A Lagos-based fintech company, Cardtonic, launched Cardtonic Cares in January 2022 with the purpose of supporting communities through transaction-based charitable contributions. While initially planned as ₦5 per-transaction deductions, the program now operates through monthly needs-based allocations that ensure over 2% of annual net profits fund community outreach.
Since its inception, the program has funded more than 40 outreach events, supporting various societal groups
From Social Media Post to Sustained Impact
The program began with a simple Instagram announcement on January 26, 2022. Within weeks, the company had conducted its first outreach to the LifeSource Child Development Foundation, signaling the start of what would become a monthly community engagement schedule.
Research into the company’s documented activities reveals consistent programming that spans diverse beneficiary groups. From supporting 100 road sweepers with work equipment to providing school meals through institutional partnerships.
Geographical Focus on Lagos State
Analysis of the program’s three-year activity record shows strategic concentration within Lagos State, where Cardtonic processes the majority of its transactions. Events have occurred across eight local government areas, from informal settlements like Makoko to government facilities in Alausa.
The geographic pattern suggests careful community mapping rather than random charitable distribution. Activities often involved essential service workers such as firefighters, sanitation staff, and healthcare personnel.
In January 2025, the program formalised its first institutional partnership with Lagos Food Bank Initiative (LFBI), moving beyond individual event-based charity to systematic service delivery. The collaboration enables ongoing school meal provision in underserved communities, representing evolution toward sustainable impact models. Each outreach event is shared on social media, detailing locations, dates, and beneficiaries.
2025: Monthly Programming Demonstrates Operational Maturity
This year’s schedule shows consistent monthly programming.
- January: LFBI partnership launch enabling systematic school feeding programs
- March: Dual approach combining orphanage support (Little Saints, Heritage Homes) with women’s empowerment programming at Makoko Waterfront
- March: Strategic outreach to 100 LAWMA sanitation workers, providing equipment and Ramadan support
- April: Easter programming supporting 100 families at Bethesda Home & School for the Blind
- May: International Firefighters Day recognition at Lagos State Fire Service headquarters
- June: World Sickle Cell Day awareness campaign at National Sickle Cell Centre
- July: Maternal health focus at Eti-Osa Maternal & Child Centre
Business Model Innovation in Nigerian Fintech
The embedded charity approach represents a structural shift from discretionary CSR spending to operational integration. Rather than treating community engagement as a separate business function, the model embeds charitable allocations into core transaction processing.
This integration creates automatic scaling mechanisms where charitable capacity grows with business success, contrasting with traditional models where CSR budgets compete with operational priorities during financial planning cycles. The percentage-based commitment provides stakeholders with predictable charitable output regardless of management changes or strategic pivots.
Within Nigeria’s fintech landscape, where companies increasingly serve previously unbanked populations, the model addresses expectations for sustained community reinvestment. The approach offers measurable community engagement without requiring separate charitable infrastructure or dedicated CSR departments.
Broader Implications for Nigerian Tech Sector
Nigeria accounted for 47% of Africa’s fintech funding and deals in 2024, cementing its role as the continent’s fintech hub. Commentators argue that this level of maturity brings growing expectations for sustained community engagement and structured corporate responsibility, particularly among companies serving unbanked populations.
Public documentation of outreach efforts on social media fosters accountability, enhancing public trust and encouraging similar practices among industry peers.
Whether other Nigerian fintech companies will adopt similar needs-based giving models remains uncertain. The approach requires commitment to consistent charitable spending regardless of quarterly profit fluctuations. For Cardtonic, the model has sustained operations for three years.
