As Nigeria rapidly embraces digital transformation, questions about how digital technologies affect the health and well-being of children and young people are moving up the policy agenda. In March, the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy opened a public consultation on strengthening protections for children online. The move reflects a growing recognition that digital systems are now deeply intertwined with everyday life and public health.
From artificial intelligence to healthtech and fintech, digital innovation is reshaping how Nigerians work, learn and access services. In one of the world’s most youthful countries, more than 150 million young Nigerians are growing up in an increasingly digital environment.
Connectivity is expanding quickly. According to GSMA Intelligence, 69.2 percent of Nigerians now have a mobile connection, while 45.5 percent were online by the end of 2025. Around one in five Nigerians uses social media, and more than 70 percent of Nigerian children have internet access. Plans to introduce more affordable 4G-enabled smartphones are expected to accelerate access even further.
This rapid expansion presents enormous opportunities. Digital technologies can expand healthcare and other essential services to millions of Nigerians, particularly those historically underserved. However, as connectivity deepens, it also raises important questions about the broader health and societal implications of digital environments.
Recognising digital as a determinant of health
Around the world, growing evidence suggests that digital environments can shape health outcomes in ways that extend far beyond traditional healthcare delivery. The concept of “digital determinants of health” has emerged to describe how digital systems, platforms and access to technology influence well-being, health behaviours and inequalities.
This concept gained prominence through the Lancet and Financial Times Commission on Governing Health Futures 2030, which highlighted how digital transformations are increasingly shaping public health outcomes globally.
The Digital Transformations for Health Lab (DTH-Lab), a global consortium working to advance inclusive and equitable digital health systems, has continued to explore how digital ecosystems affect health and well-being, particularly among young people, who represent both the largest group of technology users and one of the most vulnerable.
Nigeria can learn from global experience.
Experiences from countries where digital connectivity has already reached saturation offer valuable lessons on how smartphones and online platforms have brought new public health challenges. Studies suggest that extended time online and heavy use of social media among young people can be associated with rising mental health concerns, poorer developmental outcomes and certain physical health challenges.
Nigeria, therefore, faces two parallel challenges. First, disparities in connectivity persist. Poverty, structural inequalities and infrastructure gaps continue to exclude many Nigerians from the benefits of digital technologies. Second, new risks are emerging for those already connected. The design, governance and use of digital platforms increasingly influence how individuals access information, interact with others and make decisions about their health.
Nigeria has rightly prioritised closing the digital divide. But as digital tools become embedded in daily life, the conversation must expand to include how the digital environment itself affects public health. Recent steps, such as the federal government’s consultation on strengthening child online protections, suggest that this shift in thinking is already underway.
Exposure to misinformation, unregulated health advice and harmful online content is becoming more common. Artificial intelligence tools can generate misleading information, while design features on many digital platforms are intentionally built to maximise engagement, often at the expense of sleep, physical activity and in-person interaction.
Weak data protections and extractive platform business models also raise important concerns about privacy and safety. Children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable. Their developing brains make them more sensitive to persuasive technologies, while their increasing independence means they often navigate digital environments without adequate safeguards.
Working across sectors
Despite these challenges, Nigeria stands to gain significantly from responsible digital health innovation.
Telemedicine can expand access to care in rural and underserved communities. Digital platforms can support the rollout of health insurance and accelerate progress toward universal health coverage. Mobile technologies can also help individuals access reliable health information, monitor their well-being and connect to services that address their most pressing health needs. Achieving these benefits will require coordinated action across sectors.
The Healthcare Federation of Nigeria (HFN), which represents the country’s private healthcare sector, has consistently emphasised the importance of responsible innovation that strengthens health systems while safeguarding patient well-being.
The private sector, particularly technology companies, digital health innovators and healthcare providers, has a crucial role to play. By embedding “safety by design” principles into products and platforms, companies can help mitigate potential risks while ensuring that innovation remains aligned with public health priorities.
Responsible artificial intelligence development, stronger data governance and closer collaboration with health stakeholders should become core elements of digital innovation. Policymakers also have a critical role. Forward-looking governance that bridges the health, technology and education sectors will be essential to ensure digital systems promote rather than undermine well-being.
Nigeria’s 2023 Data Protection Act represents an encouraging step, raising the age threshold for child data protection to 18 and requiring stronger mechanisms to verify age and consent. Public–private collaboration will be essential in aligning technological progress with health system priorities.
Across Africa, initiatives such as the African Union’s Child Online Safety and Empowerment framework are beginning to shape conversations about protecting young users while enabling digital opportunity. Nigeria can build on these efforts by ensuring digital well-being is centred in its public health strategy.
Centring youth voices
Another critical element of responsible digital transformation is the meaningful inclusion of young people in policy discussions. Nigeria’s youth are not only users of digital technologies; they are also innovators, entrepreneurs and creators shaping the country’s digital future.
Strengthening digital literacy will therefore be essential, not only for health and well-being, but also for economic participation and civic engagement. Schools, families, technology companies and government institutions all share responsibility for helping young people navigate digital environments safely and productively.
What comes next?
Nigeria has a significant opportunity to lead conversations on responsible digital transformation across Africa. In collaboration with global partners such as the Digital Transformations for Health Lab, the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria is supporting ongoing efforts to develop practical frameworks that help policymakers and health leaders better understand the digital determinants of health and integrate them into national strategies.
During the upcoming Africa Digital Health Summit, which will be held June 25th and 26th in Abuja, the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria will co-host a roundtable with the Digital Transformation of Health Lab to explore how the emerging framework for digitally enabled health systems can be integrated into Nigeria’s digital health strategy. Participants will include policymakers, industry leaders and health stakeholders and some of the young people whose input shaped the framework. Such platforms will be important for advancing dialogue on how digital systems can expand access to care while also safeguarding the well-being of young people.
Nigeria does not need to slow its digital ambition. But as connectivity expands and digital technologies become increasingly embedded in daily life, a broader understanding of the digital determinants of health will be essential. By embedding public health considerations into digital policy and innovation from the outset, Nigeria can build not only a more connected nation but also a healthier and more resilient one.
This article is a partnership between the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria (HFN) and BusinessDay to highlight policies and programmes to promote the rebuilding of Nigeria’s health sector. As a private sector-led coalition, HFN advocates for policies and partnerships to strengthen healthcare delivery. This partnership aims to spark meaningful discussions and drive transformative change in Nigeria’s health sector.
Njide Ndili is the president of the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria (HFN), country director of PharmAccess Nigeria, and a founding member of Digital Transformations for Health Lab (DTH-Lab).
