Digital literacy in South-South Nigeria: beyond the internet connection

We did not find a current, representative, population-wide digital literacy index covering all six South-South states in the sources reviewed for this article. That is a research limitation, not proof that no local study exists.

The NCC’s 2024 baseline study examines digital skills among women, youth and people with disabilities nationally. It is relevant context, but it should not be repackaged as a single regional score. Small student surveys cannot speak for every age group or community either.

NBS reported about 163.8 million active internet subscriptions in Nigeria in Q4 2023. Bayelsa recorded roughly 1.19 million, the fewest among the states in that report.

These are subscriptions, not unique people: one person can use more than one SIM. State totals also reflect population size. They do not establish who can use digital tools safely or productively, and they are historical figures, not a 2026 snapshot.

Better questions include: Can someone send a professional email? Use a spreadsheet? Protect an account? Complete an online application without help? Those are capabilities we can teach and assess.

Digital adoption should solve everyday problems. A trader keeps clearer records. A jobseeker prepares a readable CV. A community organiser collects registrations without losing the details. These are examples of useful tasks, not claims about named Roothub beneficiaries.

Training works better when people can practise on relevant problems, ask questions and return for support. Affordable access, accessible materials and provision for learners with disabilities also matter. Teaching a tool once is not the same as helping someone use it confidently.

• Begin with everyday digital safety and communication.
• Add role-specific skills and practical projects.
• Measure what learners can do before and after training.
• Follow up on continued use, not just attendance.

Roothub’s roughly 12-year history began around 2014, according to its ten-year account published in 2024. It reports training 3,300 people in Akwa Ibom before the Google-backed Tech101 expansion, which targeted 10,000 learners across the Niger Delta.

Its July 2025 Calabar announcement described a third South-South location. These programmes and locations show an approach to expanding learning access. They do not, by themselves, establish a measured increase in the region’s digital literacy rate.

The next step is practical: combine training with project feedback, safe digital habits and follow-up. Roothub Live gives community members another place to keep that learning going beyond a physical session.

A credible regional index would need a clear skills framework, representative sampling across all six states, urban and rural coverage, transparent methods and dated results. Until then, use the available indicators carefully.

For learners, the absence of a perfect index is not a reason to wait. Start with one task you cannot yet do independently. Learn it, practise it and help someone else do it too. Digital adoption becomes real when it becomes useful.