Economic activities in the telecommunication industry boosted the contribution of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector to the nation’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as it added 10.07%.
This is according to the Q4 2025 GDP data released on Friday by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
This shows an increase in contribution when compared with the 9.79% the sector added to the economy in 2024.
According to the NBS, for GDP calculation, the ICT sector comprises the four activities of Telecommunications and Information Services; Publishing; Motion Picture, Sound Recording, and Music Production, and Broadcasting.
What the data is saying
Of the 10.07% total sectoral contribution, Telecoms alone accounted for 7.29%, leaving other industries in the sector with less than 3% contribution.
According to the NBS data, in the fourth quarter of 2025, the sector growth was recorded at 26.34% (year-onyear), 8.37% points increase from the rate of 17.97% recorded in the same quarter of 2024, and 5.46% points higher than the rate recorded in the preceding quarter.
- “The quarter-on- quarter growth rate in the fourth quarter of 2025 was 19.58%. Overall, the growth of the sector was 24.96% in 2025 relative to 12.68% in 2024.
- “The Information and Communications sector contributed 9.19% to the total Nominal GDP in the fourth quarter of 2025, higher than the rate of 8.55% recorded in the same quarter of 2024 and higher than the 8.31% it contributed in the preceding quarter.
- “The sector in the fourth quarter of 2025 recorded a growth rate of 7.55% in real terms, year-on-year. From the rate recorded in the corresponding period of 2024, there was an increase of 0.55% points. On a quarter-on-quarter basis, the sector exhibited a growth of 18.75% in real terms.
- “Overall, the sector grew by 6.85% in 2025, higher than the 5.57% recorded in 2024,” NBS stated.
Of total real GDP, the sector contributed 9.64% in the fourth quarter of 2025, higher than in the same quarter of the previous year, in which it represented 9.32%, and higher than the preceding quarter, in which it represented 9.10%.
- “The annual contribution of 10.07% was recorded in 2025 from 9.79% in 2024,” the NBS added.
Get up to speed
The telecoms sector performance may have come as a result of a deliberate push by the telecom regulator to push up the industry’s contribution to GDP.
Not long ago, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Dr. Aminu Maida, said the Commission and the Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy were working on the right policies to push the contribution of the telecom sector to 25%.
According to him, the sector had done well with 14.58% contribution (pre-GDP rebasing), but it could do better if the current challenges confronting the sector are addressed.
- “Myself and the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, are working very closely, looking at the right policies to ensure sustainability for an industry that has done so well for the country, with 14% GDP contribution.
- “We believe we can do 25%% and above, and work is going on in that regard with the Ministry,” Maida said at a telecoms forum in Lagos.
What you should know
Nigeria’s GDP grew by 4.07% year-on-year in real terms in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to the NBS report.
The performance indicates a stronger economic expansion compared to earlier quarters.
In Q3 2025, GDP grew by 3.98% year-on-year in real terms. The Q3 2025 figure was higher than the 3.86% recorded in the same quarter of 2024.
