By Martin Ekpeke
Nigeria’s technology outlook presents significant opportunities for investment and innovation, but persistent gaps in digital infrastructure, technology adoption and access to services could limit the country’s ability to translate its growing pool of tech talent into broad-based economic growth.
This is the focus of the Nigeria Tech Outlook, an initiative by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and the SATH Foundation to provide evidence-based insights into the country’s technology ecosystem, identify underserved markets and guide investment and policymaking.
Speaking at the Tech Outlook event in Lagos, Kashifu Inuwa, Director General of NITDA, said Nigeria needed to move beyond celebrating individual technology successes to building an ecosystem capable of competing globally.
He explained that the country’s technology potential could only be fully realised through reliable digital infrastructure, supportive policies, strategic investments and stronger collaboration among government, businesses, investors and innovators.
The initiative comes as technology increasingly shapes economic activity, from financial transactions and telecommunications to commerce, healthcare and government services. Its findings are expected to help stakeholders identify where digital solutions are gaining ground, where adoption remains low and what interventions could unlock further growth.
The first edition of the report will examine five key sectors: financial services, telecommunications, commerce and trade, government services and healthcare.
One of the clearest indications of the gap between demand for technology and actual adoption emerged from research cited by Inuwa.
According to the NITDA Director General, more than 80 per cent of over 2,000 Nigerians surveyed expressed willingness to use telemedicine services, yet fewer than 20 per cent had ever used them.
The findings point to a potential growth market for digital healthcare solutions, while highlighting the barriers preventing Nigerians from translating interest into actual use.
For investors and technology entrepreneurs, the gap could create opportunities to develop telemedicine platforms, remote consultation services and other digital health solutions tailored to local needs. However, converting willingness into sustained adoption would require attention to accessibility, affordability, digital infrastructure, trust and the practical challenges of delivering healthcare remotely.
The example also illustrates the broader purpose of the Nigeria Tech Outlook: to identify gaps between what Nigerians need or are willing to use and the technology services currently available to them.
Such evidence could help businesses make better investment decisions, encourage innovators to develop relevant products and enable policymakers to address obstacles to adoption.
While Nigeria has established a strong profile in financial technology, the report’s scope suggests that the next phase of digital growth will depend on extending technology adoption across more sectors of the economy.
In telecommunications, the outlook will examine technology access and adoption, alongside the infrastructure needed to support digital services. In commerce and trade, digital platforms could create opportunities to improve transactions, market access and business productivity.
Government services represent another important area, particularly in the delivery of more accessible and efficient public services. Healthcare, meanwhile, offers opportunities for digital solutions to improve access to services and support more efficient delivery of care.
Financial services will remain central to the assessment, given the importance of digital payments and technology-enabled financial products to business and consumer activity.
By examining these sectors together, the Nigeria Tech Outlook is expected to provide a broader picture of how technology contributes to productivity and where further investment could produce meaningful economic benefits.
The assessment will also examine emerging technologies and the foundations required for their responsible adoption, including artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous systems, cloud computing, cybersecurity, data privacy, digital trust and governance.
These areas are becoming increasingly important as businesses and public institutions explore how to use digital tools to improve productivity, streamline operations and develop new services.
However, wider adoption also brings questions about infrastructure capacity, data protection, security and governance. The ability to address these issues will influence how confidently businesses, government agencies and individuals embrace emerging technologies.
For Nigeria, the challenge is not simply to adopt new technologies but to create the conditions in which they can be deployed effectively, securely and at scale.
Inuwa stressed that technology policies and regulations must be informed by research and industry realities rather than assumptions. He called on industry leaders to contribute their expertise to reviewing the report’s findings and identifying practical interventions to support investment, innovation and economic growth.
Meanwhile, Collins Onuegbu, Founder and Chairman of the SATH Foundation, said technology had become central to Nigeria’s economic and social development, transforming how people work, trade, communicate, learn and access public services.
He noted that digital innovation was reshaping business operations, government engagement, security, productivity and national competitiveness.
Onuegbu said conducting the assessment annually would create institutional memory, allowing stakeholders to track progress, evaluate existing priorities and develop a stronger evidence base for decisions concerning Nigeria’s digital future.
He also emphasised the need for the initiative to produce practical outcomes rather than remain a platform for speeches and discussions.
The annual assessment could help stakeholders compare changes in technology adoption over time, identify emerging market opportunities and determine whether policy interventions and investments are delivering measurable results.
The Nigeria Tech Outlook is expected to serve different purposes for key stakeholders. Government agencies could use its findings to develop evidence-based policies, businesses could gain a clearer understanding of adoption gaps, investors could identify promising markets, and innovators could use the insights to develop solutions to national challenges.
Its longer-term value will depend on the quality of the research, the consistency of future editions and the extent to which its recommendations translate into investment, improved access and measurable productivity gains.
The first edition is scheduled for launch at the Digital Nigeria International Conference.
For Nigeria, the central question is no longer whether technology can transform the economy, but how quickly the country can expand access, deepen adoption and turn innovation into sustainable economic value.
By combining research with industry collaboration, NITDA and the SATH Foundation are seeking to provide a clearer picture of the country’s digital strengths, weaknesses and opportunities.
Whether the initiative achieves its ambition will ultimately be measured by its ability to help close technology adoption gaps, attract productive investment and ensure that digital innovation delivers benefits across more sectors of the Nigerian economy.