Nigeria’s telecommunications sector has recorded its strongest real GDP growth in the first quarter of 2026, reinforcing its position as one of the country’s most resilient economic engines despite broader macroeconomic pressures.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Q1 2026 GDP report, the Telecommunications and Information Services sector grew by 12.24 percent in real terms year-on-year during the quarter, a performance that marks an improvement from the 7.82 percent recorded in Q1 2025 and is significantly above the 4.04 percent growth posted in Q1 2024.
The latest figures show a sector that has moved beyond pandemic-era recovery into a new phase of expansion driven by rising data consumption, fintech integration, digital services, enterprise connectivity, and increasing demand for artificial intelligence-enabled infrastructure.
The telecom sector’s growth trajectory over the last three years reflects how deeply digital services are becoming embedded in Nigeria’s economy.
Read also: Meta’s subscription rollout signals end of free social media era
