Nigeria’s Information and Communication sector strengthened its contribution to economic output in the second quarter of 2026, recording 9.62 per cent real growth year-on-year, more than twice the pace of the overall economy.
The latest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed that the sector contributed 11.74 per cent to Nigeria’s real GDP in Q2 2026, up from 11.18 per cent in the corresponding quarter of 2025 and 11.31 per cent in Q1 2026.
The performance came as the Nigerian economy expanded by 4.43 per cent year-on-year in real terms during the quarter, compared with 3.89 per cent in the preceding quarter.
The Information and Communication sector comprises telecommunications and information services, publishing, motion pictures, sound recording and music production, and broadcasting.
Within the sector, telecommunications and information services remained the dominant contributor, accounting for 9.72 per cent of total real GDP in Q2, up from 9.20 per cent in Q2 2025 and 9.19 per cent in Q1 2026.
In monetary terms, the sub-sector generated about ₦5.20 trillion in real GDP during the quarter, according to the NBS figures. Its real growth accelerated to 10.38 per cent, compared with 7.39 per cent in Q2 2025.
The broader Information and Communication sector generated approximately ₦6.28 trillion in real output in Q2, with telecommunications accounting for the overwhelming share.
Other components also contributed to the sector’s performance. Broadcasting accounted for about ₦762.3 billion, with motion pictures, sound recording and music production contributing approximately ₦305.6 billion. Publishing remained the smallest component at about ₦8.6 billion.
The Information and Communication sector recorded a significantly stronger 45.32 per cent year-on-year growth in Q2 2026, compared with 21.39 per cent in the corresponding quarter of 2025.
The sector’s nominal contribution to GDP also rose to 12.27 per cent, from 10 per cent a year earlier and 9.54 per cent in Q1 2026. The sector’s nominal output was approximately ₦14.64 trillion during the quarter.
The figures underscore the increasing weight of digital connectivity and communication services in Nigeria’s economic structure, particularly as businesses and households rely more heavily on mobile networks, internet services, digital payments, e-commerce and other technology-enabled services.
The NBS identified information and communication, particularly telecommunications, as one of the major activities supporting the performance of the non-oil economy in Q2, alongside agriculture, real estate, trade, financial and insurance services, manufacturing, and construction.
The sector’s performance also comes amid sustained growth in internet usage. Citing the latest figures, reported that Nigeria had about 156.9 million internet users during the period, reflecting the expanding demand for connectivity and data services.
Also, the sector’s rising economic contribution has placed greater emphasis on the need for continued investment in telecommunications infrastructure, fibre networks, broadband, spectrum, data centres, and a reliable power supply.
However, operators continue to contend with high infrastructure deployment costs, energy expenses, foreign exchange pressures and other operating challenges, which could affect the pace at which network capacity is expanded to meet rising demand.
The Q2 figures consequently reinforce telecommunications and the wider Information and Communication sector as important drivers of Nigeria’s non-oil economy, with their continued expansion increasingly tied to productivity across financial services, commerce, education, entertainment and other sectors.