Money in the pot can only go to members: as the payout, or back to them as a refund. Nobody can spend from it.
The problem
Reminding people to pay is awkward.
The fix
TrustAm reminds everyone on the day payment is due, and again 24 hours later if they still have not paid.
The problem
Whoever collects has to wait for cash, or go and get it.
The fix
When it is your round, the whole pot lands in your TrustAm wallet. Send it to your bank, or keep it.
The problem
Some collectors keep part of the money as their fee.
The fix
Ajo on TrustAm has no fees. Starting, joining, paying in and collecting are all free.
Step by step
Start an Ajo
Message TrustAm on WhatsApp. One sentence is enough.
Send one message
Say how much each person pays, how often, and how many people. Daily, weekly or monthly all work.
start ajo 5k weekly 10 people
Answer what it asks
Leave something out and it asks for just that. You can answer in one message or in several.
Check the card, then tap Create
The card shows the amount, how often, how many people and the pot each round. Tap Change to fix something, or Cancel. Nothing is created until you tap Create.
Share the invite
You get an invite link and a 6-character code. Send them to your people. As the one who started it, you collect round 1.
It starts when everyone has joined
When the last person joins, everyone gets a message with the payout order and the first due date.
Join my Ajo “Ada’s Ajo” on TrustAm. ₦5,000 weekly, pot ₦50,000. Tap: wa.me/2347071391073?text=join%20ajo%203F9A2C
The rules
- Daily, weekly or monthly.
- 2 to 20 people.
- ₦100 to ₦100,000 per person, per round.
Step by step
Join an Ajo
Someone sent you an invite. It takes four taps.
Tap the invite link
It opens WhatsApp with the join message already typed. Press send. No link? Send "join ajo" and the code yourself.
join ajo 3F9A2C
Check the details, then tap Join
You see who started it, the amount, how often, the pot and how many have joined. Tap Not now if you are not ready. The code still works later.
Pick your round
A list shows the rounds that are still free, each with a rough date, like "Round 2 · 14 Oct". Dates firm up when everyone has joined.
You are in
You get your round and a rough date. The person who started the Ajo is told you joined.
Not verified yet?
Every round
Pay your share
No transfer details to copy. No screenshot to send as proof.
Tap Pay now, or send a message
On the day your payment is due, you get a reminder with a Pay now button. You can also pay any time the round is open.
pay my ajo
Approve with your PIN
A secure PIN screen opens inside WhatsApp, or you get a one-time link that works for 15 minutes. Never type your PIN into the chat. First time? Send "set pin" to make a 4-digit PIN.
Done
The money comes from your TrustAm balance. The chat confirms it and tells you how many have paid this round.
Balance too low?
Your round
Collect the pot
When it is your turn, the whole pot lands in your TrustAm wallet. You get a message with two buttons.
Send to my bank
Sends the pot to your bank account. If you have saved one, it uses that. If not, it asks for the 10-digit account number and the bank. You check the name and approve with your PIN, like any transfer.
Keep in wallet
Leaves it in your TrustAm balance. Spend it, send it or save it later. Send balance any time to check.
Sending to another bank is an ordinary transfer. It is free, except the ₦50 government stamp duty on ₦10,000 or more, which you see before you confirm.
When things go wrong
If someone does not pay
In a paper Ajo, one missed payment can hold everyone up. Here, the round still moves.
- They get a reminder on the due day, and another 24 hours later.
- After the grace period, the round pays out anyway, minus the missing share.
- Everyone in the circle is told who missed and how much the pot paid.
- If a round is cancelled, everyone who paid into it gets their money back in their wallet.
- If a round stays stuck for a week after the grace period, the person who started the Ajo can stop it. Everyone who paid into that round gets it back.
Any time
Check on your Ajo
Short messages that work once you are in a circle. Type them as they are, or in your own words.
| Send | What you get |
|---|---|
| my ajo | How your circle is doing: who has paid this round, what is in the pot, and which round you collect. |
| who never pay | Who has not paid this round yet, by name. |
| when is my turn | The payout order: who collects each round, and roughly when. |
| pay my ajo | Pay your share for this round. You approve it with your PIN. |
| leave the ajo | Leave a circle you joined. This only works before it starts. |
| ajo help | A short explanation of how Ajo works, inside the chat. |
In more than one Ajo? It asks which one, or name it in your message.
What you will hear
The 7 messages TrustAm sends
They arrive in your WhatsApp chat with TrustAm. If WhatsApp cannot deliver one, it comes by text message instead.
Your Ajo has started
Everyone has joined. It shows the payout order and the first due date.
Buttons: View circle
Payment due
On the day your payment is due, and again 24 hours later if you still have not paid.
Buttons: Pay now · Remind me later
The round is in
The last person has paid, so everyone is in for this round.
The pot is yours
It is your round. The whole pot is in your TrustAm wallet.
Buttons: Send to my bank · Keep in wallet
Someone missed
A round closed with someone unpaid. It names who missed and how much the pot paid.
Buttons: View circle
Ajo complete
Everyone has collected once. It shows how many rounds ran and how much moved.
Buttons: Start another
Money back
A round was cancelled. What you paid into it is back in your wallet.
Buttons: View wallet
Say it your way
Write in your own language
TrustAm reads English, Nigerian Pidgin, Yorùbá, Igbo and Hausa, with or without tone marks. These are real messages that work today.
English
- Start
- start ajo 5k weekly 10 people
- Join
- join ajo 3F9A2C
- Pay
- pay my ajo
- Check
- my ajo
Naija Pidgin (Nigerian Pidgin)
- Start
- abeg make we start esusu, 2k every day, 8 of us
- Join
- i wan join ajo 3F9A2C
- Pay
- i wan pay my ajo
- Check
- how my esusu dey go
Yorùbá (Yoruba)
- Start
- mo fẹ́ bẹ̀rẹ̀ àjọ 5000 lọ́sẹ̀ kan, ènìyàn 10
- Join
- mo fe darapo mo ajo egbon mi
- Pay
- mo fe san owo ajo mi
- Check
- àjọ mi
Igbo
- Start
- achọrọ m ịmalite isusu 2k kwa izu mmadụ 8
- Join
- tinye m n'isusu nwanne m
- Pay
- achọrọ m ịkwụ isusu m
- Check
- kedu ka isusu anyi si aga
Hausa
- Start
- ina so in fara adashe 10k kowane wata mutane 12
- Join
- ina son shiga adashen yar uwata
- Pay
- ina so in biya kudin adashe na
- Check
- yaya adashen mu ke tafiya
Leave out the code when you join and it asks you for it. The bot answers in the language you write in. Everything else TrustAm can do is in the full WhatsApp guide.
Start one today
Send start ajo 5k weekly 10 people, change the numbers to suit your people, and share the link it gives you.
Questions about Ajo
Is there a fee for Ajo on TrustAm?+
No. Starting, joining, paying in and collecting are all free. If you send your payout on to another bank, that is an ordinary transfer. Transfers are free, except the ₦50 government stamp duty when you send ₦10,000 or more to another bank, and you see it before you confirm.
What happens if someone does not pay?+
TrustAm reminds them on the due day and again 24 hours later. If they still have not paid when the grace period ends, the round pays out anyway, minus their share, and everyone in the circle is told who missed. If a round is cancelled instead, everyone who paid into it gets their money back in their wallet.
Who can start or join an Ajo?+
Anyone with a TrustAm account checked with their BVN or NIN. If yours is not checked yet, the chat asks for it. It takes about 2 minutes, and then your Ajo carries on from where you stopped. You do not have to start again.
Where is the money kept between rounds?+
When you pay, the money goes from your TrustAm balance into a separate TrustAm Ajo pot account. Money in the pot can only go to members: as the payout for the round, or back to the people who paid it as a refund. Nobody can spend from it. Your own TrustAm balance sits at Rubies Microfinance Bank, licensed by the CBN.
Can I leave an Ajo?+
Yes, before it starts. Send "leave the ajo" and your round is freed for someone else. Once it has started you cannot leave, because people are counting on the order. The person who started a circle cannot leave it, but can stop it in the TrustAm app while it is still filling up.
Which languages can I use?+
English, Nigerian Pidgin, Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa. Write the way you normally do, with or without tone marks: "àjọ mi" and "ajo mi" both work. The bot answers in the language you write in.
How do I get my payout to my bank?+
When the pot lands, tap Send to my bank. If you have a saved bank account, it uses that. If not, it asks for the 10-digit account number and the bank. You check the name and approve with your PIN, like any other transfer. Or tap Keep in wallet and move it later.
Can I choose when I collect?+
Yes. When you join, you pick from the rounds that are still free, each with a rough date. The person who starts the Ajo collects round 1.