Nigeria: The telecoms industry’s contribution to the GDP has hit the 15% mark twice in 5 years

  • The GDP contribution from the telecom sector increased from 14.13% in Q1 2023 to 16.36% in Q2 2024.
  • The highest contribution (16.36%) was seen in Q2 2024.
  • The telecom sector contributes significantly to GDP, maintaining values above 10% quarterly from Q1 2020 to Q3 2024.
  • The second quarter consistently contributed more to Nigeria’s GDP throughout the observed timeframe.
  • The first and second quarters of 2024 showed an improvement in the sector's contribution to GDP compared to the previous years.

Over the past few years, the information and communications technology industry has been one of Nigeria’s fastest-growing industries. In Q4 2023, it was among the top three contributors to the real GDP with 14%. Between 2015 and 2024, the sector's quarterly GDP hit 15% thrice, ranging between 10.88% and 16.36% from Q1 2020 to Q2 2024.
An observable trend in the past five years of quarterly data indicates that the second quarter of each year consistently recorded much higher contributions than other quarters. In Q2 2023, the sector’s GDP contribution was 16.06%, while the Q2 2024 contribution rose to 16.36%, representing the highest contribution throughout the observed duration. However, in the third quarter of 2024, the contribution dropped to 13.94%, a 2.42% drop from the second quarter of 2024.

Source:

Nigerian Communications Commission

Period:

Q1 2020 - Q3 2024
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Monthly internet data consumption in Nigeria (2024)
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  • 3G remains stable, averaging around 9% market share,
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  • Online voice and video calls are highly popular, emphasising a shift toward real-time digital communication.
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9mobile has lost its appeal as the porting destination for Nigerian customers
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  • MTN gained the most new customers in 2024, outperforming other networks in porting gains.
  • 9mobile, once the dominant choice for ported customers, has lost its appeal, with far fewer subscribers switching to the network in recent years.
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  • Airtel and Globacom had minimal losses in 2024, with 4.2k and 3.8k customers leaving respectively.
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