Nigeria’s digital ambitions are faltering regardless of a slight rise in web penetration, as excessive prices and {economic} hardship proceed to tug down information utilization throughout the nation.
In accordance with the Nigerian Communications Fee (NCC), web penetration inched as much as 48.15% in April 2025, from 47.73% in March.
However this modest progress is being undercut by a persistent drop in information consumption, which trade specialists say displays rising public frustration over rising tariffs and shrinking revenue.
The federal government’s Nationwide Broadband Plan had aimed for 70% broadband penetration by the tip of 2025, however stakeholders now say that objective is slipping out of attain.
Nigeria’s information utilization dropped to 983,283.43 terabytes in April, a slight dip from 995,876.10 terabytes in March. It follows an earlier crash in February, when information utilization fell from January’s file of over a million terabytes to 893,054.80 terabytes, coinciding with the lack of round a million web customers.
Though March introduced some reduction with a bounce again in information site visitors and subscriptions, the April numbers once more present a sector underneath stress. Complete subscriptions dropped from 142.05 million in March to 141.99 million in April.
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Consultants level to a number of causes for the decline, together with excessive information prices, inflation, and state-level bureaucratic delays. Only some states have eliminated right-of-way charges that hinder broadband infrastructure rollouts.
Regardless of the setbacks, Nigeria’s starvation for digital entry stays sturdy, fuelled by on-line training, enterprise wants, and social connectivity.
However the problem, analysts warn, lies in making web entry reasonably priced. With out decisive motion, Nigeria’s digital economic system dangers stagnation.
Subscriber porting additionally surged in April, with 6,789 customers switching between suppliers, a 121% leap from 3,064 in March.
MTN Nigeria noticed the largest beneficial properties with 3,960 new customers, adopted by Airtel (1,860), Globacom (966), and 9mobile, which added simply three new subscribers.
The NCC additionally famous 208,482 energetic information service subscribers throughout licensed suppliers, although this doubtless displays a focused subset of customers inside the broader market.
