The Potential Of The Internet In Nigeria

Temi Kolawole

History

• The Internet became a reality in Nigeria in the late 90's
• Obafemi Awolowo University was the first university in Nigeria to have its own VSAT internet link.

Progress So Far

• Cybercafes have boomed over the past 10 years with at least 2 on every major urban road in Nigerian cities.
• Telecom Providers have taken this into Nigerian homes with wireless dialup internet plans.
• Nigeria is now the largest internet user in Africa, with over 10% of the continent's population.
• Nigerians now rely on the internet for more and more daily activities & business.

Africa Top 10 Internet Countries

Internet Penetration in Africa

Obstacles

• Power outages
• Low (but growing) level of appreciation for web 2.0.
• Fraud
• Poor e-Commerce options

Potential & Opportunities

• Nigeria has the largest population in Africa.
• Nigeria is still behind on the web 2.0 scene.
• The web industry in Nigeria is still very unsaturated.
• The ever reducing cost of Internet usage makes more and more people use it.
• The mobile boom being experienced creates opportunity for lots of mobile & 3G integration.
• The level of competition in the Nigerian web industry is still low.

In Summary

• Nigeria can become Africa's "Russia" or even "India" when it comes to the internet. What all these countries have in common is a large population.
• The Nigerian market is still young, and is at least 7 years behind.
• There is a LOT of opportunity for web startups in Nigeria.