Economy
How 5G Will Impact Nigeria’s Business Sector in 2021?
5G technology has divided public opinion across the globe. Stories of international data farming, societal controls and even claims of involvement in creating the current COVID-19 pandemic have tarnished its reputation in recent months.
As the conspiracy theories subside, the world pushes forward with plans to implement this game-changing tech and the list of “5G ready” countries looks set to boom in 2021 with Nigeria poised proudly at the front of the queue.
What is 5G?
The fifth-generation network is a wireless connection that makes use of a combination of large radio towers and smaller transmitters to bring an ultra-high frequency signal within reach of populated areas.
Using this signal, entire nations can effectively be transformed into a giant wireless network to connect everyone and everything in its path.
5G technology has been in the pipeline since 2011 when studies of millimetre waves led to research into what is now known as 5G. It’s taken several years of research and testing to get us to this point, but it’s now billed to become the telecom industry standard during the next 20 years.
The production of 5G-ready devices is still very much in its infancy and is certainly playing catch up. Current mobile phones with 4G capabilities aren’t physically able to use the network and neither are the vast majority of tech products in people’s homes.
The race is now on to connect everyone and everything to one super network that will transform businesses not only in terms of day-to-day efficiency but also in the way that user activity data can be relayed and used to enhance marketing methods.
How will 5G benefit business in Nigeria?
As with all countries, Nigerian businesses will use the new tech to transform their everyday activity into a more streamlined version of itself.
In the wake of the current pandemic, remote working is set to remain on the up and 5G’s ability to provide incredibly low latency rates means that online meetings will become as fast and crisp as their face-to-face counterparts.
Not only will low latency improve everyday activities around the office, but it will also mean big advances in the reliability of robotics. Self-drive cars, for example, rely on real-time reactions to adjust to sudden changes in the immediate environment and 5G will help to eliminate safety concerns in this area.
Lighting quick internet connection will also help enhance the online gaming community and pave the way for Nigeria to build on its recent success in La Cup D’Africana tournament where they took the top spot in the biggest PlayerUnknown’s Battleground (PUBG) competition on the continent.
Online casinos are another key area of growth that stands to make big gains from an optimised user experience thanks to 5G technology.
Online gambling in Nigeria is regulated by the National Lottery Regulatory Commission, but be aware that current laws make no provision for online casinos based in other countries so, always use a trusted source to find legitimate organisations such as the casinos that can be found at casinosnotongamstop.xyz.
The housing sector is on course to become an unlikely beneficiary from 5G networks in the coming years as advances in VR, AR and 3D technology will be used to present realistic walkthroughs and detailed presentations of property that will bring real estate marketing into a new era of high-tech marketing.
Demand for property in Nigeria has doubled over the last couple of years and this could be eased dramatically as the production of housing materials becomes more efficient and streamlined in the wake of new network capabilities.
When will 5G be available in Nigeria?
The long-awaited final announcement from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) looks set to be upon us shortly as discussions with key stakeholders are entering their final stages.
After trials were rolled out during 2019, the NCC has made use of a consultation period to assess the health implications and environmental impact of the new 5G infrastructure. No huge concerns have been raised and the final piece of the puzzle is largely a question of finances as the commission clarifies who the major players will be in this market.
Although no fixed date has been set, it does look to be increasingly likely that early 2021 will see the country join the super-fast internet elite.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Analysts at Meristem Research have projected that the inflation rate in Nigeria for March 2026 should further moderate to 13.59 per cent on a year-on-year basis from the 15.06 per cent recorded in February 2026.
The company, in a note sighted by Business Post, explained that easing in the average prices of goods and services for last month would be impacted by a high base from the same period of 2025, but noted that on a month-on-month basis, the rate will spike.
Last month, energy prices soared after the price of crude oil on the global market soared as a result of the war in Iran, with prices of items growing in Nigeria.
“However, month-on-month pressures are likely to pick up, driven by the renewed increases in energy prices, which should nudge headline inflation higher.
“Core inflation is also likely to edge higher, reflecting second-round effects from higher transportation and production costs, although the relative stability of the Naira should help moderate the pace of increase.
“Food inflation is also expected to rise on a month-on-month basis, driven by higher logistics and distribution costs, as well as recent increases in staple food prices,” a part of the report noted.
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) is expected to release the inflation numbers later today.
Nigeria’s headline inflation rate moderated marginally by 0.04 per cent to 15.06 per cent in February 2026 from 15.10 per cent in January 2026, though on a month-on-month basis, inflationary pressures accelerated.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria’s total public debt rose from N153.29 trillion at the end of September 2025 to N159.28 trillion in December 2025, according to the latest data released by the Debt Management Office (DMO) on Tuesday.
The increase indicates a quarter-on-quarter increase of N5.98 trillion or 3.9 per cent.
The debt office noted that the December 2025 figures are provisional and were converted using the Central Bank of Nigeria’s official exchange rate of N1,435.25/$, while the September 2025 figures were converted using N1,474.85/$.
On a year-on-year basis, the debt profile marked an increase of N14.61 trillion or 10.1 per cent, from N144.67 trillion in December 2024 to N159.28 trillion in December 2025, representing a rise from $94.23 billion to $110.97 billion, an increase of $16.75 billion, in Dollar terms.
Domestic debt remained the largest, rising from N81.82 trillion in September 2025 to N84.85 trillion in December 2025.
This represents a quarter-on-quarter increase of N3.03 trillion or 3.7 per cent compared to December 2024, when domestic debt stood at N74.38 trillion – the figure increased by N10.47 trillion or 14.1 per cent year-on-year.
In Dollar terms, domestic debt rose from $55.47 billion in September 2025 to $59.12 billion in December 2025, and from $48.44 billion in December 2024. This highlights a sustained reliance on the domestic market for financing.
The federal government accounted for the bulk of domestic debt at N80.49 trillion, representing 50.53 per cent of total public debt, while states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) accounted for N4.36 trillion.
Nigeria’s external debt stood at N74.43 trillion as of December 2025, representing 46.73 per cent of total public debt.
This reflects a quarter-on-quarter increase of N2.95 trillion from N71.48 trillion in September 2025, and a year-on-year increase of N4.14 trillion from N70.29 trillion recorded in December 2024.
In Dollar terms, external debt rose from $48.46 billion in September 2025 to $51.86 billion in December 2025, and from $45.78 billion in December 2024.
The federal government continued to dominate external borrowing, accounting for N66.27 trillion of the total external debt, while states and the FCT accounted for N8.16 trillion.
However, the structure of Nigeria’s debt portfolio remained broadly stable despite the increase in overall debt.
While domestic debt accounted for 53.27 per cent of total debt in December 2025, compared to 53.37 per cent in September 2025 and 51.41 per cent in December 2024, external debt stood at 46.73 per cent in December 2025, compared to 46.63 per cent in September 2025 and 48.59 per cent a year earlier.
By Dipo Olowookere
The volume of premium motor spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, consumed daily in Nigeria stood at 47.3 million litres in March 2026 compared with the 56.9 million litres recorded in February 2026.
This information was revealed by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) in its latest factsheet.
The decline in daily petrol consumption in Nigeria coincided with a hike in the price of the product, triggered by a rise in global crude oil prices as a result of the Middle East crisis.
The United States and Israel launched airstrikes in Iran in late February, with crude oil rising above $100 per barrel and even above $110 per barrel at one point.
The price is currently below $100 per barrel on the global market after the President of the United States, Mr Donald Trump, signalled his intention to negotiate with Iran amid the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz.
Data by NMDPRA also showed that diesel consumption eased to 14.5 million litres per day from the previous month’s 20.3 million litres per day, while aviation fuel stood at 2.1 million litres per day versus 2.9 million litres per day in February 2026.
It was also disclosed that PMS daily supply for the month under review increased to 40.1 million litres per day from the preceding month’s 39.5 million litres per day.
From this, domestic supply came down by 6.30 per cent to 34.2 million litres per day from 36.5 million litres per day, while imported petrol stood at 5.9 million litres per day versus 3.0 million litres per day a month earlier.
Business Post observed that Dangote Refinery supplied about 34.2 million litres per day of PMS into the Nigerian market from the 48.2 million litres per day it produced. The private refiner produced 16.5 million litres of diesel per day in March 2026, supplying 2.2 million litres per day into the domestic market.
In the period, the Warri and Kaduna refineries were totally shut down, while the Port Harcourt refinery, according to the report, though it was shut down, witnessed the evacuation of about 0.048 million litres of diesel per day while it was operational.
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