Nigeria’s digital economy holds immense potential, and continued progress will depend on addressing key enablers. While strides have been made in expanding infrastructure and digital inclusion, challenges remain — including gaps in broadband coverage, varying network quality, and the need for greater consistency in policy implementation to encourage industry growth. Enhancing digital literacy also remains a shared priority, as building foundational skills will be critical to enabling broader participation in the digital economy.

In response to these challenges, the GSMA conducted a comprehensive study titled “The Role of Mobile Technology in Driving the Digital Economy in Nigeria.” The report explores the critical role of mobile technology in enabling economic development and offers insights into the barriers limiting the growth of Nigeria’s telecommunications sector.

MTN welcomed the opportunity to contribute insights and data to support the reports development. As a long-standing member of the GSMA, we value this collaborative effort to strengthen understanding of the digital economy landscape and to help shape practical, inclusive solutions.

“Connectivity to mobile services, including Mobile Money, is the foundation on which digitalisation is built. The Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) are committed to investing to support the realisation of the digitalisation ambitions that will unlock economic growth and development in the country.

The mobile sector accounted for 13.5% of total GDP in 2023, including the direct value-added by wider ICT industries and the sector’s impact in enhancing the productivity of other sectors. Overall, the mobile sector’s total contribution to GDP is estimated at 33 trillion NGN in 2023, with 2.4 trillion NGN in tax revenue contributions.

A thriving digital economy would have a material impact on the economy of Nigeria over the next 3-5 years. It is estimated that increased digitalization in agriculture, manufacturing, transport, trade and government will increase GDP by around two percentage points by 2028.

This would also create nearly 2 million jobs and raise an additional NGN 1.6 trillion in tax revenue.”
– GSMA

Nigeria Digital Economy Report: NigeriaDigitalEconomy_R3_Web.pdf