Outsourcing to Nigeria: costs, profiles and cities (2026)

Page updated on 22 October 2026. Public data checked; sources at the end of the page.

Nigeria draws European companies with its English (568 points, 29th out of 123 countries, EF 2025) and the same time zone as Paris in winter (UTC+1, with no clock change). The legal minimum wage is NGN 70,000 a month, or about €46.7. Against that, 93.0% of employment is informal (2024), the power grid remains fragile and the law on the provision of staff is not settled. This page sets out costs, cities, time zone, languages, law and the official health (21 October 2026) and safety (15 September 2026) advisories, with sources.

Nigeria at a glance: key figures

Why outsource to Nigeria?

Two measured strengths: English at 568 points (29th out of 123 countries, EF 2025) and 9 shared office hours with Paris in winter.

The sector remains small and poorly measured: about 20,000 employees in 2026 according to the head of Tech4Dev, 16,540 jobs in 2021 according to a report cited by The Guardian Nigeria, and no official statistics. The "Hire From Nigeria" campaign aims for 1 million export jobs by 2030: a target, not a result. Nigeria is not among the seven African countries cited in the 2023 Kearney ranking.

The job market in Nigeria

Nigerian unemployment suffers from a break in method in 2023. Under the old method, the NBS published 33.3% in Q4 2020: working 1 to 19 hours a week counted as unemployment. Since August 2023, one hour of paid work in the week is enough to count as "employed": 4.3% in Q2 2024 (NBS, 2024). The NBS revised its method in 2023 (press release) and its statistician-general attributed the fall to this change (Gazette Nigeria). The two series are not comparable: the drop from 33.3% to 4.3% is not a real improvement. No more recent report was found.

The figure that matters is informal employment: 93.0% of total employment (Q2 2024). An unemployment rate of 4% therefore does not measure the availability of qualified talent. No recent number of graduates could be found.

How much does an employee cost in Nigeria?

Legal minimum wage

The minimum is NGN 70,000 a month, or about €46.7 (€1 = NGN 1,498.73, Central Bank of Nigeria, 21 October 2026). It replaces NGN 30,000 under the law signed on 29 July 2024 and, according to law firms, exempts establishments with fewer than 25 employees. The Minister of Labour writes, in a letter of 12 October 2026, that the review is due on 1 June 2027 and that opening one now would be "premature" (ThisDay). The President's Chief of Staff said on 25 June 2026 that this minimum "must honestly be reassessed" (Vanguard). No revised amount is in force as of 22 October 2026.

Employer contributions

Main levies, without a total: a pension of at least 10% of pay (PwC, whose page ignores the 2025 reforms); 1% of payroll for workplace accidents; 1% for industrial training. The employer's health insurance rate was not found.

Market salaries

No recruitment consultancy guide covers Nigeria. The ranges come from the editorial site Profolio, undated: a single source, sometimes with two series for one job (the table uses one). Basic monthly salaries, euros at the rate of 21 October 2026.

The middle of the senior range is 2.5 to 4.2 times that of the junior range, but the guide's "senior" level starts at just 3 years for the call centre agent. Profolio adds a 20 to 35% premium in Lagos for developers.

In France, the legal minimum wage (SMIC) is €1,867.02 gross a month in 2026 and a junior general accountant earns €2,667 to €2,917 a month (Michael Page, December 2025). In the United Kingdom, a beginner customer service assistant earns about €1,988 a month (National Careers Service). Sources and bases differ.

And with MaaSil?

A market salary is not the total cost of a service. MaaSil publishes a single price list, with no distinction by country (see the pricing): €55 to €100 excl. VAT per day for general profiles (about €1,150 excl. VAT a month) and €120 to €250 excl. VAT per day for senior IT developers (about €2,600 excl. VAT a month).

Which cities should you choose for outsourcing to Nigeria?

The minimum wage is national; the only cost difference found is the Lagos premium. The offer is concentrated in Lagos.

Lagos

The Yaba district is home to the Co-Creation Hub (CcHUB). The Itana digital free zone (72,000 m²) is licensed by the agency NEPZA. Teleperformance has a site in Lagos.

Abuja

Federal capital. Outsource Global reports a contact centre there. No dedicated zone found.

Ibadan

University of Ibadan (801-1000 band, Times Higher Education 2026). No named outsourcing zone.

Kano

Bayero University (1001-1200 band). No outsourcing zone found.

Port Harcourt

No outsourcing zone found.

What is the time difference with Europe?

Nigeria is one hour ahead of London in winter and on London time in summer, as it stays on UTC+1 all year.

Difference = Nigerian time minus that of the city, with office hours of 9am to 6pm on both sides. Europe goes back to winter time on 25 October 2026: the gap with London then goes from 0 h to +1 h.

Languages and skills available

English is the official language and the language of business; Nigerian Pidgin serves as the informal common language. The EF English Proficiency Index 2025 gives Nigeria 568 points, 29th out of 123 countries. French, proclaimed a second official language in the late 1990s, is still little taught according to a University of Lagos study: no Nigerian call centre working in French for French clients is documented.

On the developer side, GitHub had 872,162 active accounts in Nigeria in Q3 2023: accounts, not employees (TechCabal). The public 3MTT programme has trained more than 135,000 people in twelve digital skills, not 135,000 developers (minister, 2026).

Infrastructure: internet, electricity, technology parks

The median speed is 36.81 Mbit/s fixed and 50.53 Mbit/s mobile (Ookla, March 2026).

Access to electricity covers 62.5% of the population (World Bank, 2024). The regulator NERC reports no national grid disturbance in Q2 2026 (NERC), but the grid collapsed on 23 and 27 January 2026 (press). No average outage duration for Lagos was found; backup diesel or solar power must be costed site by site.

Data protection and employment law

Personal data

The Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023 is enforced by the Nigeria Data Protection Commission. Without a European Commission adequacy decision, transfers from the European Union require another mechanism under the European data protection regulation (GDPR), the most common being standard contractual clauses.

Employment law

Under the Labour Act, paid leave is at least 6 working days after 12 months (section 18) and the notice period ranges from 1 day to 1 month (section 11). The text consulted sets neither a maximum weekly duration (section 13) nor a probation period.

Provision of staff

The Labour Act contains no regime for "labour contractors" (subcontractors of labour). Its section 71 prohibits running a for-profit employment agency, including the intermediary that supplies a worker to an employer, without the written consent of the Minister of Labour. The law does not say where this notion ends in relation to a service contract. Case law diverges: the National Industrial Court (NICN) treated the end user as a co-employer (Wambai v. Bourbon-Interoil, 31 January 2019), while the Court of Appeal overturned an NICN decision on a similar situation (Luck Guard v. Adariku, December 2022). These decisions are known from law firm commentaries, not from the judgments themselves. A bill against "casualisation" (prolonged precarious employment) has an unverified status. Have any arrangement checked by a Nigerian lawyer.

Practical information: currency, public holidays, flights and visas

The naira was worth 1,498.73 to €1 on 21 October 2026, against an average of 1,711.23 in 2025 (Eurostat): the foreign exchange market has been unified since 2023, but exchange rate risk remains. Inflation stands at 14.63% over one year in September 2026 (NBS, as reported by the press).

The country has 13 federal public holidays in 2026 (official list not found). Air France flies direct from Paris to Lagos. A French citizen needs a tourist or business visa, a passport valid for six months after the return and the electronic arrival and departure cards, mandatory since May 2025 (France Diplomatie, 15 September 2026). On yellow fever, the FCDO requires a vaccination certificate; France Diplomatie does not, except for arrivals from endemic areas.

Health and safety

Ebola. France Diplomatie (21 October 2026) states that the Nigerian health authorities confirmed on 20 October 2026 a case of Ebola virus disease in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and specifies that "no generalised community transmission has been identified". The FCDO, the British Foreign Office (21 October 2026), refers to a first imported case and specifies that the World Health Organization has declared this Ebola outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.

Safety. France Diplomatie (15 September 2026) classes as red, formally advised against, notably the North-East (including Kano State), the North-West and the states of Bayelsa, Delta, Akwa Ibom and Rivers. It classes as orange (advised against except for compelling reasons) the cities of Kano and Port Harcourt, several South-West states and the FCT outside the city of Abuja, and as yellow (heightened vigilance) Abuja, Ibadan, Abeokuta and Lagos State. The FCDO (21 October 2026) advises against all travel to the states of Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe, Katsina, Zamfara and Sokoto and to the riverine areas of Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River. It advises against all but essential travel to many other states, including Kano and Kaduna, and does not mention Lagos State. The two advisories differ: consult their up-to-date versions.

Nigeria compared with other African destinations

• South Africa: higher English, electricity at 90.2%.
• Kenya: similar English, +2 h with Paris.
• Egypt: lower English, higher fixed speed.
• Ghana: lower English (540, 36th); 45th in the 2023 Kearney ranking.

How MaaSil recruits in Nigeria

MaaSil states that it recruits in Nigeria remotely and relies on a business manager based in the country. According to MaaSil, the selection is the same as for its consultants in Madagascar (see Why us), in four stages:

1. pre-selection (MaaSil states that it presents the "top 1%" of the CVs received);
2. two interviews;
3. technical tests;
4. presentation of the candidate to the client.

MaaSil announces about one month to recruit and about four weeks for full autonomy. It states that its consultants are 100% integrated into the client's teams, which direct the assignments day to day, and that it handles recruitment, payroll, HR follow-up and coordination. These statements have not been verified by a third party. The premises, internet and power backups and GDPR framework that MaaSil advertises concern Madagascar, not Nigeria. For a specific need, contact us.

Which jobs can you outsource to Nigeria?

• Customer service: in English; no French-language service documented. See customer service officer.
• Development: see full stack developer.
• Accounting: see accountant.
• Administrative support: see administrative assistant.
• IT support: see IT support technician.

FAQ: outsourcing to Nigeria

Sources and methodology

This page was written by MaaSil Inc, an outsourcing company, from public data consulted on 22 October 2026 (statistical institutes, international organisations, salary guides). Figures change; found a mistake? Write to us via our contact page.

• NBS, labour force, Q2 2024
• NBS, press release on the new method, 2023
• Central Bank of Nigeria, exchange rate
• ThisDay, minimum wage, 16 October 2026
• National Industrial Court (NICN), Labour Act compendium
• European Commission, adequacy decisions
• France Diplomatie, Nigeria, safety
• FCDO, Nigeria travel advice