Skills are not enough: why young Nigerians need their own computer

Young people in Nigeria are told, again and again, to learn a digital skill. Learn to code. Learn design. Learn data analysis. The advice is not wrong. The digital economy is real, it is growing, and it pays people who can do the work from anywhere.

However, digital skills alone are not enough. To practise, build a portfolio and apply for work, a young person needs a computer. For most young Nigerians, that is the part of the advice nobody can help with.

This article looks at the evidence: how many people have access to a computer, why buying one is so hard, what the research says a computer actually changes, and why the way credit is assessed keeps many young people locked out.

The digital economy runs on computers

The COVID-19 pandemic moved a large share of work online, and much of it stayed there (International Labour Organization, 2021). For young people, this created a door into jobs beyond their local labour market: software development, graphic design, writing, data work, virtual assistance and customer support.

The World Bank estimates there are between 154 million and 435 million online gig workers globally, up to 12.5% of the world's labour force. Over half of them are young people, and Nigeria is named among the main countries supplying this work (Datta et al., 2023). The same report found that online job postings grew about 130% in Sub-Saharan Africa, against about 14% in North America.

The report is also clear about who gets left behind: "Those without access to the internet or to digital devices such as laptops, smartphones, and tablets remain excluded." When gig workers were asked what would help them, one answer was access to credit or loans to buy equipment, laptops and internet access.

Some digital work can be started on a phone. But writing code, editing video, designing in professional tools or running a spreadsheet model all-day is not realistic on a small screen. For most of the work that pays, a computer is the tool.

Fewer than 1 in 10 Nigerian households own a computer

According to a World Bank summary of Nigeria's digital skills, only 9.4% of households own a computer, while 66% of people own a mobile phone (De Simone & Manolio, 2024).

The gap is not spread evenly:

• In the poorest fifth of households, computer ownership is 0.3%. In the richest households, it is around 30%.
• Ownership is about 22% in Lagos, Imo and the FCT, but 2.5% in Jigawa and 1.4% in Bauchi.
• Only 9% of people used a computer in the last three months: 12% of men and 6% of women.
• Among people aged 20 to 30, 18% of men and 9% of women had used a computer in the last three months.
• Even among people with tertiary education, only 43% of men and 33% of women had used one.

That last figure matters. These are graduates, the people we expect to compete for digital jobs, and most of them are not using a computer.

The authors put it simply: access to devices is "necessary, though not sufficient" for people to build and keep their digital skills. Training without a device is like a driving course without a car.

A large youth population, and a hard job market

How many young Nigerians are out of work depends on who is counting. The National Bureau of Statistics, using its revised, ILO-aligned method, put youth unemployment (ages 15 to 24) at 6.5% in Q2 2024, but also found that 93% of employment is informal (National Bureau of Statistics, 2024). Many people counted as employed are in low-paid, irregular work.

Advocacy groups estimate a far bigger problem. The State of the Nigerian Youth 2025 report says nearly 80 million young people are unemployed, 53% of the youth population, and that about 1.7 million young people graduate from tertiary institutions every year (Plan International Nigeria & ActionAid Nigeria, 2025).

Whichever number you use, the picture is the same: many young people, not enough good local jobs, and a digital economy that could absorb some of them if they had the tools to take part.

Free training has not closed the device gap

Nigeria has invested in digital skills. The Federal Government's 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme, run by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy with NITDA, aims to train 3 million technical talents by 2027, with support from partners in the private sector and development community (3MTT, n.d.).

Training is free. Devices are not. When the programme launched, it said plainly that the Ministry would "neither offer financial support nor provide fellows with laptops" (Techpoint Africa, 2023).

The gap showed. In July 2026, a laptop financing scheme was launched specifically for 3MTT fellows, because many were "acquiring in-demand digital skills without access to the devices needed to complete their training" (Nairametrics, 2026).

This is the point. Access to training does not solve the device-access barrier. Young people also need computers to practise, build portfolios and do the work.

Why a computer is so hard to buy

A new student-grade laptop from a recognised brand (8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) costs roughly ₦250,000 to ₦500,000 in 2026, depending on the model and the seller (Naijatechguide, 2026). The national minimum wage is ₦70,000 a month.

That is before rent, food and transport. Headline inflation was 15.39% in August 2026 and food inflation 19.57% (National Bureau of Statistics, via Voice of Nigeria, 2026). Saving five months of income while prices keep moving is not a realistic plan for most students or recent graduates.

So most people would need to spread the cost. That is where they hit the next wall.

Credit history is the wrong test for young people

Traditional lending relies on formal financial history: payslips, bank statements, credit bureau records, guarantors. Most young people have none of these, not because they are unreliable, but because they have not had the chance to build a record yet.

The numbers show how rare formal credit is. EFInA's 2026 Access to Financial Services survey found that only 10% of Nigerian adults use formal credit (Nairametrics, 2026). For students and new graduates, the share is likely lower still.

Globally, the International Finance Corporation estimates that 3 billion people lack an adequate credit history. Its 2026 report on alternative data mapped 448 firms using alternative credit scoring and found that, under these models, women "perform as well as or better than men" (IFC, 2026).

Research supports the idea. Djeundje et al. (2021) found that alternative data can predict credit risk well enough to be used "when conventional credit history data is unavailable" (Djeundje et al., 2021). Their study used different data from ours, but the principle carries over: a missing credit file is not the same as a bad borrower.

What the evidence says a computer changes

It is worth being honest about what a computer does and does not do.

In a randomised experiment, Fairlie (2012) gave free home computers to low-income community college students. Those who received one were 17 percentage points more likely to have high-level computer skills, and the gains were strongest among young, low-income and female students (Fairlie, 2012).

The effect on grades is a different story. A larger study of schoolchildren in California found that home computers increased computer use but had no effect on grades, test scores or attendance (Fairlie & Robinson, 2013).

Put together, the evidence points one way: a computer reliably builds computer skills. It does not automatically raise grades. That is exactly why access matters for digital work, where the skill itself is what gets you paid.

How Pody approaches it

Pody was built around this gap. We help students get the computers they need and pay over time, without the barriers that usually come with credit.

• Credit based on academic record. Instead of payslips or a guarantor, we look at your academic record as a sign of commitment. See how the credit model works.
• 0% interest, no hidden fees, no markup. You pay the device price, spread over time. A late payment fee may apply if you miss a payment.
• Plans of 1, 3, 6 or 9 months. Pick what fits your budget. Try the laptop financing calculator.
• Genuine devices. We source directly from globally recognised OEMs and authorised distributors, so devices come sealed and warranty-backed.
• Paying on time builds your limit. Every plan you complete strengthens your record with us.

We are not the only answer to the device gap, and we don't need to be. Free training, public programmes and financing all have a part to play. Our part is making sure that when a young person has the skills and the drive, the price of a computer is not what stops them.

What still needs to happen

Closing the device gap will take more than any one company. A few things would help:

1. 1Pair training with device access. Skills programmes should plan for devices from day one, through financing, refurbished options or partnerships.
2. 2Count the right things. Programmes should track not just how many people finish training, but how many have a device to keep using their skills.
3. 3Assess young people fairly. Lenders should test alternative data that reflects young people's real commitment, and check their models for bias across gender and income.
4. 4Focus on young women. With women half as likely to have used a computer, outreach and financing should be designed with them in mind.

The digital economy is already open. The question is whether young Nigerians can afford the tool that lets them walk through the door.

If you are a student who needs a laptop to learn, build and earn, see how Pody works.

Sources

• 3MTT. (n.d.). 3 Million Technical Talent. Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy. 3mtt.nitda.gov.ng
• Datta, N., Chen, R., Singh, S., Stinshoff, C., Iacob, N., Nigatu, N. S., Nxumalo, M., & Klimaviciute, L. (2023). Working without borders: The promise and peril of online gig work. World Bank. Read the report
• De Simone, M., & Manolio, F. A. (2024). Digital skills in Nigeria: A summary of the population's skills and the availability of digital infrastructure in schools. World Bank. Read the report
• Djeundje, V. B., Crook, J., Calabrese, R., & Hamid, M. (2021). Enhancing credit scoring with alternative data. Expert Systems with Applications, 163, 113766. doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2020.113766
• Fairlie, R. W. (2012). The effects of home access to technology on computer skills: Evidence from a field experiment. Information Economics and Policy, 24(3–4), 243–253. doi.org/10.1016/j.infoecopol.2012.06.001
• Fairlie, R. W., & Robinson, J. (2013). Experimental evidence on the effects of home computers on academic achievement among schoolchildren. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 5(3), 211–240. Working paper
• International Finance Corporation. (2026). Cracking the credit code: Alternative data and AI for financial inclusion. World Bank Group. Read the report
• International Labour Organization. (2021). Teleworking arrangements during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond. Read the report
• Nairametrics. (2026, July 22). Credicorp launches C.L.I.C.K.D. scheme to finance laptops for 3MTT fellows. Read the article
• Nairametrics. (2026, October 5). Nigeria hits 73% financial inclusion target, but 60.4 million adults remain vulnerable. Read the article
• Naijatechguide. (2026). Laptop prices in Nigeria: HP, Dell, Acer. Read the guide
• National Bureau of Statistics. (2024). Nigeria labour force survey Q2 2024. Read the report
• Plan International Nigeria & ActionAid Nigeria. (2025). State of the Nigerian youth report 2025. Read the report
• Techpoint Africa. (2023, December 8). Pressing questions about 3MTT, answered by Bosun Tijani. Read the article
• Voice of Nigeria. (2026). Nigeria's headline inflation eases to 15.39% in August: NBS. Read the article