An Ekiti-born technology entrepreneur and philanthropist, Taiwo Ojo, has launched a digital platform designed to help Nigerian travellers and visa applicants to reduce the risk of visa refusals by checking their application documents against official immigration requirements before submission.
The platform, known as ‘Approvable.app,’ was developed to address the growing challenges faced by Nigerians and other African applicants seeking travel and study opportunities abroad, particularly the financial losses associated with rejected visa applications.
Ojo, a native of Ikoro-Ekiti in Ekiti State, said the innovation would enable individuals and visa agencies to identify inconsistencies, missing documents and other potential weaknesses in their applications before paying non-refundable visa fees.
The beta version of the platform was launched on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, with coverage for visitor and study visas to the United Kingdom, United States, Canada and the Schengen area. It currently serves applicants from Nigeria, Ghana and India.
The innovation comes amid worrying statistics on visa refusals involving Nigerian applicants.
According to the first edition of the Approvable.app Refusal Index, compiled from official immigration statistics, the United Kingdom refused 64,941 visitor visa applications from Nigerians in 2025.
With the UK visitor visa application fee currently standing at £135, the refusals represent more than £8.7 million in non-refundable application fees lost by Nigerian applicants in a single year.
The report also indicated significant disparities in refusal rates among applicants from Nigeria, Ghana and India.
For the United States in fiscal year 2025, 57 per cent of Nigerian applicants and 64 per cent of Ghanaian applicants were refused visitor visas, compared with 22 per cent of Indian applicants.
Similarly, UK statistics for the year ending March 2026 showed refusal rates of 38 per cent for Nigerians and 43 per cent for Ghanaians, against 18 per cent for Indians.
In the Schengen area, 48 per cent of Nigerian applicants and 47 per cent of Ghanaian applicants were refused short-stay visas in 2025, compared with 16 per cent of Indian applicants.
Speaking on the motivation behind the innovation, Ojo said many visa refusals could be avoided if applicants properly reviewed the quality, accuracy and consistency of their supporting documents before submitting their applications. He noted that discrepancies in documents and poorly answered application questions often contribute to visa rejections, resulting in financial losses, missed opportunities and emotional disappointment for applicants and their families.
“Every refusal is a fee that is gone, a trip that is missed and, often, a wedding, a graduation or a hospital bedside that a family does not get to,” he said.
Ojo added that Approvable.app was developed to help applicants identify and correct avoidable mistakes before committing money to the application process.
How the platform works
The platform allows applicants to indicate their destination country and travel purpose, upload relevant documents and respond to specific questions. It subsequently evaluates the submitted information against the destination country’s published immigration requirements and common grounds for visa refusal.
At the end of the assessment, users receive a readiness score alongside a straightforward explanation of identified weaknesses and recommended corrections.
For applicants who have previously experienced visa refusals, the platform can also analyse their refusal letters, explain the reasons for rejection and assist in preparing a structured reapplication package.
Applicants who make the recommended corrections can repeat the assessment without paying an additional fee.
Opportunity for visa and travel agencies, beyond individual travellers, Approvable.app is also designed to support visa and travel agencies by providing an additional layer of document review before applications are submitted on behalf of their clients.
Through the platform, agencies can upload clients’ documents, conduct readiness assessments and identify potential issues before applicants commit to non-refundable government fees.
A partnership programme is also available to agencies in Nigeria, Ghana and India, with different partnership levels determined by the number of assessments conducted monthly.
From Ikoro-Ekiti to the global technology industry
Ojo brings nearly two decades of experience in IT service management, digital transformation and artificial intelligence governance to the initiative. He is the Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Alluvium, an Atlassian Gold Solution Partner, and also serves as President of the Jaytee Ojo Foundation, a philanthropic organisation committed to supporting technology and ICT development.
Explaining the importance of the accompanying Refusal Index, Ojo said the initiative was designed to make official immigration statistics accessible and understandable to ordinary applicants.
He disclosed that updated editions of the index would be published quarterly to provide applicants and industry stakeholders with relevant information on global visa refusal trends.
Approvable.app operates a one-time payment model without monthly subscriptions.
In Nigeria, its services include visitor visa document reviews at ₦49,999, reapplication packages at ₦89,999 and study visa reviews at ₦174,999. However, applicants can access a 50 per cent introductory discount on all three services until November 30, 2026, bringing the prices to ₦25,000, ₦45,000 and ₦87,500 respectively.
Similar services are available to applicants in Ghana and India, with charges denominated in their respective local currencies.
The company clarified that Approvable.app is a document-readiness and consistency assessment platform, not a law firm or regulated immigration advisory service.
It does not guarantee visa approval, represent applicants before immigration authorities or provide regulated immigration advice.
Applicants requiring professional assistance are directed to official registers of regulated advisers.
The beta platform is currently accessible through approvable.app, while mobile applications are expected to follow.
Applicants can also make enquiries through WhatsApp on +234 806 447 0643, while interested agencies can contact the company through partner@approvable.app.