Digital economy gains greater weight as Nigeria’s GDP growth accelerates to 4.43%
Nigeria’s latest economic growth figures are highlighting the expanding role of digital services, with the broader Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector accounting for 16.35% of the country’s real GDP in the second quarter of 2026.
The development came as Nigeria’s economy recorded a 4.43% year-on-year growth in Q2, up from 3.89% in the first quarter, according to figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
Telecommunications was a major component of the ICT sector’s contribution, generating about ₦5.2 trillion ($3.8 billion) in real GDP during the quarter. The industry alone accounted for approximately 9.72% of Nigeria’s total real GDP.
The figures point to the increasing significance of connectivity and digital services within an economy where businesses and consumers are increasingly dependent on mobile networks and internet-enabled platforms.
Internet usage remained a key part of the sector’s activity during the period, with Nigeria recording about 156.9 million internet users, according to the figures cited in the report.
Beyond traditional communications, mobile networks now support a wider range of economic activities, including financial services, digital payments, fintech, e-commerce, entertainment and access to online businesses and platforms.
The telecommunications industry also recorded growth of 10.38% in the second quarter, placing it among the stronger-performing components of Nigeria’s services economy.
The broader ICT sector’s contribution further underscores the shift towards services as Nigeria seeks to strengthen its non-oil economy. The NBS said several industries supported non-oil sector activity during the quarter, including agriculture, information and communication, real estate, trade, financial institutions, manufacturing and construction.
The growing economic importance of telecommunications also places greater emphasis on the infrastructure required to sustain digital expansion. Continued investment in broadband infrastructure, spectrum, data centres and network capacity remains important to supporting the sector’s growth.
At the same time, telecom operators continue to contend with the costs associated with infrastructure deployment, energy, foreign exchange and network expansion, factors that could affect the pace of further investment.
For Nigeria, the performance of telecommunications and the wider ICT industry could therefore remain an important measure of the ability of the services sector to generate broader economic gains as the country pursues faster growth.
Although the 4.43% expansion in Q2 represents an improvement from the previous quarter, it remains below the government’s longer-term ambition of achieving annual economic growth of 7% by 2027.
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