In 2023, Nigerian developers earned $13 million (approximately N10.10 billion at an exchange rate of N777 per dollar) from the Android app economy, according to a report commissioned by Google.
This report, titled “The Digital Opportunity of Nigeria,” was conducted by global research firm Public First.
It also revealed that the Android developer ecosystem in Nigeria supported over 24,500 jobs across the country, underscoring the growing impact of digital development.
Nigerian developers contributed 1.86 percent of the estimated $700 million earned by Sub-Saharan African developers in 2023.
The Sub-Saharan region, known for its youthful and rapidly expanding developer community, currently boasts a total of over 500,000 developers.
Among the leading nations in this space, South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya each have over 50,000 developers.
Google emphasized the pivotal role its mobile ecosystem, particularly Android and the Google Play Store, plays in supporting this growth.
The platform provides essential tools and resources for developers to distribute their apps and services efficiently.
This is especially important in Nigeria, where most citizens access the internet through Android-powered mobile devices, making the platform a cornerstone for digital accessibility.
One of the key advantages of Android in Nigeria is its standard compatibility across different devices, which eliminates the need for developers to create multiple versions of their apps.
This boosts productivity and allows developers to save considerable time and resources. Google estimates that Android has saved Nigerian developers over 144,000 workdays, equating to a financial saving of about $2.4 million in reduced development costs.
With the Google Play Store’s vast reach—offering access to a global market of 2.5 billion users who make over 140 billion downloads annually—Nigerian developers have a significant opportunity to market their products to a wider audience.
Many developers from the country are already contributing to the success of leading African tech startups, including Flutterwave, Chipper, and Paystack.
Speaking during the report’s unveiling, Olumide Balogun, West Africa Director at Google, stressed the importance of Nigeria’s developer pipeline in fostering the growth of successful businesses.
“Only about 500 developers built the popular unicorns in Nigeria. Now imagine what can be achieved with more,” he remarked, emphasizing the potential for further expansion in the tech space.
Google also highlighted the broader economic advantages of investing in technology. According to the report, for every $1 invested in technology in Nigeria, more than $8 in economic benefits are generated.
In 2023 alone, Google’s suite of services is estimated to have contributed around $1.8 billion in economic activity for Nigeria’s businesses, nonprofits, publishers, creators, and developers. This contribution further underlines the transformative role technology plays in the nation’s economy.
As the digital landscape in Nigeria continues to evolve, the report underscores the importance of fostering technological innovation and supporting developers to build on the growing success of the Android app ecosystem.
With the country’s developer community steadily increasing, there is significant potential for even greater economic benefits in the years to come.
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