At the height of Nigeria’s Japa wave in 2022, Charles Archibong had two solid offers on the table. One from Yukawa Exponential GmbH in Germany. Another from Yolo Group in Estonia, complete with relocation, visa support, and housing.
He said no to both.
Instead, he chose to stay in Lagos and build Myaza, a fintech startup solving cross-border payments across Africa.
Two years later, we sat down with Charles to talk about the decision that defined his journey.
“Everyone around me was leaving.”
TechCabal: Let’s start with 2022. You got two international offers. Why didn’t you take them?
Charles: That was peak “Japa” season. People were posting visa approvals back to back. My DM was full of “Congrats man, you’re next.”
I had an offer from Yolo Group in Estonia, They offered me a high-paying role with visa, housing, doctor, everything. A few months later, Yukawa in Germany sent me a contract. It was solid.
These were solid companies with good salaries and clear paths to Europe. But something kept tugging at me.
First, we had just started Myaza. The idea wasn’t fully formed yet, but I knew it was going to be big. I couldn’t shake it. I told myself, “If I leave now, I might never come back.”
Second, I was battling homesickness before even relocating. Yukawa even upped their offer to include two paid round trips to Nigeria every year. That moved me but it didn’t change my decision.
I just felt deeply that Africa needed what I was building more than I needed to leave.
“Something told me this was bigger.”
Charles: I had this strong gut feeling. Not fear, just this stubborn belief that Myaza could work. Maybe the bold thing wasn’t leaving. Maybe it was staying.
I knew what it felt like to be in Kenya and not be able to spend my naira. I’d been scammed, blocked, and stranded. I saw a $150B problem across Africa and I couldn’t walk away from that.
So I made a call that didn’t make sense on paper — but made sense in my spirit.
“Sometimes I wondered if I was stupid.”
TechCabal: Be honest, did you ever regret staying?
Charles: 100%. There were nights we had no money to pay salaries. I watched friends’ posts from Berlin, Tallinn, London. I was pushing Flutter code from a cafe in Lagos with no AC.
I even lost a few team members early on. I made mistakes. But God kept confirming I was on the right path. And every win, even small ones felt so deep.
I still worked remotely with Yukawa after declining the relocation. We eventually parted ways in 2024. No bad blood. But I was locked in on Myaza.
“Now it’s bigger than me.”
Charles: Today, Myaza is powering payments in multiple African countries. We’ve crossed thousands of users. Month-on-month growth is real. Our goal is bold:
“Make it as easy to send money from Lagos to Nairobi as it is to send a WhatsApp message.”
And this is just the start.
“To the devs thinking of leaving…”
TechCabal: What would you say to someone in your old shoes?
Charles: If you’re leaving because of fear, don’t. If you’re leaving for clarity, growth, or divine alignment, GO. But don’t ignore the burden in your chest just because the grass looks greener abroad.
Real wealth? It’s in building something that serves your people. That’s what I’m trying to do. That’s what Myaza is about.
Final Words from Charles
“I said no to Europe and chose Lagos. I don’t regret it. I’m building for Africa, and I’m just getting started.”
Want more stories like this?
Follow @zealcodes and @myazahq to see how African founders are reshaping fintech, one decision at a time.
