NOTAP Flags Rising Revenue from Local Software Creations

Nigerian developers are beginning to see real financial gains from home-grown digital products, as new figures from the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion reveal more than $1 million in sales from locally built applications. The Director-General of NOTAP, Dr Obiageli Amadiobi, said the earnings reflect how targeted support can turn promising ideas into products that compete within and beyond Nigeria.

She explained that many creators struggled in the past because they failed to secure ownership of their inventions early. “Whether it’s a literary work, a laboratory invention, or a creative digital product, the process of bringing an idea to life demands immense time, skill, and dedication,” she said. “It is their fundamental right to patent that creation and claim ownership.”

Pressure to Protect Nigerian Creations

Dr Amadiobi warned that creators who skip intellectual property registration risk losing control of their work. “Without this protection, someone else could easily replicate their work; patent it in their name; and legally control what was built with Nigerian brainpower,” she added.

Her concern is tied to a surge in piracy. She described unauthorised duplication — from copied software to rebranded social content — as a major threat to the digital economy. “We see talented young creators develop unique digital content or tools, only to watch others rebrand and profit from their work within weeks,” she said.

The $1 million generated last year came from more than 50 applications. Individual developers earned between $5,000 and $80,000, with a large share coming from users outside Nigeria. About 60 per cent of total sales originated from other African countries, signalling rising regional demand for Nigerian-built technology.

Some of the standout products include a mobile health platform with roughly 750,000 users across six states, an agricultural marketplace linking farmers to buyers, and an educational tool adopted by 200 schools.

A Push to Scale Local Innovation

According to NOTAP, the momentum did not happen by chance. Dr Amadiobi said the Local Vendor Policy — which requires foreign technology firms to work with Nigerian companies and allocate a portion of service fees to them — has enabled developers to shift from support roles to full product creation. She noted that several developers who relied on maintaining foreign software three years ago are now competing with their own solutions.

The agency plans to double local software revenue by 2027, focusing on fintech, renewable energy management and climate adaptation tools. The aim is to position Nigerian developers as leaders in fast-growing technology markets across the continent.