With 98,285 new registrations and 241,000 active domains, NiRA is making a stronger case for .ng as Nigeria’s default digital identity. But the bigger challenge is converting national visibility into mass adoption by businesses, startups, public institutions and ordinary citizens.

The Nigeria Internet Registration Association has recorded 241,000 active domains, reflecting steady progress in the adoption of Nigeria’s country-code top-level domain, .ng.

NiRA President, Adesola Akinsanya, disclosed the figures in Abuja when he led the association’s board members to present NiRA’s 2025 Annual Report and 2026 Business Plan to the Director-General of the National Information Technology Development Agency, Kashifu Inuwa.

According to Akinsanya, NiRA recorded 98,285 new domain registrations, 71,470 renewals and 1,970 restorations, alongside the total active domain base of 241,000.

Beyond the numbers, the association said it had implemented important security upgrades, including Domain Name System Security Extensions, designed to improve the security and resilience of Nigeria’s internet ecosystem.

For Nigeria’s digital economy, this matters. A domain name is more than an online address. It is a brand asset, a trust signal, a national identity marker and, increasingly, a foundation for digital commerce.

Why .ng Matters for Nigeria’s Digital Economy

The push for wider adoption of .ng is central to Nigeria’s digital sovereignty agenda.

Every serious digital economy needs a recognisable national internet identity. For Nigeria, .ng should naturally serve that purpose for businesses, startups, schools, public institutions, professional bodies and government agencies.

When Nigerian brands use .ng, they communicate local relevance, national presence and market connection. For government institutions, the adoption of .gov.ng strengthens authenticity, reduces impersonation risk and improves public trust.

This is particularly important in an era of online fraud, fake websites, misinformation and digital impersonation. A stronger, better-managed national domain system can help citizens identify legitimate institutions and businesses more easily.

NiRA’s 2026 Vision: Startups, Government and Automation

Akinsanya said NiRA is intensifying efforts to make .ng and .gov.ng the preferred standards nationwide.

He called for joint awareness campaigns and digital capacity-building initiatives to encourage adoption by state governments, local councils and public institutions.

The association is also upgrading internal systems, introducing automation and reviewing its constitution in line with global standards to support sustainable growth.

Akinsanya said NiRA would deepen stakeholder engagement and focus more deliberately on high-potential segments, especially startups and technology communities.

That startup focus is strategic. Nigeria’s startup ecosystem is one of the most active in Africa, but many digital businesses still use foreign domain extensions. While global extensions are not wrong, stronger .ng adoption would help localise identity, strengthen national visibility and retain more digital value within Nigeria’s internet economy.

NITDA’s Role: From Endorsement to Execution

Kashifu Inuwa commended NiRA’s 2026 business plan and directed the association to work closely with NITDA’s e-Governance and Digital Economy Department to ensure effective implementation, daily updates and proper project tracking.

“You have my full approval for these initiatives. Let us change our strategy, sync up more closely and ensure everything we have agreed upon during this presentation is fully implemented by next year,” he said.

That statement is important because adoption will not grow through advocacy alone. It requires coordinated execution.

If NITDA, NiRA, state governments and public institutions align properly, Nigeria can significantly increase .gov.ng adoption and make official digital communication more trustworthy.

How NiRA Compares with Mature National Domain Systems

By global standards, Nigeria still has substantial headroom for growth.

In advanced digital markets, national domains are often widely used by local businesses, public agencies, universities, communities and citizens. They become part of national digital culture. In Nigeria, however, many organisations still default to foreign extensions, even when their operations, audiences and identity are primarily Nigerian.

This gap represents both a challenge and an opportunity.

The challenge is awareness, trust and habit. Many entrepreneurs do not yet see .ng as a strategic brand asset. Some still assume that foreign extensions appear more “global.” The opportunity is that Nigeria’s large population, growing SME base, expanding creator economy and rising digital public services create a massive potential market for .ng adoption.

For NiRA, the next stage must be about scale, simplicity and trust.

Business, Brand and Investor Implications

For businesses, a .ng domain can support local credibility, search relevance and market positioning. For startups, it can signal Nigerian origin while still allowing global ambition. For government, .gov.ng can reduce confusion and strengthen institutional legitimacy.

For investors, domain growth is a useful indicator of digital formalisation. More registered domains can reflect rising online business activity, stronger SME digitisation and deeper participation in the digital economy.

The market consequence is also clear: as more Nigerian businesses move online, demand will grow for hosting, cybersecurity, payments, cloud services, web development, digital marketing and compliance tools. Domain adoption can therefore stimulate a broader digital-services value chain.

BRANDECONOMY Insight

Nigeria’s Digital Identity Cannot Be Outsourced

NiRA’s 241,000 active domains show progress, but Nigeria’s digital identity story is still in its early stages.

For a country with Nigeria’s population, enterprise energy and technology ambition, .ng should be far more visible across business, government, education, media and civic life.

The issue is not just domain registration. It is digital confidence.

A strong national domain helps citizens know which websites are legitimate. It helps businesses project authenticity. It helps government reduce impersonation. It helps the country build a clearer digital footprint.

But NiRA must make adoption easier and more attractive. Pricing, registrar support, awareness, trust, security and integration with startup and SME programmes will matter.

Government must also lead by example. Every public institution should use appropriate .gov.ng domains consistently. States and local councils should treat digital identity as part of governance infrastructure.

Nigeria cannot build a serious digital economy while its digital identity remains fragmented.

The message is simple: .ng must move from being an option to becoming a national standard.