Nalo Solutions

Nalo Solutions provides USSD and SMS services across Ghana and Nigeria.

Supported Countries

Prerequisites

1. A Nalo Solutions account
2. A USSD shortcode
3. API key from your dashboard

Setup Steps

Step 1: Get Your API Key

1. Log in to Nalo Dashboard
2. Go to API Settings
3. Copy your API key

Step 2: Configure in StarHash

1. In StarHash Studio, go to Settings → Providers
2. Click Add Provider
3. Select Nalo
4. Enter your credentials:

5. Click Save

Step 3: Set Up Callback URL

1. In Nalo Dashboard, go to USSD → Shortcodes
2. Select your shortcode
3. Set the callback URL:

https://api.starhash.dev/hooks/nalo/{instance_id}

4. Save your configuration

Step 4: Deploy Your Flow

1. In StarHash Studio, open your flow
2. Click Deploy
3. Select the Nalo instance
4. Click Publish

Session Timeout

Sessions timeout after 3 minutes of inactivity. Design flows to complete within this window.

Troubleshooting

Multi-Country Support

Nalo serves both Ghana and Nigeria with different configurations:

Ghana Setup

Shortcode format: *713*XX#
MSISDN format: 233XXXXXXXXX

Nigeria Setup

Shortcode format: *384*XX#
MSISDN format: 234XXXXXXXXXX

Country Detection

StarHash automatically detects the country from the phone number. Use a Branch node to route users based on their location:

SMS Integration

Send SMS from your USSD flows:

{
  "actionType": "sms",
  "config": {
    "to": "${phone}",
    "message": "Transaction confirmed. Ref: ${txnId}",
    "provider": "nalo"
  }
}

Best Practices

1. URL encode responses - Special characters must be encoded
2. Handle MSGTYPE=2 - Gracefully handle session ends
3. Multi-country - Design flows that work in both countries
4. Keep it short - 3-minute timeout limit

Pricing

Nalo pricing varies by country:

Contact Nalo for exact pricing and volume discounts.

Next Steps