Meta, the social media giant, has injected an estimated $820 million into the Nigerian economy through its digital platform ecosystem, as local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) increasingly rely on social commerce to navigate macroeconomic challenges. This was revealed in a new independent research report titled 'Nigeria’s Digital Economy,' conducted by Public First.
Expanding Customer Base for Nigerian Businesses
The study found that Meta's suite of applications, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has successfully expanded the customer base for 81 percent of Nigerian businesses. These platforms have become critical engines for local trade and digital transformation, helping entrepreneurs bypass traditional and often costly brick-and-mortar barriers in Africa’s most populous market.
Economic Contribution and Future Growth
The report highlights that Meta contributes an estimated $820 million in yearly economic value to Nigeria today. With the adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI), this figure could rise to $2 billion as digital adoption deepens. Furthermore, AI is projected to add $22 billion to Nigeria's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2035. Under favorable conditions, Meta's platforms function as essential digital infrastructure, connecting Nigerian entrepreneurs to customers, markets, and new economic opportunities.
Usage of Meta Apps by SMEs
The findings revealed that 14 million Nigerian SMEs used Meta's apps—including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, Meta AI, and Threads—to start and grow their businesses in 2025. This contributed $2 billion to Nigeria’s GDP and delivered an estimated $640 million in productivity gains through more efficient instant messaging.
WhatsApp's Role in AI Adoption
The report noted that WhatsApp plays a central role in connecting Nigerians to AI and new economic opportunities. The platform serves as Nigerians' primary AI surface, reflecting a wider regional pattern where 93 percent of Meta AI prompts in Sub-Saharan Africa are made via WhatsApp. This demonstrates how AI adoption in Nigeria is occurring through tools that people already use daily.
Meta's Perspective
Balkissa Ide Siddo, Director of Public Policy for Sub-Saharan Africa at Meta, commented: 'Nigeria is one of the most dynamic, entrepreneurial, and digitally engaged markets in the world, and this research makes clear the scale of what is possible when Nigerian ambition meets the right digital tools. From a tailor in Lagos reaching customers across the country through Instagram, to a small business owner in Kano taking orders on WhatsApp, to a creator in Abuja building a global audience on Facebook, Meta’s platforms are removing the traditional barriers to growth and unlocking real economic opportunity.'
