Nigeria’s informal economy supports millions of livelihoods, from market traders and roadside retailers to artisans, transport operators and small-scale service providers. Yet many of these businesses still face difficulties accessing digital tools that could improve their operations, expand their customer base and connect them with formal financial services. Through its Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan 2.0 (SRAP 2.0), the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is promoting digital inclusion and literacy as part of a wider effort to build a more competitive and inclusive digital economy.
The initiative recognises that digital transformation must extend beyond large companies and technology startups. A market trader who can accept electronic payments, maintain digital transaction records and communicate with customers online can improve business management without necessarily becoming an IT professional. Similarly, an artisan who understands digital marketing and online payments can reach customers beyond the immediate community.
The scale of Nigeria’s digital literacy programme is beginning to provide measurable evidence of progress. The National Digital Literacy Dashboard reports more than 2.78 million verified digitally literate Nigerians, including approximately 1.61 million informal-sector workers. These figures offer an important indication of the reach of digital skills development, although they do not represent traders specifically onboarded onto digital payment platforms by SRAP 2.0.
SRAP 2.0 Places Digital Inclusion at the Centre
Launched as NITDA’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan for 2024–2027, SRAP 2.0 provides a framework for accelerating Nigeria’s digital transformation.
Its strategic pillars include fostering digital literacy and cultivating talent, building a robust technology research ecosystem, strengthening policy implementation, promoting inclusive access to digital infrastructure and services, enhancing cybersecurity and nurturing innovation and entrepreneurship.
For informal businesses, the digital literacy and inclusion pillars are particularly relevant. Many small entrepreneurs have access to mobile phones but lack the knowledge or confidence to use digital services effectively. Others depend on cash transactions because they are unfamiliar with electronic payment systems or worry about fraud, transaction failures and additional charges.
NITDA’s approach is therefore intended to improve practical digital competence, helping Nigerians use technology safely and productively in their existing occupations.
The agency has also linked SRAP 2.0 with the National Digital Literacy Framework, which targets 70% digital literacy by 2027 and 95% by 2030.
More Than 1.6 Million Informal-Sector Workers Represented
One of the most useful indicators of progress comes from NITDA’s National Digital Literacy Dashboard, known as DL4ALL.
The platform consolidates reported digital training achievements from government agencies, private companies, civil society organisations and development partners. Its purpose is to provide a national picture of who is receiving training, where programmes are taking place and how participants are progressing.
The dashboard currently records:
- 2,783,731 verified digitally literate Nigerians since January 2022.
- 1,609,183 informal-sector workers represented in reported training achievements.
- 2,092,697 young people below 35 among the reported beneficiaries.
- 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory covered.
- 774 local government areas reached.
- 14,747 communities represented.
The informal-sector figure is particularly relevant to the SRAP 2.0 agenda because it captures the importance of extending digital skills beyond conventional classrooms and formal employment.
However, it should not be interpreted as 1.61 million market traders or as 1.61 million people who have adopted electronic payments. The category covers a wider informal workforce, including different types of workers and entrepreneurs.
Similarly, the overall 2.78 million figure represents verified digital-literacy achievements across multiple participating organisations, rather than beneficiaries trained exclusively by NITDA.
Source: .
Digital Payments Can Transform Everyday Market Transactions
For small businesses, one of the most immediate benefits of digital adoption is the ability to receive payments electronically.
Point-of-sale terminals, bank transfers, mobile wallets and other payment services allow traders to serve customers who prefer cashless transactions. They can also reduce the need to keep large amounts of physical cash on business premises.
Digital transactions provide another potential advantage: a record of business activity. Traders who consistently receive payments electronically can develop transaction histories that may help them demonstrate business performance when seeking financial services.
However, digital payment adoption also comes with challenges. Failed transfers, fake payment alerts, network interruptions, transaction charges and limited understanding of fraud prevention can discourage traders from accepting electronic payments.
NITDA has recognised the importance of digital trust within its broader strategy. Its technology and innovation ecosystem has highlighted the need for accessible tools that help small merchants verify incoming payments and protect themselves against fraudulent transfer confirmations.
The objective is to ensure that digital inclusion does not simply encourage people to use technology, but also equips them to use it securely.
Digital Literacy Training Reaches Beyond Formal Education
The National Digital Literacy Framework provides a structure for expanding digital skills among different population groups, including women, artisans, traders and other underserved communities.
NITDA has worked with government institutions, private-sector organisations and development partners to promote training that reflects practical needs. For informal entrepreneurs, this can include using smartphones, managing digital information, communicating online, identifying cyber threats and accessing digital services.
The DL4ALL dashboard also identifies different areas of digital competence, including information and data literacy, device and software operation, digital content creation, communication and collaboration, problem-solving and digital safety.
These skills can translate directly into business activities. A trader who understands digital records can monitor sales more effectively, while an artisan who can create and share digital content can advertise products and connect with potential customers.
The framework therefore supports a broader understanding of digital literacy: technology should help people improve the work they already do.
Digital Learning Platforms Improve Accountability
Another important development is the introduction of digital tools for monitoring training among informal-sector participants.
NITDA’s DL4ALL Learn platform is designed to improve the delivery and verification of digital literacy training in the informal economy. It combines multilingual mobile learning resources with a Digital Literacy Champion tracking system.
Participants can register through QR codes during physical training sessions, while trainers and administrators can monitor participation and learning progress through digital records.
The platform also incorporates audio-visual learning materials in local languages, helping participants with different literacy levels engage with digital skills content.
This approach addresses a longstanding challenge in public training programmes: the difficulty of verifying how many people actually participated, what they learned and whether training produced measurable outcomes.
By strengthening registration and monitoring, the platform can improve accountability and provide more reliable information for future programme planning.
The Market-Trader Payment Onboarding Gap
Although Nigeria’s digital literacy figures show progress, an important measurement gap remains.
The available national dashboard does not provide a consolidated count of market traders who have opened digital wallets, activated POS terminals, registered for merchant payment services or completed digital payment onboarding specifically through SRAP 2.0.
These indicators should be tracked separately from digital literacy training. Learning how to use a smartphone or manage digital information does not automatically mean that someone has adopted electronic payments.
A more comprehensive performance report would therefore identify the number of traders trained, payment accounts activated, POS terminals distributed, merchants accepting digital transfers and businesses maintaining digital transaction records.
It should also measure the number of artisans using digital marketplaces, online advertising and electronic invoicing to reach customers.
Without these figures, the national digital literacy achievement provides evidence of skills development but cannot establish the precise number of informal businesses successfully transitioned to cashless operations.
From Digital Awareness to Business Growth
The next phase of SRAP 2.0 implementation should focus on connecting digital literacy with practical economic benefits.
For market traders, this means improving access to secure payment services, digital recordkeeping and financial products. For artisans, it means making it easier to advertise products, receive orders and build customer relationships online.
Partnerships with banks, fintech companies, telecommunications operators, market associations and business development organisations will be important in expanding these opportunities.
Training must also account for the realities of informal businesses. Many traders operate with limited capital, inconsistent connectivity and little time away from their shops. Accessible learning materials, local-language instruction and affordable digital services can make adoption more sustainable.
Measuring Nigeria’s Digital Transformation
SRAP 2.0 provides an important framework for extending digital inclusion across Nigeria’s economy. The National Digital Literacy Dashboard’s 2.78 million verified digitally literate Nigerians and 1.61 million informal-sector workers demonstrate the scale of reported training activity.
However, the next measure of success should be how many of these skills translate into active digital business practices. The number of merchants accepting electronic payments, artisans using online marketplaces and informal entrepreneurs maintaining digital financial records will provide a clearer picture of economic transformation.
Ultimately, moving informal markets into the digital economy requires more than distributing devices or conducting awareness campaigns. It requires practical skills, secure payment infrastructure, accessible financial services and sustained support.
By connecting digital literacy with everyday business activities, SRAP 2.0 can help Nigerian traders and artisans participate more effectively in the country’s expanding digital economy.
Nigeria’s informal economy supports millions of livelihoods, from market traders and roadside retailers to artisans, transport operators and small-scale service providers. Yet many of these businesses still face difficulties accessing digital tools that could improve their operations, expand their customer base and connect them with formal financial services. Through its Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan 2.0 (SRAP 2.0), the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is promoting digital inclusion and literacy as part of a wider effort to build a more competitive and inclusive digital economy.
The initiative recognises that digital transformation must extend beyond large companies and technology startups. A market trader who can accept electronic payments, maintain digital transaction records and communicate with customers online can improve business management without necessarily becoming an IT professional. Similarly, an artisan who understands digital marketing and online payments can reach customers beyond the immediate community.
The scale of Nigeria’s digital literacy programme is beginning to provide measurable evidence of progress. The National Digital Literacy Dashboard reports more than 2.78 million verified digitally literate Nigerians, including approximately 1.61 million informal-sector workers. These figures offer an important indication of the reach of digital skills development, although they do not represent traders specifically onboarded onto digital payment platforms by SRAP 2.0.
SRAP 2.0 Places Digital Inclusion at the Centre
Launched as NITDA’s Strategic Roadmap and Action Plan for 2024–2027, SRAP 2.0 provides a framework for accelerating Nigeria’s digital transformation.
Its strategic pillars include fostering digital literacy and cultivating talent, building a robust technology research ecosystem, strengthening policy implementation, promoting inclusive access to digital infrastructure and services, enhancing cybersecurity and nurturing innovation and entrepreneurship.
For informal businesses, the digital literacy and inclusion pillars are particularly relevant. Many small entrepreneurs have access to mobile phones but lack the knowledge or confidence to use digital services effectively. Others depend on cash transactions because they are unfamiliar with electronic payment systems or worry about fraud, transaction failures and additional charges.
NITDA’s approach is therefore intended to improve practical digital competence, helping Nigerians use technology safely and productively in their existing occupations.
The agency has also linked SRAP 2.0 with the National Digital Literacy Framework, which targets 70% digital literacy by 2027 and 95% by 2030.
More Than 1.6 Million Informal-Sector Workers Represented
One of the most useful indicators of progress comes from NITDA’s National Digital Literacy Dashboard, known as DL4ALL.
The platform consolidates reported digital training achievements from government agencies, private companies, civil society organisations and development partners. Its purpose is to provide a national picture of who is receiving training, where programmes are taking place and how participants are progressing.
The dashboard currently records:
- 2,783,731 verified digitally literate Nigerians since January 2022.
- 1,609,183 informal-sector workers represented in reported training achievements.
- 2,092,697 young people below 35 among the reported beneficiaries.
- 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory covered.
- 774 local government areas reached.
- 14,747 communities represented.
The informal-sector figure is particularly relevant to the SRAP 2.0 agenda because it captures the importance of extending digital skills beyond conventional classrooms and formal employment.
However, it should not be interpreted as 1.61 million market traders or as 1.61 million people who have adopted electronic payments. The category covers a wider informal workforce, including different types of workers and entrepreneurs.
Similarly, the overall 2.78 million figure represents verified digital-literacy achievements across multiple participating organisations, rather than beneficiaries trained exclusively by NITDA.
Digital Payments Can Transform Everyday Market Transactions
For small businesses, one of the most immediate benefits of digital adoption is the ability to receive payments electronically.
Point-of-sale terminals, bank transfers, mobile wallets and other payment services allow traders to serve customers who prefer cashless transactions. They can also reduce the need to keep large amounts of physical cash on business premises.
Digital transactions provide another potential advantage: a record of business activity. Traders who consistently receive payments electronically can develop transaction histories that may help them demonstrate business performance when seeking financial services.
However, digital payment adoption also comes with challenges. Failed transfers, fake payment alerts, network interruptions, transaction charges and limited understanding of fraud prevention can discourage traders from accepting electronic payments.
NITDA has recognised the importance of digital trust within its broader strategy. Its technology and innovation ecosystem has highlighted the need for accessible tools that help small merchants verify incoming payments and protect themselves against fraudulent transfer confirmations.
The objective is to ensure that digital inclusion does not simply encourage people to use technology, but also equips them to use it securely.
Digital Literacy Training Reaches Beyond Formal Education
The National Digital Literacy Framework provides a structure for expanding digital skills among different population groups, including women, artisans, traders and other underserved communities.
NITDA has worked with government institutions, private-sector organisations and development partners to promote training that reflects practical needs. For informal entrepreneurs, this can include using smartphones, managing digital information, communicating online, identifying cyber threats and accessing digital services.
The DL4ALL dashboard also identifies different areas of digital competence, including information and data literacy, device and software operation, digital content creation, communication and collaboration, problem-solving and digital safety.
These skills can translate directly into business activities. A trader who understands digital records can monitor sales more effectively, while an artisan who can create and share digital content can advertise products and connect with potential customers.
The framework therefore supports a broader understanding of digital literacy: technology should help people improve the work they already do.
Digital Learning Platforms Improve Accountability
Another important development is the introduction of digital tools for monitoring training among informal-sector participants.
NITDA’s DL4ALL Learn platform is designed to improve the delivery and verification of digital literacy training in the informal economy. It combines multilingual mobile learning resources with a Digital Literacy Champion tracking system.
Participants can register through QR codes during physical training sessions, while trainers and administrators can monitor participation and learning progress through digital records.
The platform also incorporates audio-visual learning materials in local languages, helping participants with different literacy levels engage with digital skills content.
This approach addresses a longstanding challenge in public training programmes: the difficulty of verifying how many people actually participated, what they learned and whether training produced measurable outcomes.
By strengthening registration and monitoring, the platform can improve accountability and provide more reliable information for future programme planning.
The Market-Trader Payment Onboarding Gap
Although Nigeria’s digital literacy figures show progress, an important measurement gap remains.
The available national dashboard does not provide a consolidated count of market traders who have opened digital wallets, activated POS terminals, registered for merchant payment services or completed digital payment onboarding specifically through SRAP 2.0.
These indicators should be tracked separately from digital literacy training. Learning how to use a smartphone or manage digital information does not automatically mean that someone has adopted electronic payments.
A more comprehensive performance report would therefore identify the number of traders trained, payment accounts activated, POS terminals distributed, merchants accepting digital transfers and businesses maintaining digital transaction records.
It should also measure the number of artisans using digital marketplaces, online advertising and electronic invoicing to reach customers.
Without these figures, the national digital literacy achievement provides evidence of skills development but cannot establish the precise number of informal businesses successfully transitioned to cashless operations.
From Digital Awareness to Business Growth
The next phase of SRAP 2.0 implementation should focus on connecting digital literacy with practical economic benefits.
For market traders, this means improving access to secure payment services, digital recordkeeping and financial products. For artisans, it means making it easier to advertise products, receive orders and build customer relationships online.
Partnerships with banks, fintech companies, telecommunications operators, market associations and business development organisations will be important in expanding these opportunities.
Training must also account for the realities of informal businesses. Many traders operate with limited capital, inconsistent connectivity and little time away from their shops. Accessible learning materials, local-language instruction and affordable digital services can make adoption more sustainable.
Measuring Nigeria’s Digital Transformation
SRAP 2.0 provides an important framework for extending digital inclusion across Nigeria’s economy. The National Digital Literacy Dashboard’s 2.78 million verified digitally literate Nigerians and 1.61 million informal-sector workers demonstrate the scale of reported training activity.
However, the next measure of success should be how many of these skills translate into active digital business practices. The number of merchants accepting electronic payments, artisans using online marketplaces and informal entrepreneurs maintaining digital financial records will provide a clearer picture of economic transformation.
Ultimately, moving informal markets into the digital economy requires more than distributing devices or conducting awareness campaigns. It requires practical skills, secure payment infrastructure, accessible financial services and sustained support.
By connecting digital literacy with everyday business activities, SRAP 2.0 can help Nigerian traders and artisans participate more effectively in the country’s expanding digital economy.
