The Institute of Software Practitioners of Nigeria (ISPON) has inaugurated Mr. James Agada as its new president, with a mandate to establish a National Software Industry Registry.
He said the registry, which will be established within the next six months, will help the software sector address its visibility challenge, where the latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) indicates that the sector contributes less than 0.2% to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Speaking during his inauguration as President of ISPON’s 2026/2028 National Executive Committee, Agada questioned the reported economic footprint of the industry, noting that despite employing over one million people directly and indirectly across 100,000 registered companies, the official numbers fail to reflect the sector’s true scale.
“While our sector reputedly employs over a million people directly and indirectly, with more than 100,000 registered companies operating, the latest NBS reports indicate we contribute less than 0.2% to the national GDP. Perhaps this is an undercounting by the NBS,” Agada said.
Agada highlighted several underlying factors curbing the growth and recognized contribution of domestic software firms. First, significant expenditure on foreign software licenses, subscriptions, and support fees drains revenue that should build the national economy. Additionally, domestic capabilities are often underappreciated, creating a restrictive cycle where a lack of opportunity caps enterprise growth. Finally, local software firms still require stronger business models, better organizational structures, and improved access to capital to compete globally.
He urged the government to treat software as a strategic national asset by providing deliberate patronage and testing grounds, echoing models used successfully in other developed markets.
To bridge the information gap, the incoming executive committee will roll out the National Software Industry Registry as a central repository for local companies, practitioners, and technological innovations.
Agada noted that Nigerian engineers have historically pioneered major breakthroughs—such as core banking applications on relational databases, offline ATM card systems, large-scale card personalization, and microprocessor telephone switching systems—that remain largely unrecorded.
“ISPON will begin solving this problem of discovery. Within the next six months, we will launch a National Software Industry Registry to document our achievements and celebrate our own. We will make our industry visible,” he stated.