ICT

Nigeria is one of Africa’s largest ICT markets in terms of its share of telecoms subscribers and internet users, and this sector is set to grow in 2021, even as other areas of the economy remain constrained by the pandemic. ICT is being prioritised as part of the country’s longer-term goal of developing a digital economy supported by its large, youthful population. Indeed, the government has made progress on removing several barriers faced by telecoms providers and created opportunities for the private sector as it works to boost broadband penetration across the country. In addition to improving the ecosystem for entrepreneurs, infrastructure development and the future deployment of 5G will be crucial to Nigeria reaching its goal of fostering a digital economy.

This chapter contains interviews with Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy; and Olugbenga Agboola, Co-founder and CEO of Flutterwave.