Vincent Olatunji, the National Commissioner of the Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC), claimed that the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector has contributed the most to Nigeria’s gross domestic product (GDP), accounting for between 16 to 18 percent over the past four to five years.
Olatunji spoke on Wednesday when he was featured on the Prime Time program on Arise Television.
“In the last 4 or 5 years, the ICT sector has the highest contribution to the GDP, ranging between 16 and 18 percent,” he said.
“And the target in the next few years, looking at the $1 trillion economy that Mr President is pursuing, is to ensure that in the digital economy sector contribution to GDP is up to 20 percent.
“And you can now imagine if other sectors bring in vision with a clear policy plan, we will definitely get better.
VERIFICATION
CableCheck reviewed the GDP data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) for 2021 through the third quarter of 2024.
The data reveals that in 2021, the agriculture sector was the largest contributor to Nigeria’s GDP, accounting for 25.88 percent, followed by trade at 15.69 percent, and ICT at 15.51 percent.
In 2022, agriculture continued to be the top contributor with 25.58 percent, followed by ICT at 16.52 percent, and trade at 16 percent.
In 2023, agriculture remained the leading sector with 25.18 percent, followed by ICT at 17.34 percent, and trade at 15.83 percent.
The data for 2024 have yet to be released. However, the available data covers Q1 to Q3.
In Q1, the agriculture sector contributed 21.08 percent, ICT contributed 17.88 percent, and trade contributed 15.70 percent to the GDP.
In Q2, agriculture contributed 22.61 percent, ICT contributed 19.77 percent, and trade contributed 16.39 percent.
In Q3, agriculture contributed 28.65 percent, ICT contributed 16.36 percent, and trade contributed 14.78 percent.
VERDICT
Based on these figures, the claim that the ICT sector has consistently contributed the most to Nigeria’s GDP over the last four years is false. Agriculture has consistently been the highest contributor in the years within review.
