Nigeria’s telecommunications and information services sector contributed N5.20 trillion to real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the second quarter of 2026, as rising data consumption and stronger performance by major operators drove growth.
According to the latest GDP report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the sector grew by 10.38 per cent year-on-year in real terms, accelerating from 7.39 per cent recorded in the corresponding quarter of 2025.
Its contribution to real GDP increased to 9.72 per cent, from 9.20 per cent a year earlier, making telecommunications and information services the fourth-largest individual contributor to Nigeria’s real economic output during the quarter.
The sector also significantly outpaced the broader economy, which expanded by 4.43 per cent year-on-year in real terms in Q2 2026, compared with 4.23 per cent in Q2 2025.
At the broader industry level, the Information and Communication sector, which includes telecommunications and information services, broadcasting, motion pictures, sound recording and music production, and publishing, grew by 9.62 per cent in real terms.
The sector’s contribution to real GDP rose to 11.74 per cent, compared with 11.18 per cent in Q2 2025 and 11.31 per cent in the first quarter of 2026.
In nominal terms, Information and Communication generated N14.64 trillion, representing 12.27 per cent of aggregate nominal GDP, up from N10.07 trillion, or 10 per cent, in the same quarter of 2025.
Nominal growth in the sector accelerated to 45.32 per cent year-on-year during the quarter.
The strong telecommunications performance comes amid increased demand for data and improved financial results from the country’s major mobile network operators, particularly MTN Nigeria and Airtel Nigeria.
MTN Nigeria recorded N1.09 trillion in profit before tax in the first half of 2026, representing a 75.4 per cent increase from the previous year, driven by stronger data demand, improved operational efficiency and lower borrowing costs.
The company said average monthly data usage per subscriber rose by 15.2 per cent year-on-year to 14.8 gigabytes, while its active data-user base increased by 9.3 per cent to 55.7 million.
Airtel Nigeria also recorded significant growth, with revenue rising 50.4 per cent year-on-year in reported currency to $501 million.
Data revenue increased by 59.9 per cent to $263 million, while voice revenue rose 42.6 per cent to $191 million. Its customer base grew by 12 per cent to 60.1 million, while data customers increased by 11 per cent to 32.5 million.
The growth in telecommunications has coincided with a sharp increase in Nigerians’ reliance on digital services.
The Nigerian Communications Commission said in May 2026 that Nigerians were consuming approximately 45,800 terabytes of data daily, underscoring the rapid expansion of internet usage.
Network investment has also remained a key driver of the sector’s expansion, with the NCC reporting that telecommunications operators invested more than N2.5 trillion in network infrastructure in 2025.
Other components of the Information and Communication sector also recorded growth during the quarter.
Broadcasting generated N762.29 billion in real output and contributed 1.43 per cent to real GDP, while growing by 4.98 per cent year-on-year, up from 2.78 per cent in Q2 2025.
Motion pictures, sound recording and music production contributed N305.60 billion, representing 0.57 per cent of real GDP, while its growth accelerated to 9.15 per cent from 4.07 per cent a year earlier.
Publishing generated N8.55 billion in real output and contributed 0.02 per cent to real GDP, with real growth of 1.90 per cent.
Overall, the figures underscore the growing importance of telecommunications to Nigeria’s economy, with the sector expanding at more than twice the pace of the wider economy and generating over N5 trillion in real output in a single quarter.
Boluwatife Enome
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