Nigeria’s push to regulate cryptocurrencies has overshadowed the implementation of its own national blockchain policy, delaying a strategy that was designed to unlock as much as $40 billion in economic value and help build a blockchain-powered digital economy.
The policy launched three years ago remains largely unimplemented, putting an estimated $2 trillion economic opportunity at risk.
Industry experts say that while president Bola Tinubu’s recently signed Virtual Assets Executive Order and the implementation of the Investments and Securities Act (ISA) 2025 have brought long-awaited clarity to the regulation of digital assets, the broader blockchain agenda has remained largely untouched since the National Blockchain Policy for Nigeria was approved in 2023.
Obinna Iwuno, founder of the Crypto Bootcamp Community, told BusinessDay that Nigeria is among the few countries globally to have adopted a national blockchain policy, yet implementation has stalled.
Iwuno said Nigeria’s National Blockchain Policy, approved three years ago, has remained largely dormant despite expectations that the current administration would accelerate its implementation.
