Nigeria’s technology adoption gaps across financial services, telecommunications, healthcare, commerce and government services will come under scrutiny in a new
Nigeria’s technology adoption gaps across financial services, telecommunications, healthcare, commerce and government services will come under scrutiny in a new annual assessment designed to guide investment and shape digital policy.
The Nigeria Tech Outlook, being developed by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) in collaboration with the SATH Foundation, will examine technology access, adoption and its contribution to productivity across the five sectors.
Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, director-general of NITDA, said the initiative would provide evidence-based insights to help policymakers, businesses, investors and innovators identify gaps in Nigeria’s technology ecosystem and develop solutions to address them.
Speaking at the Tech Outlook gathering in Lagos, Inuwa said Nigeria’s technology talent and entrepreneurial achievements would not be enough to secure global competitiveness without reliable digital infrastructure, supportive policies, strategic investment and stronger collaboration among stakeholders.
The report’s initial findings point to potential opportunities in digital healthcare. More than 80 percent of over 2,000 Nigerians surveyed expressed willingness to use telemedicine services, but fewer than 20 percent had ever used them, according to Inuwa.
The gap between interest and actual use highlights an opportunity to investigate the barriers preventing wider adoption of digital health services and the investments needed to address them.
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Beyond the five sectors, the assessment will examine artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, cybersecurity, data privacy, cloud computing, digital trust and infrastructure, areas increasingly important to the development and deployment of digital services.
Inuwa said technology policies and regulations should reflect research findings and industry realities rather than assumptions. He urged industry leaders to contribute their expertise to reviewing the findings and identifying practical interventions.
Collins Onuegbe, founder of the SATH Foundation, said conducting the assessment annually would help build institutional memory, allowing stakeholders to track progress, evaluate priorities and strengthen the evidence informing decisions about Nigeria’s digital future.
The first edition is scheduled for launch at the Digital Nigeria International Conference.
For investors and businesses, the report is intended to provide a clearer picture of technology adoption gaps and potential market opportunities. For policymakers, it is expected to inform decisions on regulation, infrastructure and digital service delivery.
Its long-term value, however, will depend on whether the findings translate into measurable improvements in technology access, adoption and productivity across the sectors being assessed.
Royal Ibeh is a senior journalist with years of experience reporting on Nigeria’s technology and health sectors. She currently covers the Technology and Health beats for BusinessDay newspaper, where she writes in-depth stories on digital innovation, telecom infrastructure, healthcare systems, and public health policies.