The State of Sustainability in Nigeria: Environmental Footprints, Risk and Opportunities

The expansion of Nigeria’s digital economy has introduced new pressures on the environment while simultaneously creating opportunities for sustainability-driven innovation. This study examined how the country’s rapid digitalisation intersected with four critical domains: carbon and energy footprints, electronic waste, regulatory readiness, and green innovation. Rather than treating digital growth as environmentally neutral, the paper framed it as a system of trade-offs in which efficiency, inclusion, and ecological responsibility competed for priority. Case evidence from renewable-powered data centres, certified recycling plants, and grassroots upcycling projects illustrated how local actors experimented with circular economy principles despite policy gaps. The findings suggested that Nigeria’s pathway to sustainable digitalisation depended less on technology adoption alone and more on governance choices, enforcement mechanisms, and the willingness of stakeholders to integrate sustainability into design, infrastructure, and regulation. By positioning sustainability as a strategic imperative, Nigeria could transform digitalisation from an environmental liability into a model for green growth in Africa.