CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Information and communication technology (ICT) covers the devices, networks, software and services used to collect, store, process and share information. It now shapes how governments govern, how businesses compete and how people work, learn and communicate. Its economic weight in Nigeria is substantial. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the ICT sector contributed 17.68% of real gross domestic product (GDP) in 2024, up from 17.34% in 2023, with telecommunications accounting for the largest share (The Guardian Nigeria, 2025). These figures show that ICT is no longer a peripheral activity in the Nigerian economy but one of its main drivers.

The health sector is among the areas where this influence matters most. A healthy population is more productive, spends less on avoidable illness and sustains economic growth, so improvements in how health services are delivered carry economic consequences as well as clinical ones. ICT applied to health is commonly called eHealth or, in its wider modern form, digital health. Ravi, Thomas and Odogwu (2024) describe digital health as having grown out of eHealth, which began with electronic medical records, SMS reminders and automated reports and now includes telemedicine consultations, online pharmacies, wearable devices and clinical decision-support tools. They add that, unlike the banking and telecommunications sectors, many developing countries, Nigeria included, have yet to adopt these tools and enjoy their benefits.

The need is considerable. Ravi et al. (2024) report that Nigeria has only 1.95 nurses, midwives and physicians per 1,000 people, that most services are concentrated in urban tertiary centres, and that nearly three-quarters of the population pays for healthcare out of pocket. In such a setting, ICT can help to extend scarce clinical expertise, improve record keeping, reduce delays and lower the cost of reaching patients, particularly where specialists are few.

Nigeria has taken policy steps in this direction. Since the return to civilian rule in 1999, the liberalisation of the telecommunications sector has expanded mobile services and created wide-reaching economic effects, including jobs, faster communication and lower transaction costs. In health specifically, a National Health ICT Strategic Framework was developed for the period 2015 to 2020 (Ravi et al., 2024), and a National Digital Health Strategy for 2021 to 2025 followed as a framework for coordinating digital interventions (PATH & Population Services International [PSI], 2023). More recently, the Federal Government inaugurated a committee to drive the Nigeria Digital in Health Initiative, which aims to build a unified national digital health architecture (Nairametrics, 2024).

Implementation on the ground has been uneven. In a study of the Niger Delta region, Baridam and Govender (2019) found low levels of ICT adoption in healthcare delivery, linked to organisational inefficiency, decaying infrastructure and a shortage of trained ICT personnel, and they called for an enabling policy at the organisational level. A review by Gyebo, Ahamat and Yahaya (2022) likewise concluded that the goal of sharing information across public hospitals in Nigeria remains distant, and it examined the obstacles to ICT adoption and the role of the Federal Ministry of Health in overcoming them. Ravi et al. (2024) point to inadequate staff training, unreliable internet connectivity, frequent power outages and the absence of a national authority to set health informatics standards. They also note that many digital health projects begin as donor-funded pilots and are abandoned when donor priorities change.

Against this background, it is important to look at how ICT is actually used within individual health facilities and what it contributes to development. This study therefore examines the impact of ICT on Nigerian economic growth and development in the health sector, using Giwa Hospital, Kaduna, as a case study.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Nigeria has invested in ICT policy and infrastructure for more than two decades, and the ICT sector now contributes a significant share of national output. Yet the benefits have not been evenly felt across sectors. Public infrastructure that supports ICT, such as reliable electricity and affordable, high-quality connectivity, remains inadequate in many parts of the country, and where services exist they can be costly. Within health, studies report low adoption of ICT in hospitals, poor information sharing between facilities, a shortage of trained personnel and weak coordination between federal, state and local programmes (Baridam & Govender, 2019; Gyebo et al., 2022; Ravi et al., 2024).

Much of the existing research on ICT and economic growth in Nigeria looks at the economy as a whole or at the telecommunications sector, and the research on health ICT often concentrates on national policy or on particular regions. There is little evidence on how ICT affects service delivery, efficiency and development outcomes inside a specific hospital in Kaduna. Without such evidence, hospital managers, policy makers and investors cannot tell how far ICT is contributing to health sector performance and, through it, to economic growth and development, or which barriers need to be removed first.

This study was therefore designed to fill that gap by examining the impact of ICT on economic growth and development in the Nigerian health sector, with Giwa Hospital, Kaduna, as the case study.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The general objective of the study is to analyse the impact of ICT on Nigerian economic growth and development in the health sector. The specific objectives are to:

1. examine the impact of ICT on Nigerian economic growth and development in the health sector;
2. identify the ways in which ICT can contribute to economic growth and development at Giwa Hospital, Kaduna; and
3. determine the factors limiting the use of ICT in the Nigerian health sector, with particular reference to Giwa Hospital, Kaduna.

1.4 Research Questions

The study is guided by the following research questions:

1. What is the impact of ICT on Nigerian economic growth and development in the health sector?
2. In what ways can ICT contribute to economic growth and development at Giwa Hospital, Kaduna?
3. What factors limit the use of ICT in the Nigerian health sector, particularly at Giwa Hospital, Kaduna?

1.5 Research Hypothesis

H₀: ICT has not contributed significantly to Nigerian economic growth and development in the health sector.

H₁: ICT has contributed significantly to Nigerian economic growth and development in the health sector.

1.6 Significance of the Study

The study will be useful to several groups.

Government and policy makers. The findings will give the Federal and Kaduna State governments, and agencies responsible for health and communications, evidence on how ICT is being used in a hospital setting and what it contributes to development. This can inform the implementation of the National Digital Health Strategy and related initiatives.

Hospital management and health workers. The study will help the management of Giwa Hospital and similar facilities to identify areas where ICT can improve efficiency, record keeping and patient care, and to recognise the training, power and connectivity needs that must be met for it to work.

Patients and the general public. Better use of ICT in hospitals can shorten waiting times, improve the accuracy of records and widen access to care, which benefits patients and their families.

Researchers and students. The work adds to the limited facility-level literature on ICT and health in northern Nigeria and offers a base for further research.

1.7 Scope of the Study

The study covers the use of ICT in the Nigerian health sector and its effect on economic growth and development, with Giwa Hospital, Kaduna, as the case study. It considers the ICT tools and systems used in the hospital, the benefits they bring to service delivery and efficiency, and the factors that limit their use. The respondents are the management, health workers and administrative staff of the hospital.

1.8 Limitations of the Study

The study faced two main constraints. The first was finance: limited funds restricted the researcher's ability to obtain relevant literature and to collect data through the internet, questionnaires and interviews. The second was time: the researcher carried out the study alongside other academic commitments, which reduced the time available for the research. Because the study is a case study of a single hospital, its findings should be generalised to other facilities with caution. Efforts were made to reduce these effects by planning the data collection carefully and by relating the findings to those of similar studies.

1.9 Definition of Terms

Information and communication technology (ICT): The devices, networks, software and services used to create, store, process, transmit and share information.

eHealth / digital health: The use of ICT in support of health and health-related fields, including electronic medical records, telemedicine, mobile health and health information systems.

Economic growth: A sustained increase in the output of goods and services in an economy, commonly measured by GDP.

Economic development: Improvement in the standard of living and well-being of the people, including better health, income and access to services.

Health sector: The organisations, facilities, personnel and resources engaged in promoting, restoring and maintaining health.

References

Baridam, B. B., & Govender, I. (2019). ICT influence on the healthcare sector in the Niger Delta region: ICT policy at an organizational level. Development Studies Research, 6(1), 142–151. https://doi.org/10.1080/21665095.2019.1680302

Gyebo, A. V. S., Ahamat, A., & Yahaya, S. N. (2022). A review on information communication technology adoption in the Nigerian healthcare sector. International Journal of Electronic Healthcare, 12(3).

Nairametrics. (2024, March 18). FG launches 20-member committee for Nigeria Digital in Health Initiative. https://nairametrics.com/2024/03/18/fg-launches-20-member-committee-for-nigeria-digital-in-health-initiative/

PATH, & Population Services International. (2023). Spotlight on Nigeria: Digital health. https://media.path.org/documents/SpotlightonNigeria.pdf

Ravi, N., Thomas, C., & Odogwu, J. (2024). How to reload and upgrade digital health to serve the healthcare needs of Nigerians. Frontiers in Digital Health, 5, Article 1225092. https://doi.org/10.3389/fdgth.2023.1225092

The Guardian Nigeria. (2025). Telecoms sub-sector leads as ICT contributes 17.7% to GDP. https://guardian.ng/business-services/business/telecoms-sub-sector-leads-as-ict-contributes-17-7-to-gdp/