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The Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO), the international organization dedicated to advancing inclusive and sustainable digital economies, has launched the Digital Economy Navigator 2025 (DEN 2025) at the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha.
The report highlights Nigeria’s growing leadership in digital finance, innovation, and skills development, underscoring its position as one of Africa’s fastest-evolving digital economies.
Covering 80 countries representing 94 percent of global GDP and 85 percent of the global population, the DEN 2025 is the most comprehensive benchmark of digital economy maturity worldwide.
Based on 145 indicators and input from more than 41,000 respondents, the report provides evidence-based insights for governments and businesses on how to accelerate digital infrastructure, entrepreneurship, governance, and inclusion.
DCO Secretary-General Deemah AlYahya said the DEN 2025 illustrates both the progress already made and the opportunities ahead.
Commenting on DEN 2025, she said: “The Digital Cooperation Organization envisions a future where every nation can participate meaningfully in the digital economy, not only as consumers of digital services, but as creators and innovators.”
She added that collective effort will be essential to turn this potential into reality. “DEN 2025 is a reminder that our collective progress depends on decisive action. We must move from measuring digital transformation to accelerating it, with governments adopting agile and forward-looking policies, businesses investing with purpose and responsibility, and societies embracing innovation as a force for inclusion. The cost of inaction is exclusion, but the rewards of collaboration are limitless. If we work together across borders, sectors, and communities we can shape an inclusive, trusted, and sustainable digital future where every nation has the opportunity not only to participate, but to lead.”
According to the DEN 2025, internet connection speeds improved notably in Nigeria, as did personal data protection skills such as verifying the source of files and managing privacy settings in social media.
There were also gains in digital governance and regulatory quality – with, for example, Nigeria launching a digital platform for residence permit applications, as part of reforms to streamline immigration services.
Nigeria also records notable improvement in digital health, supported by nationwide initiatives to digitalize and modernize healthcare through digital innovation.
These investments are helping promote health-tech startups, job creation, and investment. The DEN 2025 identifies ongoing opportunities to enhance data protection frameworks, rural connectivity, and AI governance, ensuring that the next phase of growth is inclusive and sustainable.
The report shows that digitalization is creating opportunities for growth across all income levels. Internet access now reaches more than four in five people globally, and lower-middle-income countries are recording the fastest progress.
Connecting underserved communities could enable more than 1.3 billion people to benefit from digital banking and online services, transforming livelihoods and economic participation.
Artificial intelligence continues to advance, and the new “Digital for Sustainability” pillar highlights how technology can support environmentally responsible growth.
The DCO notes that Nigeria’s combination of a large, skilled youth population and a thriving innovation ecosystem positions it as a driving force for digital transformation across Africa.
The DCO encourages policymakers, the private sector, and international organizations to use the DEN 2025 as a foundation for data-informed decision-making and collaboration. Nigeria’s achievements in digital finance, skills, and innovation demonstrate how coordinated policy and investment can create scalable models for inclusive digital growth across the continent.
The Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) is the world’s first standalone intergovernmental organization focused on promoting inclusive and sustainable growth in the digital economy.
Founded in 2020, the DCO brings together the Ministries of Communications and Information Technology of its 16 Member States, representing nearly 3.5 trillion US dollars in GDP and a combined market of more than 800 million people. For more information, visit www.dco.org or contact [email protected].
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