The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has unveiled the Nigeria Tech Outlook Report 2026, providing data-driven insights into the country’s digital economy and identifying investment opportunities and gaps requiring urgent policy attention.
The report was unveiled on Wednesday by Mallam Kashifu Inuwa, NITDA’s Director-General, at the ongoing Digital Nigeria International Conference and Exhibition (DNICE) 2026 in Abuja.
It provides a national baseline for measuring Nigeria’s digital progress across key sectors, including financial services, telecommunications, commerce, e-government, e-health, digital access, skills, trust and inclusion.
The report also features a digital dashboard designed to make its findings accessible to stakeholders, enabling them to monitor progress and provide feedback.
Speaking at the unveiling, Inuwa said the research involved 2,147 household interviews, 539 health facility interviews, 15 key informant interviews and 10 administrative records from relevant institutions.
Among the report’s key findings, 86.5 per cent of Nigerian adults hold financial accounts, but only 12 per cent accessed digital credit in the preceding 12 months.
It also found that only 40.6 per cent of adults personally used smartphones, while just 6.6 per cent purchased goods online within the preceding three months.
Adoption of digital public services also remains limited, with 17.9 per cent of respondents reporting that they had used government services online in the preceding 12 months.
In healthcare, 75.9 per cent of adults expressed willingness to use telemedicine if available, although only 11.3 per cent had insurance coverage.
The report further highlighted digital security concerns, with 13.1 per cent of respondents saying they had experienced digital financial fraud.
The findings point to significant opportunities for investment in digital financial services, e-commerce, telecommunications, healthcare technology and online public services, while highlighting the need to strengthen consumer protection and digital trust.
According to Inuwa, the report is intended to help government institutions, investors, innovators, researchers and development partners make decisions based on evidence rather than assumptions.
He identified payments, connectivity, digital devices, e-commerce, logistics, e-government and digital health as areas offering opportunities for investment.
However, he noted that challenges relating to electricity supply, digital skills, affordability, interoperability and consumer protection must be addressed to unlock the sector’s potential.
The NITDA chief said the report would establish an annual process for measuring the country’s digital progress, reviewing targets and adjusting policies in response to emerging developments.
He urged stakeholders to translate the findings into practical interventions that strengthen institutions, expand digital access and improve inclusion.
The report’s findings come amid ongoing efforts by the government and private sector to expand digital access and improve technology adoption across Nigeria.
In May 2025, NITDA launched its Digital Literacy for All Initiative (DL4ALL), targeting digital skills coverage of 70 per cent of Nigerians by 2027 and 95 per cent by 2030. The programme followed a pilot phase that trained 152,790 Nigerians across 12 states.
Meanwhile, a KPMG study reported in September 2026 indicated that Nigeria’s smartphone ownership increased to 75 per cent in 2025 from 64 per cent in 2023.
Despite this progress, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has identified high device and connectivity costs, inaccessible digital products and inadequate digital skills as major barriers to digital inclusion, particularly for persons with disabilities.
The Nigeria Tech Outlook Report 2026 therefore provides an important reference point for understanding the difference between access to digital infrastructure and meaningful participation in the digital economy.
While financial account ownership is relatively widespread, low digital credit adoption, limited online shopping and modest use of digital government services suggest that infrastructure expansion alone will not guarantee a thriving digital economy.
For Nigeria, the challenge is to convert growing digital connectivity into wider economic participation, productive investment and improved access to essential services.
