Telecoms
Digital Inequality Widens as 77% of Rural Nigeria Remains Offline
New scorecard to measure state-by-state digital readiness as country ranks 137th globally
Nigeria’s digital divide remains a serious concern, with new data from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) showing that while urban areas enjoy internet access at 57%, rural communities lag far behind at just 23%, leaving 77% without internet access.
The Commission’s Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Aminu Maida, made this known in his keynote address at the inaugural Rural Connectivity Summit with the theme: “Rethinking Digital Connectivity to Unlock Rural Economic Potential”, organised by Business Metrics Limited in Lagos on Wednesday.
Dr Maida, represented by Tunji Jimoh, the NCC’s Lagos Zonal Controller, explained that over 20 million Nigerians still live without any form of digital access, underscoring a crisis that continues to exclude a large population from the benefits of connectivity.
Dr. Maida
He said the recently launched Nigeria Digital Connectivity Index (NDCI) is part of the government’s renewed efforts to address the problem. Introduced on 9 October 2025, the Index will measure and publish each state’s level of digital readiness annually, encouraging competition and accountability among state governments, according to him.
Despite Nigeria’s Information and Communication Technology Development Index (IDI) score improving from 46.9 in 2024 to 52.9 in 2025, the gains remain largely concentrated in urban centres such as Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt, which together account for as much as 80% of total data usage in the country.
Tunji Jimoh
The EVC noted that by contrast, rural regions still struggle with inadequate fibre infrastructure, high deployment costs and persistent vandalism.
“The digital divide is a barrier to education, healthcare, financial inclusion and economic empowerment,” Dr Maida said. “Bridging this divide is central to achieving inclusive national development, particularly in rural areas where over 45% of Nigeria’s population still faces systemic exclusion from digital opportunities.”
The NCC boss revealed that Nigeria’s broadband penetration currently stands at 48.81%, and research shows that every 10% increase in broadband penetration can lift the GDP of developing economies by about 1.38%. Yet, the gap between cities and villages continues to stifle that potential.
Globally, the average IDI score stands at 77.6, with high-income economies averaging 92. Across Africa, the average is 56.1, leaving Nigeria below the continental mean despite its size and ambitions.
Dr Maida said bridging this gulf requires not just investment in infrastructure but also innovative policy tools.
He pointed to the Commission’s new General Authorisation Framework, introduced in draft form in July 2025, which will allow innovators to pilot technologies such as satellite-based Internet and low-cost 5G towers in underserved regions under a flexible licensing regime.
Summit convener and Business Metrics Limited’s Team Lead, Mr Omobayo Azeez, lamented that Nigeria’s rural communities have become “digitally invisible” in a connected world.
“More than 20 million Nigerians still live without any form of connectivity access,” he said, noting that this figure exceeds the individual populations of about 30 African countries.
Omobayo Azeez
He called the summit “a national call to action” and urged that rural connectivity be treated as a deliberate national priority rather than “a footnote in the development agenda.”
According to him, “Connectivity is more than cables and towers. It is access to education, healthcare, markets, governance and opportunity.”
This notion also aligns with Dr Maida warning that the cost of inaction is profound. “A community without digital connectivity is functionally invisible, cut off from modern education, global markets, specialised healthcare and opportunity. This digital invisibility is an unacceptable situation that we must act decisively to end.”
The summit, which drew participation from both public and private stakeholders, was supported by IHS Nigeria, the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Open Access Data Centres (OADC), MainOne by Equinix, Africa Data Centres (ADC), Western Telecoms & Engineering Limited, ipNX Nigeria Limited, XchangeBox, Zora Communications Limited, and key industry associations including ATCON and ALTON.
