Nigeria’s aspirations to become a leading hub in the global technology landscape will remain unfulfilled without a consistent and stable power supply, according to Ms. Wofai Samuel, the Acting Director-General of the Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce (NACC). Speaking in an interview on Monday, Samuel emphasized the fundamental link between reliable electricity and technological advancement, asserting that one cannot thrive without the other.
“Without power, how do we even drive technology? So, power is correlated to technology. Technology is correlated to power,” Samuel stated, underscoring the intrinsic relationship that currently hinders Nigeria’s full exploration of its vast potential in the tech sector.
Despite contributing approximately 17.68% to Nigeria’s real GDP in 2024, the tech sector’s growth is consistently challenged by the nation’s erratic power infrastructure. The average Nigerian household reportedly receives less than 10 hours of electricity per day, forcing businesses and individuals to rely heavily on costly and environmentally unfriendly alternative power sources like diesel and petrol generators.
This significantly inflates operational costs for tech startups and established firms, diverting capital that could otherwise be invested in innovation, talent development, and expansion.
Samuel highlighted that the rapid global pace of technological advancement, driven by interconnectedness through the internet and data, demands consistent energy. She noted that while developed nations leverage technology to stimulate growth and innovation, Nigeria’s progress is impeded as long as it struggles to ensure stable power.
The NACC Acting DG pointed to the thriving banking and financial technology (fintech) sectors in Nigeria as an example of what is possible when technology is effectively integrated.
The World Bank projects banking and fintech as among Nigeria’s fastest-growing sectors in 2025, a growth largely attributed to technological innovations enabling online and mobile banking. However, even these sectors face significant operational hurdles due to power instability.
Samuel stressed the importance of both local and international collaborations to advance Nigeria’s tech sector. She cited a recent approximately $600 billion investment by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince in the U.S. technology sector as a model for African nations. “If America, the biggest tech sector in the world, is collaborating with other regions and countries on advancing the tech sector, then who are we in Africa not to follow suit?” she queried.
She further referenced the global dominance of U.S. tech giants such as Meta, Google, Tesla, and X, along with breakthroughs in Artificial Intelligence like ChatGPT and Meta AI, as evidence of technology’s transformative power. To truly accelerate the continent’s tech evolution, Samuel encouraged African tech platforms to actively participate in international technology summits and conferences, which she believes are vital for strategic networking and global visibility.
Finally, Ms. Samuel called on government officials, particularly ministers of communication and commissioners of science and technology, to play a more active role in shaping policies that genuinely support the growth of the technology sector. Without addressing the foundational issue of stable power supply, industry experts argue that Nigeria’s ambitions to diversify its economy away from oil and fully harness its digital potential will remain a distant vision.
