A Nigerian start-up that turns WhatsApp chats into bookkeeping says it made the Top 50 in the METI UniPods AI programme. Its founder says he once lost a ₦30 million investment because his business records were not in order.
Talliva AI says it was picked from more than 670 applicants for Cohort 1. The process had several stages and a final interview. The company builds an AI assistant for small firms. It helps them keep books, issue invoices and understand their tax duties, using voice notes, receipts and plain chat. The programme is backed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and timbuktoo. Other backers are the Ethiopian Artificial Intelligence Institute, Addis Ababa University and Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). Talliva wants to sharpen its product and business plan. It also wants to be ready for investors.
Start with the product. Talliva AI works through WhatsApp and a web platform. An owner can send a voice note about a sale. They can snap a photo of a receipt, or type a message. The assistant records it. The company says the tool helps small firms track income and expenses, make invoices, organise records and understand tax. It calls its larger aim a “Financial Operating System for African SMEs.” The pitch is simple: owners should not need accounting skills to keep good books.
The idea comes from a personal loss. Founder and CEO Orohu Edwin Agi says he once had a chance to win a ₦30 million investment. He lost it because he could not show properly structured financial records. That showed him how poor records can block growth and close doors to funding.
The team is small and mixes skills that a finance product needs.
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Orohu Edwin Agi. | Founder and CEO. |
| Barr. Victoria Ezeigwe. | Co-founder, Legal and Compliance. |
| Mary Joachim. | Co-founder, Accounting and Tax Compliance. |
| Angwa Moses. | Chief Technology Officer. |
| Egbe Christian. | Product Designer, UI/UX. |
The mix of law, accounting and tax suits the problem. A tool that gives tax guidance must get the rules right. Two of the five people are there for that reason.
Now the problem Talliva is chasing. Nigeria’s small businesses are numerous and under-served. The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (SMEDAN) counts between 39.7 million and 44 million micro, small and medium firms. They add about 48% of GDP. They employ over 84% of the workforce. Most have a bank account, but few can borrow.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Small and medium firms with a bank account. | 94.8%. |
| Small and medium firms with access to bank loans. | 20.2%. |
| Small firms whose loan applications were rejected. | 23.1%. |
| Large firms whose loan applications were rejected. | 0.2%. |
The figures come from the 2025 World Bank Enterprise Survey, as reported by BusinessDay. Economists link part of the gap to weak records. Lenders cannot judge cash flow, profit or repayment ability when there is nothing reliable to read. Wasiu Adekunle of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group put it this way: “Nigeria’s businesses are financially included, but not financially empowered.”
Tax rules add pressure. The Nigeria Tax Act and the Nigeria Tax Administration Act took effect on 1 January 2026. Section 31 of the administration act says every business must keep books and records for at least six years. That holds “whether or not” it owes tax. Businesses without detailed records can face a 1% presumptive tax, though those earning ₦12 million or less a year are exempt. Olamide Olaniran, a chartered accountant and tax adviser, says record-keeping is a compliance duty whether or not tax is payable. A WhatsApp assistant that logs sales and stores receipts as they happen speaks directly to that duty.
What does the programme offer? Public detail on Cohort 1 is thin, so we use the published Cohort 2 call. It lists technical AI training and an MIT AI course. It also lists a 14-week business course run by Wadhwani. That course covers customer discovery, business models, go-to-market plans and investment readiness. There is also mentoring and access to the timbuktoo network. Selected people may join an in-person bootcamp in Addis Ababa. The call states no stipend or grant. It asks for early prototypes and real code, not a pitch deck. Applications for Cohort 2 closed on 30 October 2026.
The AI UniPod at the Ethiopian Artificial Intelligence Institute in Addis Ababa opened on 16 February 2026. UNDP says it has laboratories, high-performance computing and shared spaces. Addis Ababa University supplies talent and teaching staff.
Talliva says it hopes to improve its product and business plan. It also wants to learn from experts and meet other African innovators. Its stated ambition is to serve small businesses in Nigeria first and then across Africa.
Why it matters: The case for Talliva is also a case for the whole sector. Nigerian small firms do not mainly lack ideas. Many lack the paper trail that lenders, investors and tax offices now expect. A tool that builds that trail while owners chat on WhatsApp makes it cheaper to become “bankable.” The selection also shows a wider pattern. International programmes now back African AI founders who build practical tools for everyday businesses, not only frontier research. For owners reading this, the lesson is simple. Keep records from day one, even if no one has asked for them yet. Missing paperwork can cost you an investor, as Agi says it cost him.
What to watch next: how many businesses use Talliva, and how many pay. The company has not shared user or revenue figures. Watch how it keeps tax guidance accurate and financial data safe, since both matter for a tool that holds owners’ records. Watch what it offers that other WhatsApp bookkeeping tools in Nigeria do not, since the space is getting crowded. Watch what the programme delivers in training, mentorship and links to funders. And watch whether Talliva can show that its records help owners win credit. That would turn a good story into a proven one.
Sources: Talliva AI, company statement and team details; UNDP Ethiopia on the launch of the AI UniPod; Ethiopian News Agency on the AI UniPod; MSME Africa Online on the timbuktoo UniPods AI Innovation Programme Cohort 2; Connect Nigeria on Cohort 2 applications; BusinessDay on SMEs and weak records; Nairametrics on the Nigeria Tax Act 2025 and small businesses; Talliva AI.
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