Nigeria’s Smartphone Users Projected To Grow By 82 Percent In Five Years- Report
By Kunle Harmony
The number of smart phone users in Nigeria are projected to grow by more than 82 percent, from 25 million today, to 140 million by 2025. The information was made public recently in a report by the Digital Intelligence Index.
The Digital Intelligence Index, authored by the Fletcher School at Tufts University, in partnership with Mastercard, provides world-leading, state-of-play reporting on the progress that countries have made in advancing their digital economies.
The report said “Young people in Nigeria are exhibiting high levels of digital engagement with the number of smartphone users in the country forecast to grow from 25 million in 2020 to more than 140 million by 2025.”
Statista, a German company specializing in market and consumer data corroborates the projection to 143 million smart phone users in Nigeria by 2025.
The study also shows that Sub-Saharan African region led a mobile money revolution, making two-thirds of the world’s 37 billion mobile money transactions in 2019 demonstrating the potential for massive growth in digital economies. It added that Sub-Saharan Africa has witnessed a vast surge in mobile payment adoption in the last decade, skipping stages of digital development embarked on by other regions.
Building upon earlier editions in 2014 and 2017, this year’s index paints a picture of global digital development, sheds insight on key factors driving change and momentum, and unpacks what this means for economies facing the challenges of a global pandemic and post-pandemic future.
According to the dean of global business, the Fletcher School, Bhaskar Chakravorti, said: “the pandemic may be the purest test of the world’s progress towards digitalization. We have a clearer view on how dynamic digital economies can contribute to economic resiliency during a time of unparalleled global turmoil and can be positioned for recovery and change.”
He noted that, “With nearly two thirds of the world’s population online today, we are entering an ‘after access’ phase, where access alone is not enough. Aspects such as the quality of access, effective use of digital technologies, accountable institutions, robust data governance policies and fostering trust are greater factors in determining digital competitiveness and sustainability.”
He added that, “Young people in emerging economies are demonstrating high levels of digital engagement, a bright spot for governments attempting to expand digitalization in their economies.“
President, Cyber & Intelligence, Mastercard, Ajay Bhalla, said: “Never before has there been such an acute need to understand the factors that drive digitalization and digital trust. With that knowledge, businesses and governments can work together to help all 7.6 billion people around the world benefit from the vast opportunities a digitally advanced economy can bring. Whilst much remains uncertain today, it is clear that digital success will be a key building block in our collective recovery.”
