OpenAI has expanded its ChatGPT Ads service to Nigeria and South Africa, allowing businesses in both countries to place advertisements inside conversations with its AI chatbot. The company announced the move on Wednesday as part of a rollout covering 26 new countries, bringing total coverage to 89 markets, up from 63 beforehand. The additions carry weight for advertisers: Nigeria and South Africa are two of Africa's largest economies and significant digital advertising markets in their own right.

According to OpenAI, more than 100,000 advertisers have run campaigns on ChatGPT since the advertising service launched just over eight months ago. In the newly added markets, businesses can purchase ads through technology partners or directly via OpenAI's self-service Ads Manager.

How Advertising Inside a Chatbot Differs

Advertising inside AI chatbots remains a young format compared with the established search and social ad businesses. Unlike search or social media advertising, ChatGPT Ads places a brand in front of users while they explore ideas, compare options, or weigh a purchase in conversation. A Lagos fashion retailer, for example, could appear when someone asks for wedding outfit ideas, while a Cape Town travel company could surface when a user is planning a holiday.

Setting Up a Campaign

The setup process follows four steps:

1. Visit Ads Manager and sign in or register.
2. Create a campaign by selecting an objective, budget, target countries, and duration.
3. Organize ads into groups, add context hints, and prepare the creatives.
4. Set up billing and submit the ads for review. Campaigns can run once approved.

OpenAI's documentation lists three campaign objectives. Views are charged per 1,000 impressions and Clicks per valid click, while Conversions steers delivery toward actions such as a purchase or registration. Full instructions are available in the OpenAI Help Centre.

Pricing and Minimum Budgets

OpenAI's published minimum daily budget for campaigns billed in US dollars is $25, equivalent to roughly ₦33,367 or 412.58 South African rand. The figure is averaged over seven days, meaning daily spending can rise and fall as long as it remains within the weekly limit.

Notably, OpenAI's minimum-budget table does not list the naira or the rand. Advertisers paying in dollars would also bear their bank's conversion and card charges on top, and because the dollar minimum is fixed, its cost in naira or rand will move with exchange rates. A small Abuja bakery running a 30-day campaign at the minimum would spend about $750, or roughly ₦1,001,016, before those charges.

Once campaigns are live, results appear in Ads Manager. OpenAI's Measurement Pixel and Conversions API also record purchases, registrations, and lead submissions after people interact with an ad.

Targeting Restrictions for New Accounts

Access does not translate into worldwide reach from day one. OpenAI says some new self-service accounts are initially restricted to advertising in their home country, with international targeting opening after identity verification and the required ad spend in that market. A Nigerian exporter hoping to reach South African shoppers, for instance, may need to begin with local customers first.

On transparency and privacy, OpenAI says ads are clearly labelled and kept separate from ChatGPT's answers, and that advertising does not influence those answers. The company also states that conversations remain private from advertisers and that it does not sell customer data. Ads appear on the Free and Go plans, while Plus, Pro, and Enterprise subscriptions remain ad-free.

For now, the practical constraints for advertisers in the two markets are the $25 daily minimum, a budget table that excludes the naira and the rand, and home-market restrictions on some new accounts. Two things to watch from here: whether OpenAI adds the naira and rand to its minimum-budget table, and how quickly new accounts graduate from home-market-only targeting to international reach.