Somewhere between the high cost of garri and the daily collapse of Nigeria’s power grid, the average Nigerian teacher, tailor, or trader—people in non-tech careers—is now expected to moonlight as a software engineer—pressured to learn tech skills like coding—or risk economic irrelevance.

Welcome to the age of economic Darwinism—tech edition—with survival being for those who know how to schedule a Zoom call and send a PDF, not just the strongest or the fastest.

The truth is, the world isn’t waiting for Nigeria, or anyone to catch up. In 2023 alone, 90% of global businesses engaged in digital transformation projects, with 40% scaling them up significantly. 

However, while 66% of large corporations have a digital strategy, only 49% of small businesses, the backbone of developing economies, have done the same. In Nigeria, where over 33 million MSMEs operate largely informally, this has gone beyond a gap to a canyon.

And still, many believe tech is “not for them.”

Let’s dismiss that.

Who This Is For (And Why You Shouldn’t Scroll Past)

This isn’t a discussion for coders. It’s for:

• The public school teacher surviving on delayed salaries and a broken chalkboard.
• The market woman whose entire accounting system fits in a leather purse.
• The civil servant knee-deep in file cabinets from the Babangida era.
• The young graduate with zero connections and a cracked phone.
• The pastor, plumber, pepper seller, or anyone earning a living in a system that rarely keeps its guarantees.

In other words—you.

If you’ve ever felt that tech belongs to another class of people; younger, richer, more “connected”, then this article is your rebuttal.

What Tech Really Means (It’s Not Coding, It’s Convenience)

Let’s simplify the tech conversation.

Tech isn’t always AI, machine learning, or writing 5,000 lines of Python. Sometimes, it’s using:

• WhatsApp Business to auto-reply when you’re asleep.
• Canva to design a poster without hiring a graphic designer.
• Google Forms to take customer orders or collect event registrations.
• Selar or Gumroad to sell your cooking lessons, hair tutorials, or sermon notes.

Tech is using tools—many of them free—to reduce your workload, increase your income, and gain visibility.

Here’s what it might look like in real life:

If you can use a smartphone, you’re already halfway there.

Real Nigerians, Real Outcomes

Consider Amaka, a home economics teacher in Enugu who couldn’t make ends meet. She began recording short lessons on her phone, uploaded them to YouTube, and linked them to a ₦1,000/month subscription on Selar. Within 6 months, she had 700 subscribers.

Then there’s Chukwudi, a spare parts dealer in Aba. He didn’t build an app. He just started listing his inventory on WhatsApp Business and responding faster. Orders tripled—especially from Lagos mechanics.

This isn’t Silicon Valley. It’s Aba, Yaba, Enugu—and it’s working.

The 5-Step Tech Plan for Non-Tech People

Here’s how to make tech work for you:

1. Audit Your Workflow
   What do you do manually every day that drains time or limits reach? Deliveries, payments, stock records, advertising?
2. Choose 2 Tools
   Not 10. Not 20. Just two that solve your biggest headache. For example:

• For visibility: TikTok or Google Business
• For payments: Paystack or Flutterwave Store
• For admin: Notion or Trello (for organised minds)

3. Learn on Your Own Terms
   YouTube. Free online courses. Watch. Pause. Repeat. You don’t need a four-year degree to send bulk SMS or automate responses.
4. Apply it to a Real Problem
   Don’t just “learn tech” in theory. Use it to solve something today—even if it’s just scheduling customer appointments digitally.
5. Grow Consistently
   Track what’s working. Learn new tools as your needs grow. Upskill if you’re ready, or delegate to someone who can.

The Global Reality (And Why You Should Care)

Let’s take this seriously: AI is projected to impact 40% of global jobs, transforming how work is done and who gets paid. The same algorithms that power ChatGPT now decide which CV gets seen or which bank loan is approved.

However, paradoxically, only 1% of companies consider themselves fully AI-integrated, meaning there’s still time for you to adapt.

Meanwhile, global IT services are growing at twice the rate of the world economy, creating jobs at six times the rate. If Nigeria’s workforce, even outside tech, doesn’t plug in, we’ll not only be spectators to a global revolution; we’ll be casualties.

The Big Picture: Why It’s Not Just About You

When ordinary Nigerians start using tech adequately, something changes:

• Efficiency improves: Less waiting, more doing.
• Income grows: Side hustles become SMEs.
• Opportunities widen: Education, health, and commerce all get better.

Imagine if even 10 million Nigerian workers outside tech adopted just two digital tools. The productivity boom alone could ripple through the economy, reducing friction in everything from school admissions to market deliveries.

It’s Not Too Late, But It Will Be Soon

You don’t need to be in tech to win with tech.
You just need to stop standing on the sidelines.

Be you a shop owner, teacher, photographer or pharmacist, the digital world is already shaping your reality. The thing is: will you shape it back?

This week, pick one tech tool. Learn it. Apply it. Repeat.
And when it works, share it with someone else who thinks “tech isn’t for people like them.”

Because it is.

The “UR” channel was launched to bring a variety of content, all focused on an intimate look into Ronaldo’s life beyond his celebrated football career. 

Viewers can expect to see content related to soccer, personal wellness, nutrition, family life, and more. Ronaldo aims to enable a closer connection with his global fanbase by sharing exclusive behind-the-scenes glimpses and personal insights.

“I am very happy to make this project come to life,” Ronaldo said. “It has been in my mind for a long time but finally we have the opportunity to make it real. 

“I have always enjoyed having such a strong relationship with fans on social media and my YouTube channel will give me an even bigger platform to do so and they will learn more about me, my family, and my views on many different subjects. I am also looking forward to sharing conversations with guests that will no doubt surprise people!”

The quick rise of the “UR” channel is commendable as Ronaldo has a huge influence and a strong bond he maintains with his fans. 

Being the most followed individual across social media platforms, with a combined total nearing 917 million followers, Ronaldo has a huge digital presence. 

The Portuguese professional footballer is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Born on February 5, 1985, he has had an outstanding career with major clubs such as Sporting CP, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Juventus, and Al Nassr. 

Ronaldo is known for his exceptional goal-scoring ability, athleticism, and versatility on the field. He has won numerous awards, including five Ballon d’Or titles, given to the world’s best player, and has set multiple records, including the most goals in the UEFA Champions League and the European Championship. 

Ronaldo has also achieved notable success with his national team, Portugal, winning the UEFA Euro 2016 and the 2019 UEFA Nations League. 

His latest channel is expected to further enhance his online visibility and influence.

The debut video on the new channel, which details Ronaldo’s motivations and future plans for UR, has already attracted millions of views and a flood of comments from enthusiastic supporters worldwide.

Despite Ronaldo’s outstanding digital following, which is unique due to the short time subscribers reached a million, he still trails behind MrBeast, the current leader in YouTube subscriptions with 311 million followers. 

Nonetheless, UR channel’s rise means that he may soon challenge this position, adding yet another accolade to his illustrious career.

[Check out PART I of this business advisory HERE.]

You must change the way you have always approached your business in the past. You can’t do normal things and still be ahead of the pack. No, not in 2023.

You will be like every normal business person out there struggling to break even. Just add extra to whatever you have been doing right.

You must dare to do something that is outside your comfort zone. For instance, be a little bit aggressive and proactive in generating leads, marketing/sales, and giving your customers unbeatable serve experience. Sometimes, to experience transformational change, it comes with discomfort but that’s your plug to a more rewarding business year.

Expect the new year to be more tasking than the previous ones. You only have to be tougher and ready for it. You must consciously adopt a more responsive strategy that will make each day count in every department of your business. Don’t just wait for things to have to you. Just take some radical intitatives and make them happen the way you want them.

4. Re-create your physical and digital ecosystem

The environment you surround yourself with matters for it holds you where you are. If you want to do great things in business, you have to create an environment that supports it. The life of your business is so important than to hang out in an environment that is not adding value to it.

The environment (i.e. the people) you interact with or spend most of your time matter will forge you into becoming like them in thoughts, words, and deeds, consciously or unconsciously. There is a saying, ‘Your friends will stretch your vision or choke your dreams.’ I have proven this to be true.

Your capacity for success in business is embodied by the people you surround yourselves with. You will never outperform your inner circle whether it’s physical or digital.

You need a great environment and network that will inspire you, push, and motivate you. Otherwise, you’ll keep being average in life and business. As you know, we become like who we hang around with. So, you can only be as successful as your business network.

Being selective about who we surround ourselves with is going to be one of the biggest factors in transforming your business in this new season. Why? When you intentionally improve your business relationships, you improve your business.

Consciously create the ecosystem that you want, especially people who always raise the bar so that you push yourself. Stop being a nice guy. You can’t please everyone. Don’t hesitate to cut out the people who are not adding or bringing value to your business table.

Your ecosystem has a way of manipulating you, your business goals and dreams. So, you are responsible for creating your own environment which acts as a booster to achieving great business success.

Again, if you want to grow in 2023, you should be in a room where you are the least successful person. You need to constantly keep adding new people in your environment who are better than you, and who have achieved what you desire to achieve.

Make a habit of ‘reaching up’ in all of your relationships – toward people who are better connected, better educated, and even more successful. That is a proven way to grow.

Similar to the physical environment, your digital space is equally critical. Someone said, ‘If you want to check what environment you are creating for yourself on the web, then just go to your YouTube channel now and see what suggested videos are popping up. If you see a lot of entertainment-related videos, then this is a wake-up call for you.’ Where do you hang-out on social media? What website do you visit? This is shaping who you are becoming, directly or indirectly.

Clement Stone warned, ‘Be careful of the environment you choose, for it will shape you; be careful of the friends you choose, for you will become like them’. Hence, the people you hang out with, the websites you visit, the media you consume —everything in your environment holds you and your business exactly where you are.

Remember, one is coming to save your business but you. When you get it right, the ball will always bounce your way all through the year.

…To be Continued

About the Author

Tony Ajah is a Business Growth Strategist, and the author of BUSINESS SENSE, and ON BECOMING AN ENTREPRENEUR.

He maintains a personal blog, where he shares proven business ideas and principles for SMEs.

YouTube is a video-sharing platform where people can upload their own videos, watch videos uploaded by others, and react to videos with likes, shares and comments.

Some people consider YouTube as a social media platform with a focus on videos. It is a platform that has served as a sort of video-hosting site for many businesses as well.

To others, YouTube is another platform where they can extend their content marketing efforts to, utilizing video.

However, with the introduction of YouTube Advertising, the platform has given many content creators the opportunity of monetizing their videos. So it has also become a hub for content creators in various niches.

With the option of earning on YouTube, many entrepreneurs have flooded YouTube hoping to earn good money, but a few people have gotten disappointed because they were not properly prepared.

Jeff Rose, a personal finance contributor at Forbes, believes that many people who start YouTube Channels will never make good money even if they have many subscribers. In this post he says, “ Most people who start a YouTube channel will never make millions of dollars, and it may not even matter how many followers they have.”

Agreeing with Jeff’s view, Grant Sabatier writing for Millennial Money says “…making decent money with YouTube is difficult. With stricter rules and regulations, aspiring vloggers need to try a lot harder to be able to make this platform lucrative.”

“Any newbie YouTuber should be prepared for years of relentless sharing of unique, engaging content.”

Tayo Aina, a Nigerian entrepreneur and YouTube Content Creator said in this video that “The life of a YouTuber when you start out is not glamorous at all; you spend a lot of money making all these videos especially for someone like me who travels a lot.

“You travel to a lot of places and then you make videos about them, and the money you make from the videos is not even enough to cover and pay for your expenses.”

“You have to pay for your hotel bills, pay for your transportation, pay for your food, and when you travel to tourist destinations, you have to pay entry fees in those places.”

Titiola Oludimu, writing for Techpoint Africa agrees with Tayo saying that “…only the very popular YouTubers who get millions of views on their videos earn significantly through AdSense.”

“In Nigeria, unfortunately, only a handful of YouTubers can boast of getting paid substantially off the Google-owned platform.” She concluded.

However, these views presented above are not meant to discourage you from starting a YouTube channel. The truth is that many people have earned from YouTube in Nigeria also.

For example, Mark Angel, easily Nigeria’s biggest YouTube Creator says he makes enough money from YouTube to pay his staff members.

In this interview with Smartmonkey TV, he says, “”The money from YouTube pays for 17 local staff and 5 offshore. But I’ve been able to mature into other physical businesses. We embrace brands.”

According to Thisday, Popular comedian, Broda Shaggi while discussing with Art Lecturer and Author, Dr Bolaji Ogunwo on Instagram Live, had this to say about the profitability of Instagram versus YouTube; “Create a YouTube channel, very important, Instagram won’t pay you for your content, the only way you make money from Instagram is by advertising for brands, post on your page as adverts, that is the only way you can make money, but YouTube your video is there forever you keep making money from every view.”

Fisayo Fosudo is another Nigerian that has made money off YouTube but the fact is that he did not actually make his money off YouTube Advert revenues like other content creators in countries like the US and the UK.

Instead, he, like many other Nigerian YouTube content creators, makes money by collaborating with brands. In this conversation with Tech Cabal, he says, “I have about $800 in lifetime earnings but I can’t access it. The bulk of the money doesn’t come from YouTube, it comes from the brands that we work with creating content for an audience.”

So as you can see from the testimonies of the content creators above, people do make money on YouTube in Nigeria. But you have to strategise properly before starting out in order to maximise your earning potentials.

Fisayo’s situation is not unique to him, as many Nigerian YouTube content creators employ brand collaborations to make money.

This brings us to the million-dollar-question; how do you make money on YouTube.

How Can You Make Money on YouTube?

In this post on Investopedia, Mary Hall espouses some ways through which you can make money on YouTube.

While these steps can work anywhere, I am going to shed light on these strategies in the Nigerian context. What can work and what is likely not to work in Nigeria?

Below are a few strategies that you can employ to earn as a YouTube creator in Nigeria:

YouTube Ads

This is the default way that creators make money on YouTube. It is an arrangement where a creator chooses where YouTube can put ads in his content, and if people watch the ads, the creator gets paid by YouTube.

To qualify for the YouTube Partner Program, you must have at least 1,000 subscribers to your channel and a total of 4,000 watch hours in the previous period of 12 months. YouTube says it requirements helps it to “..properly evaluate new channels and helps protect the creator community from spammers, impersonators, and other bad actors.”

If you qualify for the YouTube ads, sign up for the YouTube Partners Program by following these steps from Smallbusiness.chron.com:

. Log into your YouTube account; click the “Creators & Partners” link toward the bottom of the page.

2. Click the “Become a Partner” tab, followed by the “Get Started” button on the following screen.
3. Click the “Enable my Account” button from the Monetization screen.
4. Read and agree to the YouTube Partner Program’s terms of service page, and then click “I Accept.”
5. Click to enable the types of ads you wish to display on your videos. These include ad overlays, YouTube’s TrueView in-stream ads or links to products you can manually implement. The ad overlay option displays sponsored commercials at the bottom of the video, while the TrueView option displays ads prior to playing the video.
6. Click “Monetize” to effectively set up your YouTube Partner Program and monetize your videos.

Brands Sponsorships

If you have garnered a considerable following in a given niche, brands in that niche will definitely reach out to you to partner earning you good money in the process.

For example here’s a YouTube channel operated by Jackie Aina, a beauty enthusiast living in the US. Her videos have amassed huge views and she regularly collaborates with brands to showcase and do tutorials using their products.

Here’s is one of such videos

Chizi Duru is another beauty blogger that incorporated brand sponsorship into her strategy. Here’s an example of how she does it well.

Invoice Nigeria has listed steps to follow as a YouTube Content Creator to start earning from brand sponsorships:

1. Find brands and campaigns that match your audience.
2. Pitch your creative ideas and present the proposal to the brand within their parameters (product review, 30-60 shoutout, etc.)
3. If accepted, you are hired and will begin collaboration with the brand to produce the project.
4. Build out content and seek brand approval.
5. Get Paid.

While it might not be as easy as listed above;  if these steps are followed, you will be on your way to getting your first brand partnership.

Affiliate Links

Affiliate links is another strategy that YouTube creators have been employing to boost earnings. It is strategy where you share affiliate links of products that are related to your niche, and you earn a percentage if your followers buy from the affiliate advertiser.

Influencer Marketing Hub says an affiliate link “will usually be a link in the video description directing the viewer to a site where they can buy the product. These links are set up as affiliate links (so that the shopping site knows exactly where potential visitors arrive from). If the visitor ends up buying the product, the owner of the YouTube video receives a percentage of the purchase price.”

Merchandise Sales

One other way to make money from YouTube is by selling merchandise to your followers. This is not yet a very popular income strategy on YouTube Nigeria yet, but there is a huge opportunity if it can be harnessed properly.

Consider this, PewDewpie a channel that focuses on Let’s Play videos and comedic formatted shows made a mind-blowing 6,834,645 from merchandise sales on YouTube in 2019 according to respawnfirst.com

Although it is nearly impossible to replicate those numbers, one can see the huge opportunity that exists in merchandise sales.

There are other ways of making money on YouTube including using YouTube to get traffic to your website and blog, information marketing and even building your own personal brand on YouTube, but the ones highlighted in the previous section are the most popular. Make sure that you continue experimenting.

Starting Your Own YouTube Channel

There are several things that you must consider before starting your own YouTube Channel or else you will get burned playing with fire.

Creating on YouTube is supposed to be fun, so there is really no reason being caught unawares.

Makeuseof notes the things you want to consider before starting a YouTube Channel as follows:

1. Niche

Filmora says in this post that “A niche is what makes your channel unique.” While that is not an all-sufficient definition, it captures what you should do when considering a niche. A niche is simply what you want to focus your content on.

It could be tech, fashion, health, wellness, sports or any other thing.

However, when choosing a niche, make sure that it is something that you are very comfortable discussing.

2. Frequency

This is another thing that is of utmost important. You want to plan how frequently you will be creating and posting videos before you start your channel.

You can definitely adjust your frequency as you go along, but knowing it ahead of time, helps you plan and informs other decisions.

3. Equipment

The equipments you are going to need is both dependent on your niche and your budget. The former is going to dictate more because a gaming vlogger and a reaction vlogger might both need a screen for their content while a beauty blogger might not. This is why it is quite important to define your niche before anything.

4. Promotion Strategy

Unfortunately you are not going to start your blog and get millions of subscribers instantly, unless it is a high-in-demand content with no coverage at all.

If you are not in that class, you will have to define a promotion strategy that will put you in the face of people that are interested in your type of content.

Advertising, SEO and social media strategies are all promotion strategies that you can adopt for your channel.

5. Revenue/Earning Strategy

It is important that you enjoy what you are doing with YouTube, but it is also very important to make revenue. Running a YouTube channel costs money and you need to at least make that money back or you will run into debt.

Creating attractive videos that provide value on YouTube also takes a lot of time and effort, so you need to define your revenue strategy.

Above, I have defined various ways that YouTube creators in Nigeria can make money. Study it properly, look at what you think can work for you and run with it,

Personally, I’d advise that you combine two or more strategies that will work for you.

6. Defining Your Goals

It is also very important to define your goals when you are starting out on YouTube. State your short term goals, mid-term goals and your long term goals.

When you set your goals, strive very hard to meet them. For it is in so doing that you truly grow your channel and your revenue.

YouTube is a great platform for content creators to share their content while earning good revenue at the same time. But starting a YouTube channel requires the proper amount of research and doing things the right way.

Selecting a profitable niche, defining your goals and providing value are steps that one can take to grow one’s channel and brand.

To your growth.

[Feature image credit: HowMuchDoesItCost.io]