Follow Us on Google Discover
Nigeria climbed four places to 62nd globally in StartupBlink’s Global Startup Ecosystem Index 2026, marking its highest ranking since 2022.
The country had slipped from 64th to 66th over the previous two years before recovering in 2026. The recovery came alongside 31.8% ecosystem growth, comfortably ahead of the 17.5% global average and the roughly 20% African average among top-ranked countries.
The improvement was enough to move Nigeria up one place to third in Africa, behind South Africa and Kenya, while maintaining its position as West Africa’s leading startup ecosystem.
Nigeria also tops Africa in Ecosystem Value, at $20.0 billion, despite ranking third overall on the continent. It also leads Africa in online banking and cryptocurrency, ranking 13th and 17th globally, respectively.
Also Read
The main weakness is the business environment. StartupBlink’s Innovators Business Environment Index ranks Nigeria 95th out of 125 countries, highlighting a gap between the strength of its startup activity and the broader business environment.
Five Nigerian cities rank among the world’s top 1,000, with four improving their positions this year.
In this report, Nairametrics examines how Nigeria’s ten highest-ranked startup cities performed in the 2026 index, alongside the developments shaping each ecosystem on the ground.
10. Kano — Global Rank: 1,208th
Kano grew 13.0% but fell 8 places globally and dropped three spots nationally, closing out the top ten with 0.7% of the national score (0.118).
This is a marked slide for a city that ranked among Nigeria’s top seven as recently as 2025.
Kano’s startup ecosystem spans fintech, digital commerce and locally focused digital services, with companies such as payments infrastructure provider Zainpay and Kallo.ng, Nigeria’s first Hausa-language streaming platform, among the city’s notable startups.
The Kano Digital Innovation Network hub, founded in 2023, has become a focal point for the city’s newer tech activity.
9. Owerri — Global Rank: 1,204th
Owerri rose 119 places globally, climbing three spots nationally to 9th place with a score of 0.119 (0.7% of the national total).
Imo State has been making a deliberate push to develop its technology talent and startup ecosystem.
In 2025 it launched ImoTalentHub.com in partnership with UC Berkeley and the US Market Access Center, targeting 100,000 paid global roles for Imo-trained tech professionals. The initiative builds on the state’s Skill Up Imo training programme, which began in 2022 and has already graduated more than 40,000 people.
The state also established the Imo State University of Innovation, Science and Technology in 2025.
8. Abeokuta — Global Rank: 1,071st
Abeokuta jumped 254 places globally, the largest global-rank gain among Nigerian cities this year, moving up five spots nationally into 8th place with 0.9% of the national score (0.154).
The city has also attracted fresh investment in digital infrastructure. In June 2025, the Nigerian Communications Commission commissioned a Digital Innovation Park in Abeokuta.
The Ogun Tech Hub “Window on America” also opened that year as a U.S. Consulate-backed innovation space.
It was the 29th such “American Space” in Nigeria and was established in partnership with the Ogun State Government and local technology firm GFA Technologies.
7. Benin City — Global Rank: 1,026th
Benin City climbed 224 places globally on 127.4% growth, the second-fastest rate in the country, moving up three spots nationally to claim 7th place.
It holds 1.0% of the national score (0.167).
The city features in StartupSouth’s South-South & South-East Startup Ecosystem & State of Digital Jobs Report 2025, which mapped 304 startups and 98 enterprise support organisations across 11 southern states.
The report found that startup activity is spread across multiple cities, including Port Harcourt, Enugu, Aba, Owerri and Benin City, rather than being concentrated in a single hub.
6. Ilorin — Global Rank: 1,020th
Ilorin is the outlier on this list: it fell 135 places globally and posted the country’s only negative growth rate, at -2.8%.
It held its 6th-place national ranking regardless, with 1.0% of the national score (0.172). That figure sits oddly against what’s happening on the ground: the Ilorin Innovation Hub, a Kwara State Government partnership with IHS Nigeria that began operations in February 2025, describes itself as the largest facility of its kind in West Africa, with capacity for more than 1,000 users.
Co-managed with Co-Creation Hub and Future Africa, it trained 171 AI engineers in its first year and held its first investor Demo Day, “The Convergence,” in April 2026, showcasing 19 startups selected from a first cohort of more than 50.
5. Enugu — Global Rank: 714th
Enugu rose 16 places to 714th globally on 35.5% growth, but slipped one spot nationally, to 5th, as Port Harcourt’s faster climb passed it.
It holds 2.0% of the national score (0.353).
The state government has backed the push with a $10 million Startup Seed Fund, the Enugu Campus Hackathon series and the Turing Tech Training Program, launched in 2025.
Enugu has advanced its own Startup Bill as part of efforts to domesticate the federal Nigeria Startup Act at the state level.
Since the inaugural Enugu Tech Festival in 2025, ten new tech hubs have opened in the state, including a dedicated Blockchain Hub.
4. Port Harcourt — Global Rank: 679th
Port Harcourt grew 81.5%, gaining 124 places to rank 679th globally. The growth also lifted it one spot nationally to 4th, overtaking Enugu, which held that position last year.
It now holds 2.2% of the national score (0.391). The city has the highest density of physical tech hubs of any Nigerian city outside Lagos and Abuja.
Its Ken Saro-Wiwa Innovation Hub runs incubation programmes jointly with the Rivers State Investment Management Authority and the Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce.
3. Ibadan — Global Rank: 522nd
Ibadan was the highest-ranked Nigerian city to decline this year, falling 40 places to 522nd globally.
Its ecosystem still grew 9.2%, but that was far behind the growth recorded by several of its peers, leaving it with 3.8% of the national score (0.664).
The city’s ecosystem still has significant institutional depth. Wennovation Hub, established in 2010, is one of Nigeria’s oldest innovation hubs and says it has supported more than 450 startup teams.
The city is also home to the University of Ibadan, Nigeria’s first university, established in 1948.
The Ibadan Tech Expo, an annual showcase for local founders and innovators, is scheduled to return on November 27, 2026.
2. Abuja — Global Rank: 347th
Abuja rose 52 places to 347th globally on 57.1% growth — one of the strong performances among Nigeria’s major ecosystems.
It holds 8.5% of the national score (1.487) and ranks 100th globally in Agtech, its leading sector.
Abuja has the second-deepest hub infrastructure in Nigeria, and its ecosystem has a distinct character from Lagos. While Lagos is heavily associated with consumer fintech, Abuja has developed a strong presence in regulatory technology, civic data platforms, government-focused payment systems and social-impact ventures.
That ecosystem is also being strengthened through new initiatives. The Abuja Investment Company Limited ran the 2026 Abuja Young Entrepreneurs Hunt, selecting 600 entrepreneurs from more than 1,300 applications. The programme covered ICT, agriculture and fashion.
The newly launched Abuja Innovation Ecosystem Connect (AIEC) is also bringing founders, innovators and other ecosystem stakeholders together to strengthen collaboration.
1. Lagos — Global Rank: 70th
Lagos rose six places to 70th globally on 23.2% growth, holding its position as Africa’s highest-ranked startup city.
Its score of 13.826 accounts for 78.2% of Nigeria’s total national score — 9.3 times the score of second-ranked Abuja.
Lagos ranks 50th globally in Financial Services, its strongest individual industry.
Lagos remains by far Nigeria’s largest startup hub, with 987 startups — roughly two-thirds of the 1,500 or so tracked across the country. StartupBlink puts the city’s ecosystem value at $17.8 billion, the highest figure recorded for any African ecosystem.
Its depth is also reflected in the number of companies that have reached unicorn status. Four major startups with roots in Lagos — Interswitch, Flutterwave, Moniepoint and Moove — have each crossed the $1 billion valuation mark, spanning payments, business banking, fintech and mobility.
The scale of Lagos’ startup base, combined with its concentration of high-value companies, gives the city a commanding lead over every other Nigerian ecosystem.
What you should know
StartupBlink identifies some notable ecosystem builders supporting Nigeria’s startup landscape, spanning government institutions, state authorities, innovation hubs and investors.
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is recognised for its role in implementing the Nigeria Startup Act, developing digital infrastructure and shaping the regulatory environment for technology and innovation.
The Enugu State Government is also highlighted for supporting the ecosystem through initiatives including a startup seed fund, the Turing Tech Training Programme and campus hackathons aimed at improving youth employment.
Private-sector organisations are also playing a role.
Co-Creation Hub (CcHub) is recognised for its incubation, acceleration, research and developer-community programmes, while Lagos-based venture capital firm Ventures Platform provides early-stage funding to African startups from pre-seed through Series A.
