Nigeria’s Digital Economy Reaches Breakthrough Moment as 2025 Sets Stage for Full-Scale Rollout in 2026

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Nigeria’s digital economy recorded a defining breakthrough in 2025, marking a decisive shift from policy ambition to concrete execution, as the country laid strong institutional, infrastructural and regulatory foundations for accelerated digital growth in the years ahead.

In a New Year assessment of Nigeria’s digital transformation journey, government officials said 2025 served as an inflection year, with much of the progress taking place behind the scenes. The focus, they explained, was on securing critical approvals, mobilising partners and ensuring that national digital priorities are not only visionary but capable of being delivered at scale.

Several long-horizon initiatives crossed major milestones during the year. Chief among them was Project Bridge, Nigeria’s national fibre backbone programme, which progressed to approval by the World Bank Board, effectively anchoring long-term investment in nationwide, high-capacity broadband connectivity.

In a related push to close the connectivity gap, the NUCAP Towers Programme received approval for the deployment of 3,700 telecommunications towers aimed at extending network coverage to unserved and underserved communities, particularly in rural and riverine areas.

On the policy and governance front, the Digital Economy and E-Governance Bill advanced to its final stage of approval, strengthening Nigeria’s legal and regulatory framework for digital development.

The Federal Executive Council also approved the exploration of a franchise-based transformation of the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), a move expected to reposition more than 1,500 postal outlets nationwide as a platform for inclusive digital and government service delivery.

Nigeria also took a significant step towards technological sovereignty with the launch of N-ATLAS, its national large language model initiative designed to build indigenous artificial intelligence capability and long-term absorptive capacity.

Meanwhile, the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) Programme continued to scale, expanding the country’s digital skills pipeline and preparing a workforce equipped for the evolving digital economy.

To translate digital capacity into tangible economic outcomes, the government launched the Digital Trade Desk, activating it through trade missions to the United States and Sierra Leone to unlock export opportunities, partnerships and cross-border collaboration for Nigerian digital businesses. In addition, Nigeria delivered its Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Standards and Framework, establishing a unified reference point for interoperable digital systems across government.

Complementing this effort, the Devs in Government initiative was implemented to strengthen in-house digital delivery capabilities, alongside preparatory work on a national data exchange system and the introduction of National Web Design Standards to improve the quality, consistency and usability of public digital services.

Nigeria’s global digital profile also strengthened considerably in 2025. Through coordinated engagements at the United Nations General Assembly, VivaTech in Paris, and the EU–Nigeria Digital Economy Open Day in Brussels, the country reinforced its reputation as a credible and strategic partner in digital infrastructure, talent development, artificial intelligence and digital public infrastructure. These efforts helped attract new investments and partnerships, including a €45 million EU–Nigeria Digital Economy Package.

The telecommunications sector equally witnessed notable progress. Through tariff rationalisation, tax harmonisation and measures to protect critical national digital infrastructure, the government helped restore market stability and investor confidence, creating the conditions for accelerated network expansion, deeper broadband penetration and stronger contributions to GDP and digital inclusion.

Officials noted that the reforms and initiatives were implemented in alignment with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, whose leadership provided the policy clarity and institutional backing required to pursue long-term digital reforms.

Looking ahead, the government said 2026 will be defined by delivery and impact. With key initiatives approved and partnerships mobilised, the focus will now shift to large-scale deployment — expanding connectivity, activating service platforms, deepening talent pipelines, enabling interoperable digital public infrastructure and converting digital capability into economic growth and improved public service outcomes.

As the new year begins, stakeholders expressed optimism that sustained execution will transform the foundations laid in 2025 into measurable benefits for citizens, businesses and the wider economy.