LAGOS — Nigeria’s digital health sector is bigger than it has ever been. The country now has 128 active healthtech startups operating across telehealth, digital pharmacies, healthcare analytics, and financing platforms. However, getting Nigerians to actually use them remains the industry’s hardest problem.
A new State of Healthtech in Nigeria 2026 report, published by TechCabal Insights, Digital Health Nigeria, and the Clinton Health Access Initiative, laid out both the promise and the challenge facing the sector.
The Growth Story
The sector added 65 new startups between 2020 and 2025, more than half of all the startups launched in the 15 years before the pandemic. COVID-19 was the primary driver, pushing both investors and founders toward digital health solutions.
Funding has also grown substantially, though it has slowed in recent years as global investor appetite for African startups cooled.
The Adoption Problem
Despite the growth, adoption is the sector’s biggest obstacle. Many Nigerians still prefer familiar health options over new digital platforms
“We can have as many health apps as we want,” said Dr Chinonso Egemba, founder of Aproko Doctor, speaking at the report’s launch. “But a person who is sick will still wait for the woman selling agbo at the roadside because he trusts her more than he trusts your app.”
Trust-building, the report argues, must happen alongside product development.
Infrastructure Gaps
Unreliable internet, erratic power, and low health insurance coverage also hinder adoption. Roughly 70 percent of healthcare costs in Nigeria are still paid directly out of pocket. This makes it harder for digital platforms to reach patients who are already stretched financially.
The report recommends that founders design products that meet users where they are, rather than assuming technology alone will change behaviour.
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