---
title: "NDEPS Progress in Nigeria: Are Targets Being Met?"
url: https://planetweb.ng/ndeps-progress-in-nigeria/
date: 2025-10-11T22:31:15+00:00
modified: 2026-09-20T22:15:16+00:00
lang: en_US
---

# NDEPS Progress in Nigeria: Are Targets Being Met?

## NDEPS Progress in Nigeria: What the Numbers Show

The National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) set a target of 70% broadband penetration. [Statistics from the Nigerian Communications Commission](https://ncc.gov.ng/market-data-reports/industry-statistics) (NCC) put penetration at about 52% in December 2025 and about 57% by July 2026.

Broadband is one of only five commitments in the strategy that carry a number, and its other objectives set direction without a measure. Progress is therefore easy to judge in a few places and hard to judge in the rest.

NDEPS progress in Nigeria is scored here pillar by pillar against what the strategy itself stated, with the latest published figure and its date. The pillars themselves are set out in *[NDEPS Pillars in Nigeria](https://planetweb.ng/ndeps-pillars-in-nigeria/)*.

## What the Strategy Committed To

The strategy names eight pillars and lists objectives for each, as its [official text](https://nitda.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/National-Digital-Economy-Policy-and-Strategy.pdf) shows. Only four pillars attach numbers to their objectives, and between them they carry five commitments.

| Commitment | Pillar | Stated timeframe |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 70% broadband penetration | Solid Infrastructure | Four years |
| 95% digital literacy | Digital Literacy and Skills | Within 10 years |
| Support for training 5 million Nigerians | Digital Literacy and Skills | None stated |
| Halve the share of unbanked adults | Digital Society and Emerging Technologies | Four years |
| Double the number of digitally enabled businesses each year, after a technology adoption survey of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) | Digital Services Development and Promotion | Annually from the year after the survey |

The strategy contains two different broadband figures. Its objectives state 70%, while one implementation line describes deepening penetration from 35% to 75% in four years. The [National Broadband Plan 2020 to 2025](https://ncc.gov.ng/media-center/public-notices/new-nigerian-national-broadband-plan-2020-2025), which the strategy links to, fixed 70% by the end of 2025.

The other four pillars set direction: developmental regulation calls for new laws; service infrastructure for e-government platforms; soft infrastructure for cybersecurity and digital identity; and indigenous content, with a preference for Nigerian firms in government projects.

The introduction also expects the digital sector to double its contribution to GDP within five years. The expectation sits outside the pillar objectives.

## Where Each Commitment Stands

### Broadband

Penetration was 35.4% when the strategy was published, as its text records. The NCC's statistics show 51.97% in December 2025 and 57.40% in July 2026, so neither the 70% objective nor the 2025 plan target was met.

The strategy named right-of-way charges as an obstacle to fibre deployment in 2019 and recorded that many states had not kept to the agreed cap. It estimated that about 120,000 km of fibre was needed for full penetration. In 2024, the federal government announced a 90,000 km fibre rollout to lift the backbone from about 35,000 km to 125,000 km, as [ITEdgeNews reported](https://www.itedgenews.africa/obstacles-to-70-broadband-penetration/).

The access gap, meaning people in unserved or underserved areas, was 36.8 million in 2013 and 33.2 million in 2017, according to the strategy. The Universal Service Provision Fund put it at 23 million in 2024, as [the Guardian reported](https://guardian.ng/technology/broadband-nigeria-misses-2020-2025-target-mulls-new-2025-2030-plan/). The Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy restated a goal of 80% population coverage by 2027 in a [February 2025 release](https://fmcide.gov.ng/ministry-launches-national-broadband-alliance-for-nigeria-nban-to-drive-broadband-connectivity-and-infrastructure-development/).

The strategy also proposed legislation to classify core digital infrastructure as critical national infrastructure. A presidential order under the Cybercrimes Act, dated 24 June 2024, designated critical national information infrastructure, according to the [official gazette](https://cert.gov.ng/ngcert/resources/cnii-gazette.pdf).

### Digital Literacy and Skills

The strategy set two numbers: 95% digital literacy within 10 years and support for training 5 million Nigerians. It also promised a digital skills database to record who is trained and at what level. The sources available report neither a national literacy rate nor that database, so the 95% figure cannot be scored.

The flagship programme is the 3 Million Technical Talent programme (3MTT), launched in 2023 under the ministry's [strategic blueprint](https://fmcide.gov.ng/bosun-tijani-unveils-the-strategic-blueprint-for-the-ministry-targets-3-million-youths-for-talent-development/), which aims to train 3 million people. Its own [partner page](https://3mtt.nitda.gov.ng/partnership/) reports more than 160,000 fellows trained across three cohorts and all 36 states. That is a count for one programme and cannot be set against the national 5 million figure.

### Financial Inclusion

The strategy's Digital Society pillar aimed to halve the share of unbanked adults within four years. The closest published measure is financial exclusion, which is broader than being unbanked. A [2018 annual report on financial inclusion](https://www.cbn.gov.ng/out/2019/ccd/annual%20report%202018%20financial%20inclusion.pdf) from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) put financial exclusion at 36.8% of adults, and the CBN's [Fintech Report](https://www.cbn.gov.ng/Out/2026/CCD/CBN_FINTECH_REPORT_.pdf) cites 26% for 2023.

That shows progress on the broader measure but cannot establish whether the target of halving the unbanked share was met. The underlying survey by Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access (EFInA) also changed its method in 2023, so the comparison is approximate.

### Digital Government and Identity

The strategy set no number for government services. It called for an e-government masterplan, an interoperability framework and the services.gov.ng portal. The UN's 2024 [E-Government Survey](https://desapublications.un.org/sites/default/files/publications/2024-09/%28Chapter%202%29%20E-Government%20Survey%202024%201392024.pdf) places Nigeria's online service provision in its high band, one step below very high.

The National Identification Number (NIN) database held 38.3 million entries in 2019, as the strategy records, and the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) reported more than 136 million enrolments in July 2026, according to [ID Tech](https://idtechwire.com/nigeria-intensifies-national-digital-id-enrolment-under-new-nimc-act/).

Government systems have also begun to reach business records through tax administration: the Nigeria Revenue Service began e-invoicing with large taxpayers in 2025 and set out a phased rollout in February 2026, as [TheCable reported](https://www.thecable.ng/nrs-to-begin-e-invoicing-rollout-for-medium-taxpayers-in-april/).

### Digital Businesses and Startups

The strategy committed to a technology adoption survey of MSMEs and to doubling the number of digitally enabled businesses each year afterwards. No survey result or count appears in the sources found, so the target cannot be scored. In 2022 fieldwork, Research ICT Africa found that fewer than 1% of surveyed microenterprises used government platforms for business advice, according to its [policy paper](https://researchictafrica.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Digital-Technology-Adoption-by-Microenterprises-Nigeria-Report_Policy-Paper_AA_2408.pdf).

The Startup Act was [signed in 2022](https://www.loc.gov/item/global-legal-monitor/2022-12-20/nigeria-startup-bill-enacted/) and created a national council and a startup label. It shapes the wider business environment, but its adoption provides no measure of the NDEPS target.

BusinessDay reported in [March 2026](https://businessday.ng/life/article/nigerias-startup-act-struggles-to-take-root-as-states-lag-behind/) that Kaduna was the first state to formalise adoption, and [in August](https://businessday.ng/technology/article/fg-moves-to-turn-nigerias-startup-act-into-funding-tax-and-export-gains-for-founders/) that states were still being engaged. Neither report gives a count of states that have adopted the Act.

### Data Protection and Cybersecurity

The soft infrastructure pillar asked for stronger cybersecurity and data protection law and a digital identity programme. The Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 put data protection on a statutory footing. The [Nigeria Data Protection Commission](https://ndpc.gov.ng/) (NDPC) said it had registered 38,677 data controllers and processors of major importance and received more than 8,155 audit returns, as [Nairametrics reported](https://nairametrics.com/2026/02/02/ndpc-says-nigerias-data-protection-industry-now-worth-n16-2-billion/) in February 2026.

The same report records fines of ₦766.2 million on MultiChoice Nigeria in July 2025 and ₦555.8 million on Fidelity Bank in 2024. The NDPC is enforcing the law, although these figures do not show how far small businesses have complied.

Nigeria acceded to the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime on 6 July 2022, and the convention entered into force for Nigeria on 1 November 2022, according to the [Council of Europe](https://www.coe.int/en/web/cybercrime/-/original-instrument-confirming-nigeria-s-accession-to-the-convention-on-cybercrime-received). The strategy also urged Nigeria to adopt the African Union's Malabo Convention on cybersecurity and data protection. Nigeria signed it on 23 January 2024 but had not ratified it as of 2 February 2026, according to the African Union's [status list](https://au.int/sites/default/files/treaties/29560-sl-AFRICAN_UNION_CONVENTION_ON_CYBER_SECURITY_AND_PERSONAL_DATA_PROTECTION_0.pdf).

### AI and Emerging Technology

The strategy listed AI, blockchain and other emerging technologies without numeric targets. The National AI Strategy, published in September 2025 for 2025 to 2029, sets five pillars and 34 strategies, according to the [strategy document](https://ncair.nitda.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/National-Artificial-Intelligence-Strategy-19092025.pdf). Nigeria rose from 103rd to 94th in the Oxford Insights Government AI Readiness Index between 2023 and 2024.

The AI strategy lists limited and unreliable infrastructure, limited investment in research and a shortage of talent among the constraints. The article on *[AI Adoption in Nigeria](https://planetweb.ng/ai-adoption-in-nigeria/)* has more on what that means for a business.

### Regulation and Local Content

Among the laws the strategy asked for were a digital economy law and data protection legislation. The data protection law and the Startup Act are in force. The National Digital Economy and E-Governance Bill, which would give electronic records, contracts and signatures legal recognition, had passed the House of Representatives by May 2026 and was awaiting the Senate, according to [TechCabal](https://techcabal.com/2026/08/13/nigerias-identity-law-raises-questions-over-digital-signatures/).

The indigenous content pillar rests on Executive Orders 003 and 005, which the strategy cites as the basis for giving preference to digitally skilled Nigerians in government-funded projects. The sources found give no measure of how much government technology work goes to Nigerian firms, so that pillar cannot be scored.

### Contribution to GDP

The introduction's expectation that the digital sector would double its contribution to GDP started from a baseline of 13.85% for the information and communication technology (ICT) sector in the second quarter of 2019. The National Bureau of Statistics rebased GDP to a 2019 base year in 2025, as [Nairametrics reported](https://nairametrics.com/2025/07/22/gdp-nigerias-ict-sector-surges-with-31-6-nominal-growth-in-q1-2025/).

Under the new base, the Information and Communication sector accounted for 11.74% of real GDP in the second quarter of 2026, according to [Leadership](https://leadership.ng/ict-sector-posts-9-62-growth-contribution-rises-to-11-74-of-gdp/). The two figures use different GDP series and cannot reliably be used to measure progress against that expectation, so it cannot be scored.

## The Scorecard

Four pillars set numbers and four set direction. The table records the latest evidence found for each pillar and whether the stated commitment can be scored.

| Pillar | Stated commitment | Latest status | Assessment |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Developmental Regulation | New digital economy and data protection laws | Data protection law and Startup Act in force; digital economy bill awaiting the Senate (August 2026) | Partially delivered on measures identified |
| Digital Literacy and Skills | 95% literacy; support for training 5 million | No national literacy rate published; 3MTT reports over 160,000 fellows | Cannot be scored |
| Solid Infrastructure | 70% broadband penetration | 57.40% (July 2026, NCC) | Missed |
| Service Infrastructure | Digitalise government processes | UN online services rating high (2024); NIN enrolments over 136 million (July 2026) | No numeric target |
| Digital Services Development and Promotion | Double digitally enabled businesses each year | No survey result or count published | Cannot be scored |
| Soft Infrastructure | Stronger cybersecurity, data protection and identity | Data protection law in force, fines issued, Budapest Convention in force for Nigeria since 2022, critical infrastructure order (2024) | No numeric target |
| Digital Society and Emerging Technologies | Halve the share of unbanked adults | Financial exclusion 26% (2023) against 36.8% (2018) | Cannot be scored directly; closest measure improved |
| Indigenous Content Development and Adoption | Preference for Nigerian firms in government projects | No published measure | Cannot be scored |

Of the five numeric commitments, broadband clearly missed its target, and financial inclusion cannot be scored directly because the latest comparable measure is financial exclusion. The literacy, training and digitally enabled business commitments cannot be scored because no directly comparable national measure is published. The introduction's GDP expectation cannot be scored either, because the GDP series changed.

In the figures found, delivery is easiest to point to where the strategy asked for laws and platforms, which exist, and hardest to point to where it asked for numbers.

## Where Delivery Has Been Slower

The most visible advances are in areas where a federal institution has direct control over the main policy, legal, or institutional mechanism: the data protection law, the identity database, the Budapest Convention accession, the critical infrastructure order, and the AI strategy.

Broadband rollout and Startup Act adoption depend on coordination with states, operators and others, which the strategy anticipated by encouraging states to cascade it. The two measurement tools the strategy promised, a digital skills database and an MSME technology adoption survey, have no results in the sources available.

## What It Means for Business

For businesses, the national record matters where policy already reaches their own systems. E-invoicing and data protection audits have moved from policy to obligation, and digital identity is becoming part of customer onboarding. Each depends on records that are structured and current. For what those obligations demand inside an organisation, see *[Digital Transformation in Nigeria: Where Businesses Stand](https://planetweb.ng/digital-transformation-in-nigeria/)*.

On connectivity, with penetration at about 57% and an estimated 23 million people still in unserved or underserved areas, businesses in areas with weaker coverage cannot assume a reliable connection, and systems designed for interruption remain the safer choice.

Where the strategy sets no measure, planning has to rest on the organisation's own data, since no national benchmark exists for literacy, digitally enabled businesses or local content.

If your organisation is working out how e-invoicing, identity checks and data protection duties reach its own systems, our [IT consulting](https://planetweb.ng/services/it-consulting-services/) team works on cloud, data management and digital transformation planning.

We also provide [managed IT support](https://planetweb.ng/services/managed-support-services/) once systems are live. [Contact us](https://planetweb.ng/free-it-consultation/) to talk through your situation.

## Frequently Asked Questions

Is NDEPS still in force after 2025?

The strategy covers 2020 to 2030, although several deadlines have passed, and the ministry also works to its own 2023 to 2027 blueprint. The broadband plan expired at the end of 2025, and a successor was being prepared, as [the Guardian reported](https://guardian.ng/technology/broadband-nigeria-misses-2020-2025-target-mulls-new-2025-2030-plan/).

How does NDEPS relate to the National Broadband Plan?

NDEPS is the overall strategy for 2020 to 2030 across eight pillars. The National Broadband Plan 2020 to 2025 covers broadband only, and it fixed the end-2025 date for the 70% target.

Does NDEPS place obligations on private businesses?

The strategy is a policy document. Duties for businesses come from laws and regulators, such as the data protection law and the e-invoicing rules, so it reaches a business mainly through them.

Who is responsible for delivering NDEPS?

The strategy lists 32 institutions and groups, including the federal communications ministry, the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the NCC, the 36 states and the 774 local government areas. It also encourages states and local governments to cascade its policies.

Where can current NDEPS figures be checked?

The NCC publishes monthly broadband and subscriber statistics, and the UN E-Government Survey reports on online services every two years. EFInA’s Access to Financial Services survey covers financial inclusion, and the NDPC has published registration and audit figures.