Your Ajo, with a chairperson who never loses the notebook.
AjoAutomate runs a rotating savings circle entirely inside WhatsApp. Alaga, the bot chairperson, tracks who has paid, collects contributions automatically through Paystack, and pays out each cycle's turn. Your group stays a normal, human WhatsApp group.
- Auto-debit or bank transfer
- Private 1:1 reminders, never in the group
- 1% platform fee, taken from each payout
A private 1:1 chat. Alaga never joins your group.
The savings circle you already know, kept honest by software.
Ajo is the Yoruba rotating savings group, also called Esusu, or ROSCA elsewhere. A fixed group of people each contribute the same amount on a schedule, and one person collects the full pool each cycle until everyone has had a turn. Traditionally a human organizer, the Alaga, runs it with a notebook. AjoAutomate automates the notebook.
Same amount, same schedule
Every member contributes the fixed amount each cycle. Alaga tracks who has paid so nobody has to chase a spreadsheet.
One turn per cycle
Each cycle, the full pool goes to one member's assigned slot. The order is set when the circle is created.
Everyone gets a turn
The circle runs until every member has collected once. Then it ends, or you start the next one.
From first message to first payout.
Everything happens in a private chat between each person and Alaga on the AjoAutomate WhatsApp number. Setup is a native in-chat form. The only thing that opens outside the chat is Paystack's secure card page.
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The host messages Alaga privately
A 1:1 conversation, never inside a group. Alaga opens a WhatsApp Flow, a native in-chat form, and asks for the group name, contribution amount, number of members, and the host's own payout slot.
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The host authorizes a card
Alaga sends a button to a Paystack checkout page. Paystack verifies the card with a small ₦100 charge and keeps the card on file for future contributions. WhatsApp forms can't collect card details, so this step always happens on Paystack's page.
Card numbers are entered on Paystack, never in the chat and never on AjoAutomate's servers.
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Alaga hands the host a unique invite link
Once the card is authorized, the circle exists and Alaga sends a
wa.melink with the circle's join code prefilled. The host pastes it into the WhatsApp group they already run, or sends it to people directly. -
Each member joins in their own private chat
Tapping the link opens a fresh 1:1 chat with Alaga, not the group. The member confirms their slot in a short Flow, then authorizes their own card through their own Paystack link. Links are never shared or reused between people.
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Contributions are collected on the due date
Members can pay by automatic card debit, by bank transfer to their own dedicated account number, or a mix of both. The ledger updates the moment money lands.
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The pool is paid out to that cycle's turn
When the full pool clears, Alaga sends a bank transfer to the member whose slot it is, minus the 1% platform fee. Then the next cycle begins.
Two ways to pay in. One ledger.
Members mix the two freely. If someone pays part of their contribution by transfer before the due date, the automatic sweep only charges the remaining balance. Nobody is ever double-charged.
Auto-debit
The card each member authorized at setup is charged automatically on the due date through Paystack.
Manual bank transfer
Every member gets their own dedicated virtual account number. When a transfer lands, Paystack notifies Alaga instantly and the ledger updates.
This month's ledger
Example data. Members open the live ledger from a button Alaga sends, or by typing /ledger in their chat.
Paid automatically when the pool is full. Never quietly short.
When everyone has paid
Alaga triggers a bank transfer to the member whose turn it is, automatically, minus the 1% platform fee. No one has to count cash or make the transfer by hand.
When someone defaulted
AjoAutomate deliberately does not pay out a reduced amount on its own. It flags the host, who decides what happens next, the same way a human chairperson would.
Three ways to reach any feature.
There is no permanent menu, tab or button inside WhatsApp. Every feature lives in a message Alaga sends. Any of these gets you there:
Type a command
Send /my_turn or /ledger to Alaga in your private chat, any time. It always works and needs no setup.
Tap a button Alaga sent
Buttons open a link directly, like the ledger view or a Paystack checkout. A message carries at most two of them.
Pick from a menu message
A "Menu" button opens a scrollable list of up to ten options. Choosing one sends it to Alaga just like typing the command.
Start a circle, or join one you were invited to.
Starting a circle
Message Alaga on the AjoAutomate WhatsApp number and say you want to start an ajo. You'll fill in the circle details in a short in-chat form, authorize your card on Paystack, and get an invite link to share.
Joining a circle
Your host will send you an invite link, usually in your group. Tapping it opens a private chat with Alaga with your join code already typed in. Confirm your slot, authorize your card, and you're in.
The invite link looks like wa.me/…?text=join_9a2f. It opens a chat, not a website.
Things people ask before their first circle.
Does Alaga join our WhatsApp group?
No. Your group is created and run by the host like any normal WhatsApp group. Alaga only ever talks to people one-to-one. The host shares the invite link in the group, and each member onboards privately.
Where are my card details stored?
On Paystack. You enter your card on Paystack's secure page, and AjoAutomate only keeps the authorization Paystack returns so future contributions can be charged. The ₦100 verification charge is how Paystack confirms the card.
What does it cost?
A 1% platform fee, taken from each payout when it is made, plus the ₦100 card verification at setup. There is no subscription.
Can I pay by transfer instead of card?
Yes. Every member gets a dedicated virtual account number. Pay some or all of your contribution by transfer and the automatic sweep only charges whatever is left.
What happens if someone doesn't pay?
Alaga retries the card in smaller chunks and warns that member privately. If the pool is still short when payout is due, Alaga does not pay a reduced amount. It flags the host, who decides how to proceed.
How do I see who has paid?
Type /ledger to Alaga, or tap the ledger button in a message it sent you. The ledger opens inside WhatsApp and shows every member's status for the current cycle.
Run your next Ajo without the notebook.
Set up in one chat. Collect automatically. Pay out on time.