Nigeria’s telecommunications sector contributed 8.12 per cent to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the fourth quarter of 2025, reaffirming its position as one of the key drivers of economic growth, according to industry data released by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
NCC
The data showed that the sector’s contribution rose from 7.29 per cent in the corresponding period of 2024 under the rebased GDP framework, representing a year-on-year increase of 0.83 percentage points.
The telecommunications and information services sub-sector also recorded a real growth rate of 26.34 per cent in Q4 2025, compared with 17.97 per cent in Q4 2024, reflecting a significant acceleration in sector performance.
On a full-year basis, the sector accounted for 8.3 per cent of Nigeria’s real GDP in 2025, up from 8.1 per cent in 2024.
In nominal terms, the sector’s contribution to the economy increased from N17.2 trillion in 2024 to N18.5 trillion in 2025, representing a growth of N1.3 trillion.
The figures place telecommunications as the fourth-largest contributor to Nigeria’s real GDP, behind crop production, trade and real estate.
Industry analysts attributed the strong performance to increased investment in telecommunications infrastructure, expansion of broadband services, rising data consumption and wider deployment of fifth-generation (5G) technology.
According to the data, telecommunications operators added about 2,800 new towers during the year and invested more than one billion dollars in fibre-optic infrastructure and network upgrades.
The report also indicated that active telecom subscriptions rose from approximately 164.9 million in December 2024 to 179.6 million in December 2025, representing an increase of about 14.7 million subscribers.
Broadband penetration crossed the 50 per cent mark during the period, reaching 51.97 per cent compared with about 45 per cent recorded at the end of 2024.
Data consumption also increased significantly, with about 148 million internet users consuming approximately 1.4 million terabytes of data in December 2025 alone.
The NCC said the growth was further supported by ongoing investments in 4G and 5G networks, improved spectrum management and regulatory initiatives aimed at expanding digital connectivity across the country.
Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, Aminu Maida, recently stated that the commission was working towards increasing the telecommunications sector’s contribution to GDP to 25 per cent over time through supportive policies and infrastructure development.
“The sector has done well with its contribution to GDP, but it can do better. We are working on the right policies to push the contribution of the telecom sector to 25 per cent,” Maida said.
The report noted that telecommunications has become a critical enabler of financial services, e-commerce, digital government services and other sectors of the economy.
It added that sustained growth in broadband infrastructure and digital services was helping to create employment opportunities, improve productivity and expand access to digital platforms across urban and rural communities.
Despite the positive performance, industry stakeholders identified challenges such as high energy costs, foreign exchange pressures and infrastructure deployment constraints as factors that could affect future growth if not adequately addressed.
The NCC said it would continue to work with stakeholders to deepen broadband penetration, encourage investment and strengthen Nigeria’s digital economy.
Analysts believe that with continued infrastructure expansion, improved regulatory support and increasing adoption of digital technologies, the telecommunications sector is likely to remain one of the strongest contributors to Nigeria’s economic growth in the coming years.
