What $400m market projection truly means for Nigeria's edtech industry

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January 31, 2025
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4 min read
Nigeria's edtech industry

Nigeria's edtech industry is poised for significant growth, with a market projection of $400 million in 2025. Despite challenges such as poor internet connectivity and infrastructure gaps, edtech platforms are helping to bridge the education gap between students from different backgrounds.  

Each calendar year presents another opportunity for EdTech platforms to display what they have and how the Nigerian child can benefit from quality education. However, with over 18 million out-of-school children in the country, the harvest seems to be ripe with few labourers.

Founded in 2020, Afrilearn started with the passion of two like-minded individuals who wanted to use the opportunity technology provides to give every Nigerian child quality education. Today, it uses a gamified app to allow students to learn with ease, while equipping teachers with up-to-date curriculum for their lesson plans and teaching aids. 

Like Afrilearn, uLesson, and a host of other edtech platforms are using innovative methods to empower African minds with learning. 

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Bridging the education gap in Nigeria

Many rural communities still find it difficult to access quality education; it is a luxury that households in these communities cannot afford. However, with the advent of edtech platforms, the narrative has changed for some of these children. 

Abosede Oke, a former school teacher in one of the communities in Agege, Lagos State, now resident in Ogun State as a private tutor, said using the notes provided on edtech platforms to teach primary and secondary classes is a testament to the impact edtech is making. She uses ready-to-use lesson notes from one of the platforms to deliver engaging and interactive lessons to her students. 

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Like Oke, other private tutors now use the opportunity edtech platforms present to earn more money as well as upgrade their teaching methods. 

Despite the potential of edtech, these platforms still face numerous challenges in Nigeria. One of the major setbacks has been the lack of reliable internet connectivity in many rural areas. 

Another example is a corps member serving as a mathematics teacher in Kebbi State, northern Nigeria, who would like to use these platforms to teach her students. However, poor network connectivity hinders this, despite the students' eagerness.

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“The students are eager to learn; it would be a good thing if the network wouldn't interfere and if we could also have instructions in their language as well. Some of the children can learn further using their parents' phones,” she said.

An unreliable network connection makes it difficult for students to access online learning resources, especially for those schools without subject teachers who rely majorly on textbooks. Using edtech platforms as an alternative is unrealistic due to poor internet services. 

Despite these challenges, edtech platforms are making a significant impact in Nigeria. By providing access to quality educational resources, these platforms are helping to bridge the education gap between students irrespective of their backgrounds and socioeconomic status. 

Learners from disadvantaged backgrounds now have the same access to quality education as their more privileged peers. 

Oke’s experience with edtech is a case in point. She notes that since she started using the edtech platform’s lesson notes, her students’ performance has improved significantly.

“The lesson notes are well-structured. With various quizzes and video lessons, students who were finding it hard to assimilate what I teach readily do so and feel motivated to do more.”

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What  edtech platforms truly need

As edtech platforms continue to evolve in Nigeria, it is evident that these platforms have the potential to do even more with greater support. Government initiatives to improve internet connectivity and infrastructure would go a long way in enabling edtech platforms to reach more students. 

Nigeria's Federal Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, speaking during the Mastercard Foundation Edtech conference in Abuja last year, emphasised the significance of inclusion in learning. According to him, “Inclusion is the cornerstone of edtech. If we fail to reach all learners, we fail to fulfil our potential to revolutionise education.”

Partnerships between edtech platforms, educational institutions, and local communities would help develop more context-specific content and ensure that these platforms are meeting the actual needs of Nigerian students, such as those in Amanawa, where mathematics taught in their local language would make a huge difference. 

Hitting $400 million market projection for Nigeria's edtech industry

As an industry projected to hit significant growth of $400 million in 2025, Nigeria's edtech platforms are excited and concerned about the opportunities as well as the challenges in front of them.

The growth predicted by EdTechX is driven by the increasing demand for digital learning solutions, improved internet penetration, and the government's efforts to integrate technology into the education sector. 

According to HolonIQ, edtech globally is growing at 16.3 per cent and will grow 2.5 times from 2019 to 2025, reaching $404 billion in total global expenditure. 

Co-founder of Afrilearn, one of Africa's leading edtech platforms, told Techpoint Africa that the market projection for Nigeria's edtech industry is both exciting and realistic.

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“The projection that Nigeria’s edtech market could hit $400 million this year is both exciting and realistic. We have a rapidly growing youth population, a thriving startup scene, and increasing mobile internet adoption, all of which fuel this surge in the sector.”

“Yet, even with that growth, there are untapped opportunities. For one, localised digital content, designed in local languages and aligned to national curricula, is still limited. There’s also immense potential in teacher upskilling, like many educators needing digital teaching skills, and providing them effectively could drive further edtech adoption. 

“Additionally, micro-learning and bite-sized content remain under-tapped areas that cater to Africa’s on-the-go learners who may not have a stable, continuous internet.”

As other experts and founders in the education industry said, the barrier to the edtech market surpassing expectations remains a huge concern as long as internet penetration remains low. 

Oladipupo added, “In terms of challenges, infrastructure gaps, especially power and reliable internet, remain a barrier. Still, strategic partnerships with telecom companies, NGOs, and governments can help bridge these divides. Ultimately, our market has the passion and the numbers to surpass $400 million. 

“By focusing on local relevance, teacher support, and simple yet scalable solutions, we can unlock an even larger slice of Nigeria's edtech industry pie and transform learning for millions.”

Juliana is a writer whose work covers crucial societal topics. When she's not putting pen to paper, she's packing a bag to travel.
Juliana is a writer whose work covers crucial societal topics. When she's not putting pen to paper, she's packing a bag to travel.
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Juliana is a writer whose work covers crucial societal topics. When she's not putting pen to paper, she's packing a bag to travel.
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