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Nigerian developers earned $13 million (N10.10 billion at N777/$) from the Android app economy in 2023, according to a report commissioned by Google. The report, titled ‘The Digital Opportunity of Nigeria,’ and conducted by global research firm Public First, also revealed that the Android developer ecosystem supported over 24,500 jobs nationwide.
This means that Nigerian developers earned 1.86 percent of the estimated $700 million Sub-Saharan African developers earned in 2023. The region’s growing and youthful developer community ensures that it has a rich pipeline of developers, standing at over 500,000. South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya boast over 50,000 developers each.
Google highlighted that its mobile ecosystem—including Android and the Google Play Store— is crucial to supporting this growth, providing key resources that enable developers in the country to distribute their apps and services.
Android is particularly important in the country because most Nigerians access the internet through a mobile device powered by Android.
The tech giant noted that Android’s standard compatibility across various devices prevents the need to develop multiple versions of apps, helping developers maximise productivity. “We estimate that Android has saved app developers in Nigeria over 144,000 days—the equivalent of $2.4 million in reduced development costs.
“With Google Play Store’s extensive global footprint, Nigerian developers can draw on a vast market of 2.5 billion users across the world, who in turn make over 140 billion downloads a year, to market their products.”
Many of these developers are driving the success of the continent’s leading tech startups, including Flutterwave, Chipper, and Paystack. Olumide Balogun, West Africa Director, Google, noted that this rich pipeline of developers is crucial for building more successful businesses.
“Only about 500 developers built the popular unicorns in Nigeria. Now imagine what can be achieved with more,” he said during the report’s unveiling.
Beyond supporting developers, Google highlighted the broader economic benefits of investing in technology. The company noted that every $1 invested in technology in Nigeria generates over $8 in economic benefits.
It added that Its suite of services contributed an estimated $1.8 billion in economic activity for Nigeria’s businesses, nonprofits, publishers, creators, and developers in 2023.” (BusinessDay)
