“When I feel the cash in my hand, I know it is real,” Mariam Jubril says, tapping the cracked screen of her Nokia 130 as the sun shines over Kontagora’s Old Market. Behind her, the modest market stalls buzz with the chatter of traders and buyers, punctuated by the occasional honk from nearby traffic.
Her voice lowers when she remembers the day her husband tried to send money to his sister through a mobile app. “The transaction failed three times, but he was debited each time. It took the bank months to fix it,” she says.
For Mariam, and for many Nigerians whose lives are still organised around market squares, communal prayers, and oral traditions, that story is more than an inconvenience; it is a reminder that digital money and, by extension, the digital ecosystem that supports it can feel intangible and risky.
Yet the Nigerian government is increasingly building its future around Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), the digital “rails” that allow citizens to identify themselves, exchange money, and access services online.
Across Africa and globally, DPI typically rests on three pillars: Digital identity, Digital payments, and Data exchange platforms. Nigeria is gradually assembling these building blocks, but the social foundations required for trust in them remain uneven.
This report examines how deep‑rooted traditions shape the nation’s digital divide, why the emerging DPI is facing cultural roadblocks, and what a partnership‑first strategy could look like if Nigeria hopes to build a digital economy that includes everyone.
The Metrics that Matter
A few statistics help frame the scale of the challenge.
| Indicator | Rural Nigeria | Urban Nigeria |
| Smartphone Ownership | 39 % | 73 % |
| Internet Access | 23% | 57% |
| Mobile Money Awareness | 43 % (North‑Central) | 54 % (South‑West) |
| Digital Economy Contribution to GDP | 14 % overall, concentrated in Lagos/Ibadan/Enugu corridors |
Nigeria’s connectivity gap remains significant. According to the GSMA Mobile Connectivity Index 2023, the country scored 52.6, well below the global average of 63.6. The factors assessed include infrastructure, affordability, digital literacy, and policy frameworks. In other words, the country is connected enough to be on the map, yet disconnected enough that most of its citizens feel left out.
Nigeria’s Emerging Digital Public Infrastructure
Nigeria’s digital infrastructure is not being built from scratch. It is emerging through a network of interconnected systems already used by millions.
For the Digital identity layer, the National Identity Management Commission’s identity system has issued over 120 million National Identification Numbers (NIN), expanding the country’s digital identity coverage.
This identity layer underpins many services from SIM registration to bank verification numbers (BVN) and is increasingly seen as the foundation of Nigeria’s DPI.
The Digital payments layer in Nigeria’s real-time payment backbone is the NIBSS Instant Payment (NIP) system, which allows immediate transfers between banks, fintech apps, and mobile money services. From USSD transfers to point-of-sale devices in rural markets, these rails have quietly become one of the most widely used components of Nigeria’s digital ecosystem.
On the data exchange and interoperability layer, the government is moving toward a national framework for interoperable digital services. The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) recently released draft technical standards for Digital Public Infrastructure, alongside plans for a Nigerian Digital Public Infrastructure Centre to coordinate implementation across agencies.
Taken together, these elements form the backbone of Nigeria’s emerging DPI. But building digital rails does not automatically mean people will trust them.
Skepticism Rooted in Tradition
These figures echo in everyday conversations like Mariam’s and in the skepticism of community elders such as Mallam Hassan Galadimma, who doubts the merits of a biometric voting system because, to him, “Voting should be a communal act, a gathering under the shade of a tree where everyone sees the ballot.”
In many Nigerian communities, knowledge travels through stories, proverbs, spoken word, and communal dialogue. Researchers argue that “digital interventions that ignore these social structures often falter because they disrupt the collective sense of belonging.”
When a new tool arrives, communities are more interested in whether it fits the moral compass they have inherited.
Bako Abu, an elder from Dekina, Kogi State, illustrates this perfectly with a proverb his father taught him: “A river whose depth is known cannot drown anyone.” The river, a metaphor for any service, must flow through familiar channels, be visible, and benefit the people directly. A mobile‑money app that operates invisibly, without an addressable “depth,” feels dangerous.
In Nigerian rural society, religious scholars and ethnic leaders often serve as the ultimate validators for new practices. A study shows that confidence in mobile money drops dramatically where such leaders have expressed doubts.
Financial e-services recorded lower adoption in areas where religious or ethnic leaders and beliefs warned against them. The message is that, without the blessing of these gatekeepers, technology remains an outsider.
Mariam’s grandmother’s adage, “If you cannot see the hand that gives you, you cannot be sure it is yours,” captures a broader anxiety with digital transactions being mediated by invisible networks, algorithmic rules, and sometimes foreign servers. In a context where trust is built through face‑to‑face interaction and visible proof (cash, the handshake, the communal vote under a tree), a screen‑based transaction can feel like juju (magic/sorcery).
Policy in the Gap: What the Government is Doing
Nigeria’s digital ambitions are guided by the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) and the National Broadband Plan (2020–2025).
The government had set an ambitious target for broadband access to reach 90% of the population by the end of 2025. The Federal Ministry of Communications pledged 90,000 kilometres of fiber‑optic cable. As of early 2026 February, reports state that about 60% of the planned rollout is in progress. Many citizens believe the project is urban‑centric; usually, fiber projects concentrate on Lagos, Abuja, and the “digital corridors” of the south‑west.
Without reliable electricity, even the best network is moot. The World Bank estimates that 43% of Nigerians still lack a stable power supply, forcing many to rely on solar chargers that cannot sustain a phone for a full day of usage.
Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi, the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), has emphasized a shift towards a “people-first” approach, implying that earlier, more traditional digital initiatives prioritised the technical components over user needs. He says, “Technology is not our ultimate goal; it is a tool to build a better life for our citizens. We must know our own needs and build technology around them, not depend on importing DPI from other countries.”
The upcoming amendment to the Digital Public Infrastructure Act proposes mandatory community consultations before launching any biometric, data‑driven, or financial service. Funds would be earmarked for localized content creation and leader‑training, a direct attempt to bridge the trust gap.
Redefining Digital Inclusion
Closing Nigeria’s digital divide requires both hardware investment and social engagement (human‑centric strategies). The evidence increasingly suggests that this two‑track approach is necessary.
First, accelerate the infrastructure. The Federal Ministry of Communications’ pledge to invest an additional 90,000 fiber‑optic kilometres must proceed alongside rural electrification. Without electricity and connectivity, digital public infrastructure cannot reach the communities it is meant to serve.
Second, embed DPI within local culture. DPI initiatives must be reframed as cultural dialogues. The amendment to the Digital Public Infrastructure Act should mandate community consultations before launching any biometric or data‑driven service. It should also provide funds for localised content creation and for training community leaders as digital ambassadors.
Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi argues that, “The review of the DPI framework and the Nigeria Data Exchange work hand-in-hand to achieve our goal of a digitally empowered nation. But this cannot be done in isolation. Sub-nationals must play a key role to ensure a whole-of-government approach.”
When DPI respects oral traditions, aligns with communal decision‑making, and safeguards privacy in culturally resonant ways, the digital divide narrows among Nigeria’s rural citizens.
As Elder Bako Abu wisely summed up, “We are not against digitalisation, but we must ensure that it is done in a way that respects our traditional practices and values.”
If policymakers, telecom operators, and fintech innovators heed that counsel, Nigeria’s digital future will be one that includes the market women, the village elders, and the children who dream of coding under the shade of a mango tree, not a future that leaves them watching from the sidelines.
This report is produced under the DPI Africa Journalism Fellowship Programme of the Media Foundation for West Africa and Co-Develop.
