By Valentine Alexander 
As the global Internet of Things (IoT) market marches towards a $1.6 trillion valuation by 2025, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is mapping out an ambitious strategy to secure Nigeria’s place in this digital revolution. With its new policy roadmap, the agency seeks to harness Nigeria’s human capital, growing tech ecosystem, and mobile penetration to propel the country into a smarter, more connected future. At the IoT West Africa Conference held in Lagos, co-hosted with Power and Water Nigeria and organized by Vertex Next, Dr Aristotle Onumo, NITDA’s Director of Stakeholder Management and Partnerships, delivered a compelling vision for Nigeria’s IoT journey. He emphasized how smart technologies can seamlessly integrate into daily life, improve efficiency, and unlock transformative economic opportunities.
“Imagine a future where our cities can respond to traffic congestion in real time, where farmers receive instant data on crop conditions, and where our power grid repairs itself before failure,” said Dr Onumo.
From smart agriculture to intelligent urban planning, the potential of IoT to reshape Nigeria’s economy is vast, particularly given that the country accounts for 40% of Africa’s population, providing a critical mass of users and use cases.
Bridging the Connectivity and Energy Divide
While the vision is bold, Onumo was candid about the barriers that could derail Nigeria’s IoT ambitions. Chief among them is connectivity—particularly in rural areas where internet access is unreliable or non-existent. Without addressing this digital divide, large swaths of the population could remain excluded from the benefits of IoT. Equally troubling is the energy deficit, a perennial challenge that affects the consistency and scalability of digital infrastructure. “We are talking about a future where everything is connected. But all those devices need power—stable, constant power,” Onumo said. He stressed the importance of building a resilient power ecosystem, possibly incorporating renewable energy sources and smart grid technologies capable of self-healing, diagnosing faults before they escalate, and ensuring reliable electricity supply. Anoosh Sirkeck, Chief of Staff and Strategic Growth Leader at Vertex Next, underscored this point by highlighting a historic collaboration between key sectors. “This year we are doing something truly transformative,” Sirkeck stated, referring to the integration of IoT, West Africa Data Center and Cloud Expo Africa, and Power & Water Nigeria. “It’s all connected—energy, data, infrastructure. Nigeria can’t build its IoT future without advancing all three together.”
Digital Literacy as the Foundation for Nigeria’s IoT Growth
Recognizing the critical skills gap, NITDA has launched an aggressive plan to improve digital literacy nationwide. The agency has set ambitious targets: to equip 30 million Nigerians in the informal sector with essential digital skills by 2027, reach a 70% national digital literacy rate within the same timeframe, and achieve 90% by 2030. Dr Onumo highlighted the “Digital Literacy Champions” program, which trains individuals to act as community-based digital ambassadors. These champions are tasked with spreading digital know-how, ensuring that even the most marginalized groups can access and benefit from IoT advancements. The plan also dovetails with broader support for Nigeria’s tech ecosystem. NITDA is backing innovation through programs like the Nigerian Startup Act and iHatch, both of which offer funding and technical assistance to entrepreneurs working on locally relevant IoT solutions.
“We are not just creating consumers of technology. We want to build inventors, innovators, and solution providers within Nigeria,” Onumo stated.
Agriculture, Health, and Urban Development as Entry Points
The policy roadmap places significant emphasis on agriculture, a sector that employs the majority of Nigeria’s workforce. IoT applications like soil sensors, livestock trackers, and automated irrigation systems could drastically improve yield and reduce waste, particularly in rural farming communities. In healthcare, wearable devices could bridge the urban-rural divide, enabling real-time patient monitoring and early disease detection, especially in underserved areas. Meanwhile, smart city initiatives—though still in their infancy in cities like Lagos—could be scaled to enhance urban life through better traffic management, waste collection, and utility monitoring. Onumo argued that Nigeria’s large, youthful population and high mobile penetration provide the ideal conditions to leapfrog traditional developmental stages, using IoT to rapidly modernize sectors that have long lagged behind.
A Call to Collective Action
Despite currently contributing less than it should to the global IoT ecosystem, Nigeria’s untapped potential makes it a fertile ground for growth. Onumo urged Nigerian policymakers to foster a supportive regulatory environment, business leaders to invest in scalable digital infrastructure, and educators to prepare the next generation for a hyper-connected world. Citing World Bank projections, he noted that digital technologies could add up to $200 billion to Africa’s GDP by the end of 2025—with Nigeria in a position to capture a major share if it plays its cards right.
“We are not behind. We are at the starting line of something revolutionary. The question is: will we run?” Onumo concluded.
Opeoluwa Okudero
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