Last updated on February 11th, 2025 by Kenneth Ojeisekhoba
OXERBLOG > BLOG > 55 PROVEN WAYS TO MAKE MONEY ONLINE IN NIGERIA
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This is the most comprehensive post ever on how to make money online in Nigeria.
These are not just possible ways, but proven and genuine methods for making money online in Nigeria (and anywhere else in the world) in 2025.
I have included reliable statistics from credible data websites to highlight the trends and the excellent business opportunities available for making money online through these various channels.
Additionally, I provided examples of successful websites and individuals currently earning money in Nigeria using these methods, along with a few foreign examples for added inspiration.
For many of these methods, you’ll need to create a website, start a blog, build an app, or establish a social media channel to get started.
So, you need some time to build an audience before you can make serious money from your site.
However, the investment will pay off in the long run, because 100% of the profit is yours if done correctly. The following resources will come in handy here:
▪ What is the cost of building a new website today?
▪ 27 simple SEO best practices you need to follow in 2025.
For other methods, you typically only need to register on established websites, often at no cost. And you can start earning money almost immediately after completing a task.
These platforms have already developed a user base that you can leverage, but be aware that you’ll have to share the profits with the site owners for using their platform.
Now a word of warning: None of these methods is a scam; these are all legitimate ways to make clean money online.
And how much you make will depend on how much time and work you put into the process, among others.
The best part is, with all these methods, you can reach a global market working from home with your flexible schedule.
I also mentioned popular monetization channels that you can use to earn money for each method.
Finally, for virtually all of these methods, you can accept payments through bank transfer (i.e. a domiciliary account), credit/debit card, PayPal, Stripe, and others.
With that, below is the list of 55 sure ways to make money online in Nigeria today. Feel free to skip ahead to the option(s) that interests you the most.
Table of Contents
1. Make Money with Live Webinars
2. Earn Money Through Affiliate Programs
3. Display Adverts Through Ad Networks (Like Google AdSense)
4. Sell Banner Ad Space Directly to Advertisers
5. Sell Sponsored Posts on Your Website
6. Write Paid Reviews on Your Site
7. Create a Paid Job Search Website (Like Jobberman)
8. Make Money Flipping Websites
9. Start a Consulting Business
10. Sell Coaching Services Online
11. Create a Paid Events Calendar
12. Build a Question and Answer Website
13. Create an Online Business Directory
15. Create an Independent News Site
16. Create an Article Submission Website
17. Start a Content/Copy Production Site
18. Create a Customer Review Website
20. Make a Website for Your Photography Business
21. Create and Sell Online Courses on Your Site
22. Create a Tailoring/Fashion Designing Apprenticeship Website
23. Start an Online Tutoring Website
24. Create an Online Food Delivery Website
25. Create a Property Listing Website
26. Start a Food and Beverage Blog
30. Create a Video-on-Demand Website
31. Publish Exclusive Members-Only Content
33. Make Your Own Stock Photography Website
35. Start a Dropshipping Business
36. Create an Online Clothing Store
37. Create an Online Travel Agency Website
38. Launch an Online Electronics Store
39. Start an Online Furniture Store
40. Create a Freelance Marketplace Website
41. Create an Online Course Marketplace Website (Like Udemy)
42. Launch a Stock Photography Marketplace Website (Like Shutterstock)
43. Create an ECommerce Marketplace Website
46. Earn Money Through Amazon Associates Programs
47. Become a Contributor on Popular Stock Photography Sites
48. Sell Online Courses on Course Marketplaces
49. Become an Online Tutor Via Tutoring Sites
50. Make Money Flipping Domains
51. Sell Your Services As a Freelance
52. Sell Your Products on Established ECommerce Platforms (Like Amazon)
53. Work As a Full-Time Remote Employee
54. Make Money on Credible Loan Apps
55. Start a Reseller Web Hosting Service
Note: I have set the exchange rate at ₦1,000 to the dollar for this article. Due to the declining value of the naira, it may be much higher than that.
With that, let’s set the ball rolling.
Make Money Online in Nigeria With these 55 Tested Ways:
1. Make Money with Paid Webinars
Hosting paid webinars is the way to go when organizing conferences, seminars, training, and workshops today.
Webinars have been mainstreamed even after in-person seminars have resumed fully, thanks to COVID-19, the security situation in the country, and the continued technological advancement in web conferencing.
So if you’re an expert in a specific field or on topics that are in demand, you can share your knowledge and make money with paid webinars.
People will be willing to buy tickets to your webinar broadcasts to learn from you and tap into your wealth of information.
‘Webinar’ is a blend of web and seminar.
Webinars are the digital format of conventional seminars. In other words, they are seminars done on the web.
They include live video presentations, training, conferences, workshops, lectures, etc. hosted online via a good webinar software platform.
A webinar has all the hallmarks of an offline seminar − intense interactions, discussions, practical work, knowledge sharing, relationship building, etc.
So, webinars are just as effective as real-life seminars. The only difference is they are hosted virtually.
A live webinar usually includes live and recorded videos, slideshows, whiteboards, live chats, screen shares, one or multiple speakers, question and answer segments [through text chat], call-to-action, polls, etc.
Here is why you should host your own webinars:
More recently, webinars have gained considerable popularity, especially because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has created new norms, across all spheres of life worldwide.
Today, they are proving to be good replacements for real-life seminars, conferences, trainings, meetings, classes, etc.
For someone who knows their onions, hosting paid webinars provides you with the platform to share your expertise and experience with a wider audience across the globe, grow your business with ease, and make money online doing what you love.
What’s more, webinar helps you make sufficient cost savings, in terms of logistics and venue costs.
All your planning for a webinar is done on your laptop, and you can host a good few attendees online in real time.
According to statistics, the cost of conducting a webinar is between $100 (i.e. about ₦100,000) and $3,000 (i.e. about ₦3,000,000), depending on the technological and promotional costs.
Your audience can also save costs since they won’t pay for hotel accommodation and transport/airfare.
You can maximize your live webinars by recording them.
Some registered participants may opt for a recorded version of your webinar for one reason or another, mostly because of busy schedules and time differences.
Moreover, you can use your recorded webinars to give your new clients a pleasurable onboarding experience.
You can set up your webinars on your site using a reliable webinar software like Demio, WebinarJam, Video Conferencing with Zoom, GoTo Webinar, Zoom Events & Webinars, LiveStorm, Eventbrite, or EasyWebinar, among others.
Most webinar software allow you to live stream your paid webinars on YouTube, Facebook, and others.
However, you want to pick a webinar software that best suits your needs and preferences.
Webinar software costs range between $50 (i.e. about ₦50,000) and $500 (i.e. about ₦500,000) per month for about 200 live attendees.
You want to start early to promote your webinars through emails and sneak peeks on social media.
You can also create a landing page on your website (if you have one) with all the necessary info – your focus, speakers, time, sign-up form, date, cost, etc.
However, nothing promotes webinars like quality content. If your first set of attendees feel they got their money’s worth, they won’t only attend future events, but they’ll also spread the word.
To host a paid webinar, you’ll need a webcam (if you’ll be showing your face), a good headset with a mic, and webinar software.
Presently, the duration of webinars hovers between 30 and 60 minutes. However, webinar length depends on your audience, content size, and goals for the event.
You can check the popularity of your webinar topic ideas with Google Trends or a freemium SEO tool like SEMrush.
The most effective ways to earn money with webinars include ticket sales, marketing your own products, and selling online courses and ebooks.
2. Earn Money Through Affiliate Programs
One of the easiest ways to start earning money online in Nigeria today is through affiliate marketing.
Affiliate marketing is a business model that involves promoting genuine products and services your audience needs, and getting a commission on every sale made on the merchant’s website through your unique links.
Once you start your blog or website and get decent-sized traffic, you can sign up with different affiliate programs to promote products that will benefit your audience.
Affiliate marketing is a win-win marketing/sales strategy that helps the advertiser drive sales and increase profits and you, the affiliate, earn a small commission.
A practical example of affiliate marketing in this part of the world would be in the property business.
The seller enlists people to help find a buyer for a property (e.g. a house) they want to sell.
Depending on the agreement, whoever gets a buyer is rewarded with a cut of between 5% and 20% of the profits.
In this same way, some companies in Nigeria have affiliate programs that you can join.
For example, several eCommerce marketplaces and online loan apps in Nigeria have very functional affiliate programs.
With that said, so many Nigerian businesses are yet to tap into the huge potential of this marketing/sales strategy and the big difference it can make in their profits.
Thankfully, there is a wide range of international companies and affiliate networks that you can sign up with (usually for free) and earn money online even from Nigeria. They include:
▪ Shopify
▪ Impact
You can check for many more opportunities on HubSpot’s 50+ best affiliate programs and Millennial Money’s 75+ awesome affiliate programs.
You simply promote their products and services to your audience and earn a percentage when someone makes a purchase through your links.
You can join different affiliate programs at the same time and promote a wide range of products that your audience needs.
However, there are two things to note before you choose any product or service.
First, only promote products and services that are genuine.
Do not recommend to your audience any product or service that you cannot vouch for.
Customer satisfaction comes first, not money. Do not put money before your audience.
Second, you want to only recommend products and services that align with your niche and are useful to your audience.
For example, if you run a food blog, it will be completely out of place to promote iPhones and computers on your site.
Third, you’ll always find good affiliate programs to join in every niche, and great products and services your audience badly needs.
Important: It is a good practice to disclose to your audience that your content contains affiliate links.
Let them know you’ll get a commission from the sellers when they use your referrals to make a purchase, and it is at no cost to them.
Disclosures like these help to build trust and encourage your audience to use your links.
Next, you want to abide by every Terms of Agreement, for a smooth relationship with each affiliate program you enlist for.
If you’re using WordPress, you’ll need a free plugin like Pretty Links to create, place, and monitor all your affiliate links.
The Pro version gives you more features and 1 year of support and updates.
A good alternative is ThirstyAffiliates. It also has a robust Pro version.
3. Display Adverts Through Ad Networks (Like Google AdSense)
Offering advertising space through advertising networks is one of the easiest online monetization channels.
It is the most popular way to make money online in Nigeria.
It is also a great option to start monetizing your site, regardless of your niche.
Take a look at the numbers:
In 2022, advertisers spent $73.51 million (i.e. about ₦49.3 billion then) on banner ads and $81.08 million (i.e. about ₦55 billion) on video ads in Nigeria (Datareportal).
The numbers were much higher in 2023: $108 million (i.e. about ₦100 billion) on video ads and $100.4 million (i.e. about ₦94 billion) on banner ads.
Having said all that, how much revenue you generate will depend on the traction your website gets.
Below are ways to build a decent audience and retain a loyal readership on your site:
✓ Constantly create useful and people-focused content in your chosen niche.
✓ Choose a site design with great functionality that will improve user interaction with your content and easily expose them to different ads.
✓ Use different ad formats such as simple text-based ads, image ads, video ads, etc. to appeal to a wider range of users and prompt them to click on them.
You’ll need to first register with third-party ad networks like Google AdSense before you can display ads on your site.
An ad network is an online advertising company that acts as a go-between for publishers (or site owners) and advertisers.
Once you sign up (for free), they will provide you with a small piece of code (or ad tag) to display ads on your site.
Ad networks gather unsold ad space (or inventory) from multiple site owners and sell them to advertisers in bulk at a cheaper rate.
This is the best way for a fairly new site to make money using display ads.
Because in the beginning, it will be pretty difficult to convince advertisers to work with you directly.
The most popular and the biggest ad network is Google AdSense. It is owned by Google which has about 90% of all online searches (Statcounter).
It is much higher in Nigeria − a staggering 99%+.
You need to first check their eligibility requirements on Google AdSense Help to see if your site qualifies.
Once it does, you can sign up for a Google AdSense account, to get started.
That said, revenue varies from region to region and from niche to niche.
You can calculate your potential earnings on their website. Go to Google AdSense, and select a region for your potential visitors, and a category. Then, click Calculate to get a rough estimate.
Other good ad networks you can register with include Media.net, PropellerAds, Adcash, RichAds, MyBid, and EvaDav.
You’ll need between 10,000 and 50,000 monthly visits to get in for many of these platforms. Some even require more page views.
Most ad networks offer a range of advertising pricing options to cater to the needs of different businesses.
The 3 common advertising pricing models include:
▪ Cost-Per-Mille or Cost-Per-Thousand Impression (CPM)
This is the most common pricing model. You get paid a fixed rate for every 1,000 views (or impressions) of the displayed ads.
Your users don’t have to click on it, they only need to view it.
▪ Cost-Per-Click (CPC) aka Pay-Per-Click (PPC)
This is a performance-based pricing model. Your users have to click on the ad for you to make money. So, you get paid a fixed price for every click on an ad campaign.
▪ Cost-Per-Acquisition (CPA)
This is an advanced performance-based pricing model. You only get paid when users take a specified action or make a conversion.
The price rate is usually higher than the first two models.
Depending on the model you choose, the more page views or clicks your site gets, the more money you make.
Note: You can use multiple ad networks to sell more ad space on your site. That way, you’ll be able to maximize your revenue.
4. Sell Banner Ad Space Directly to Advertisers
If you don’t want to use advertising intermediaries like Google AdSense, you can sell banner ad inventory directly to media buyers.
This strategy is a good option when you have built a popular site that attracts a decent readership.
This is how it works:
The publisher (i.e. you) completely bypasses the middlemen (i.e. ad networks), and negotiates directly with media buyers (i.e. advertisers).
Selling banner ads directly to businesses allows you to select advertisers whose products, services, and brands align with your content and are helpful to your audience.
For example, if you run a fashion blog, you want to display ads relating to fashion − dresses, shoes, wristwatches, and the like.
This helps you to build business partnerships that can last for years.
What’s more, this monetization strategy is more financially rewarding for the site owner.
You’re able to negotiate at a much higher rate, and you keep 100% of the advertising revenue.
However, selling ad space directly to advertisers is quite taxing and takes time and effort to succeed.
You’ll need to first find direct sales, negotiate favorable pricing and contract terms with advertisers; then, manage the ad campaign when you eventually close a deal.
Below are the popular ways to find advertisers that you can work with:
▪ Research blogs and websites in your niche for potential advertisers already running direct banner ads.
▪ Search for media buyers behind sponsored ads in your industry via Google Search pages using relevant keywords.
▪ Reach out to would-be advertisers directly and see if you can convince them to work with you.
▪ Create an Advertise page that you have banner ad space for sale on your site.
▪ You can also create a Media Kit page using Canva to showcase your performance metrics such as monthly unique visitors, page views, audience demographics, social stats, etc.
It should include your pricing rates and contact information.
That said, before you start selling ads directly, you need to have:
✓ A considerable volume of traffic to your site
✓ A decent loyal audience
You can also use CPM, CPC, and/or CPA ad pricing model(s) to sell your ads, or simply charge a flat rate for all your banner ad space for easy monitoring.
Note: You’ll need to create space on your site for ads displayed directly and by ad networks so they don’t interfere with your content.
If you’re using self-hosted WordPress, you can use a good ad management plugin like AdSanity or AdRotate to organize and manage all ads to optimize your revenue.
5. Sell Sponsored Posts on Your Website
Selling sponsored post is another tested way to earn money from your blog, website, vlog, podcast, or social channel in Nigeria today.
Sponsored (or branded) content is a marketing model in which the advertiser pays you, the publisher (or site owner) to spread the word about their brand or product to your audience through your posts.
It is known as influencer marketing.
It is a simple but very effective way for businesses and marketers to meet their sales and marketing goals. So they’re quite willing to pay to engage your audience.
This is why selling sponsored posts is a very lucrative way to make money online.
People who ordinarily wouldn’t have used a product or service are influenced to do so because of their love and admiration of the influencer.
According to Datareportal, $2.72 million (i.e. about ₦2 billion then) was spent on influencer marketing in Nigeria in 2022.
Nigeria’s digital spending on online influencers increased to $4.20 million (i.e. about ₦3.5 billion) in 2023.
Sponsorships have been used for decades to subtly influence people’s buying decisions and habits in Nigeria and across the globe.
Branded content has its roots in the print media, and then, it spread to the broadcasting media, and now, it is thriving in the digital media.
Today, sponsored content greatly influences what, why, and how we consume products, services, and brands in Nigeria.
For example, in 2022, 78.2% of Nigeria’s internet users used social media networks as the primary channels when researching brands, while 72.9% used search engines like Google (Datareportal).
Both channels still topped the list with a slight increase in 2023 − 84.3% and 73.7% respectively.
Branded content is proving to be more precise and rewarding for marketers than traditional display ads.
First, brands and marketers are able to target specific audiences and increase their brand perception and purchase consideration.
So, in addition to publishing it on their own websites, marketers want to partner with publishers to distribute their branded content.
Second, consumers perceive branded content as more consumer-centered because it is less about selling products and more about providing value.
Third, Nigeria’s internet users are still proactively avoiding online ads. More than a quarter of them used ad blockers in 2023.
Because they think too many ads are irrelevant, and intrusive, among other reasons.
So unlike ads, publishers can make more stable income even with less traffic when they sell sponsored posts.
What’s more, a fluctuating audience doesn’t affect your revenue potential. Because sponsored posts do not depend on the number of clicks like display ads.
The summary is that sponsored posts are gaining traction, and you should consider selling some on your site.
You can find sponsored post opportunities in marketplaces like Valued Voice, CLKS Digital, BlogMeetsBrand, Acorn, IZEA, and many more.
These marketplaces allow blogs and websites from everywhere to register (for free) with them.
6. Write Paid Reviews on Your Site
Another great way to monetize your blog, website, or social channel is to write paid reviews on brands, products, and services.
Paid reviews are somewhat similar to sponsored content in that the marketer pays you to write about their brand or product on your website.
So it is also a type of influencer marketing.
However, unlike branded content, a paid review is written by you alone, without any input from the advertiser.
Paid reviews are usually transparent, unbiased evaluations and ratings of products or brands that their manufacturers pay you to do on your site after you’ve tried them, targeting your audience.
Businesses want to get more reviews on sites where they can easily reach their target audiences, to keep attracting new customers.
So whether they’re popular or new, some of these companies will be willing to pay you to try out their product, and then write a candid review on your site for your audience to read.
This monetization technique would work best when you have built a loyal audience who have come to trust you.
Though companies pay you, it is expected that your reviews be free of biases.
When writing paid reviews, the interest of your audience should come first, not the company’s.
Your site exists for your audience, and not the companies paying you. So don’t put money before people, no matter how much.
The question you should always ask yourself before writing a review is: how much is my credibility worth?
Because when you lose your audience’s trust and belief in you, you lose everything.
But as a matter of fact, an impartial product review is a win-win-win for the consumer, the manufacturer and the publisher alike.
First, honest reviews help the consumer to have a clear idea of the product, and whether or not to buy it.
Second, the manufacturer gets sincere feedback that helps them know how effective their product is, and what improvements they need to make.
And third, in addition to earning money, frank reviews help you, the site owner, to attract more traffic, generate more leads, increase conversions, and get more backlinks.
The import of all these is that you make more money.
You could get paid review deals from different companies and brands. But you want to consider products in your niche that will resonate with and benefit your audience.
Once you build your audience, some marketers may approach you themselves.
So create a Media Kit page for your site’s performance metrics using a free template on Canva.
However, you can also reach out to businesses in your space who may be interested in working with you, through emails.
You can also create a free profile to advertise your site on popular third-party websites like Get Reviewed, IZEA, etc. Make sure your profile include your performance stats.
Businesses are constantly searching for review opportunities on these platforms.
7. Create a Paid Job Search Website (Like Jobberman)
Ever heard of Jobberman? It is arguably Nigeria’s biggest job site.
You too can create an online jobs platform for employers and job seekers and make money online in Nigeria.
An online job search website is an employment site where employers can advertise vacancies in their companies, and prospective employees can find and apply for these vacant positions.
So online job listing websites are the go-to sites for job postings and job hunting today.
According to a 2019 survey, 20.6% of job seekers in Nigeria searched on job boards.
12% of those who could find employment said they did so through job boards.
As of 2022, there were about 25 million unemployed graduates in Nigeria; while 600,000 graduates get released into the labor market every year (AfterSchoolAfrica).
The unemployment rate in Nigeria hovered around 33% between 2020 and 2022, according to Statista.
However, the global consulting firm KPMG projected that it would rise to an alarming 41% in 2023.
According to them, this is because of the continuing influx of job seekers into the labour market.
So, job search websites are swarming daily with job seekers who are combing through thousands of jobs looking for employment.
Recruiters are also posting jobs and checking out hundreds of applications to pick their preferred candidates.
In addition to listing vacancies, most job boards allow job seekers to upload their resumes and apply for openings directly without needing to physically visit the companies.
They also offer other services like resume writing, cover letter writing, career coaching, etc.
Many job sites also have a blog section where they regularly publish articles on various topics such as career advice, job search tips, workplace and leadership, tips for employers, news & events, and more.
These blog posts also attract lots of traffic from Google to these job sites.
There is a spectrum of job sites that you can create – from general job boards that feature a wide range of job listings to niche sites that focus on specific industries such as casual/seasonal jobs, startup jobs, sales jobs, high-paying jobs, executive jobs, etc.
Indeed, it makes sense to focus on one niche when you’re just getting started.
It is easier to carve out a niche for yourself when you specialize, and quickly become the favorite job board in that space.
For example, you can build a job board for education jobs (specific), or for executive or high-paying jobs (cross-sector).
Monetization strategies for job boards include employers paying to have their jobs advertised on your site.
Some sites offer discounts/bonuses for bulk listings, so the more they buy, the cheaper the price for each post.
Also, some paid boards charge job seekers a fee to upload their resumes for premium jobs.
You can also offer other premium services like resume writing and career coaching.
You can easily create a paid job website in WordPress using a good plugin like WP Job Manager, WP Job Board, or Simple Job Board.
Also, it is important to create a site with a clean and easy-to-use interface.
For more inspiration, check out these other job sites: Delon Jobs, Jobzilla, and Indeed.
8. Make Money Flipping Websites
Do you know that you can build or buy a website, improve its value, and then resell it for a profit, just like you a house or car?
The process is called website flipping.
Many people don’t know that flipping websites is an excellent way to make money online in Nigeria today, just like in other places.
Some Nigerian websites have sold for astronomical prices.
A great example is Jobberman.
So blogs and websites are online real estate that can have huge profit margins.
The idea of buying ready-made sites is becoming more attractive as it becomes increasingly difficult to rank in Google.
Some people would rather avoid the stress of starting from scratch.
Also, the boom in the Internet’s popularity because of COVID-19 has led to a huge surge in demand for all types of websites.
The time is simply ripe for this kind of business.
You may be asking: how exactly does website flipping work?
Again, the process is quite similar to other forms of flipping, like buying and selling real estate, cars, etc.
And you can do this in two ways:
Firstly, you can invest in building a website or blog from scratch and improving its rankings and traffic with these 27 simple SEO best practices (recommended by Google) to make it more profitable. Then, you can sell it at a profit to an investor or whoever is interested.
Secondly, you can find and buy an existing site with viable growth potential, work on its profitability, and then sell it.
That said, both require some level of expertise.
What people are used to in Nigeria is building websites for others, and earning peanuts for all their effort.
But you’ll be laughing all the way to the bank if you can invest your expertise and experience in building or buying a website, and drawing traffic to it to make it more profitable; then, reselling it for a profit.
Note that this monetization method requires an upfront investment of time and money.
The cost of building a new website or renovating an existing one will depend on the type of site and the features you want on it.
Having said that, a new website can cost between $100 – $500 (i.e. between ₦100,000 − ₦500,000).
The cost of building or renovating a website in Nigeria is pretty much the same as in other parts of the world because you’ll be using the same tools. And it makes good business sense to use quality tools.
For more, see my guide on how much it costs to build a new website.
When you want to sell, the price of a website will depend on several factors like blog niche, search rankings, age, features, content quality and size, traffic, revenue, social stats, etc.
It is also very important you research the types of blogs and websites that you’ll be comfortable dealing in.
Below are some of the best website marketplaces and brokers where you can buy and sell ready-made websites.
They include Flippa.com, Empire Flippers, Motion Invest, Investors Club, and FE International.
Many of these sites also offer free valuation services to help you price your site correctly.
9. Start a Consulting Business
If you have expert knowledge and experience in any field, you can start your own consulting business and make money online in Nigeria right now.
Consulting is about using your expertise to help a business or organization that has hit a bottleneck, to make progress again.
So, a consultant is someone with valuable know-how knowledge that businesses within a particular field are willing to pay to access.
A consultant’s job involves assessing a company’s operational activities, identifying bottlenecks, and providing a plan of action to remove them so they can be more effective.
Consultants and consulting firms are widely known and highly sought after in Nigeria.
Because they play a key role in the overall effectiveness of various businesses.
So consulting business is very lucrative in Nigeria.
Many Nigerians are making six-figure incomes as consultants in different niches right now.
You don’t need to own a big firm, degrees, or certifications to qualify as a consultant.
If you can offer expert advice to businesses in your niche that can help them improve their performance, then you’re more than qualified to be a consultant.
All you need is to launch your own online consulting business on a mobile-friendly website.
In today’s reality, you can consult from your website and get paid online.
Simply create a page for your consulting services on your existing site with your contact details and a form for prospective clients to reach you. Or you could build a completely new website.
There is a wide range of business consulting you can start.
Some of the most popular consulting niches in Nigeria presently include Educational consulting, Agricultural consulting, Marketing consulting, Business consulting, IT consulting, and Legal consulting.
Others are Management consulting, Human resource (HR) consulting, Security consulting, Safety consulting, Medial consulting, Financial consulting, PR consulting, and many more.
Depending on your level of expertise, you can get big consulting gigs with large business organizations, or executive clients running into millions of naira.
If you are interested in starting your own consulting business, there has never been a better time than now.
You should read HubSpot’s article on how to become a consultant.
10. Sell Coaching Services Online
Another fantastic option to earn money from your site is by selling coaching services to your clients online.
Coaching is very similar to consulting.
They both help people solve problems, and help them succeed, and they use identical methods to achieve their desired result.
That said, consulting focuses on improving the business while coaching concentrates on making the individual better.
Coaching involves a series of personalized, one-on-one conversations that trigger and support a shift in the client’s thinking and behavior, thereby inspiring them to grow and become better versions of themselves.
So, a coach helps the client make positive behavioral changes in a specific area that can affect their lives, profession, and relationships.
To break it down, a coach analyses the client’s current situation, identifies their limitations, guides them to set specific goals, creates a customized plan of action, motivates and holds them accountable to achieve their target.
The popularity and the realization of the importance of coaching services is growing in Nigeria.
So right now, Nigerians are seriously engaging professional coaches to help them out in different areas of their lives.
For example, leading notables like Lape Soetan and Olusola Lanre have carved a niche for themselves in coaching, and are highly sought after.
There are all kinds of coaches such as life coaches, health and wellness coaches, personal development coaches, financial coaches, relationship coaches, executive coaches, retirement coaches, and performance coaches, to mention a few.
There are even coaches with a narrow focus such as working from home, happiness, confidence, self-love, intimacy, and more.
Whatever area you choose to specialize in, you can provide customized programs and other tools to help each of your clients become better, in several online coaching sessions.
You’ll also need to create self-guided teaching materials such as downloadable ebooks, videos, etc. that your clients can use offline at their own pace.
You can make more money by offering live, one-on-one video coaching to clients who are willing to pay for your time.
However, all your customers must be able to communicate with you privately through email or your Contact page on your website.
Though it is not a requirement for starting an online coaching business, it is best you get some training and certifications.
I recommend Coach Transformation Academy, among others.
That said, choose a training program that fits your needs.
Monetization methods include coaching fees, sales of electronic and hardcover books, public speaking gigs, and more.
You can build a new website to sell your coaching services, or simply create a page on your existing blog to showcase your services.
Remember to include your contact and an appointment/booking form for your would-be clients.
You can easily create a customized form on your website with a good WordPress appointment and booking plugin like Booking Calendar, WP Simple Booking Calendar, or WPForms.
11. Create a Paid Events Calendar
You can earn good money online by creating a paid events calendar on your site once you build a sizeable audience.
People and companies targeting your readership will be happy to advertise their upcoming events on your events calendar.
A paid events calendar is a place where advertisers can pay to list their current, upcoming, and recurring events like conferences, training, webinars, concerts, fairs, weddings, festivals, conventions, sporting events, etc. on the web.
It is actually one of the primary places where events are advertised online.
Here is why you should consider creating a paid event calendar on your site:
As of December 2021, 97.2% of Nigeria’s 109.2 million internet users spent an average of 5 hours and 04minutes accessing the web via mobile phones for information, education, and entertainment (Datareportal).
Because of the growing number of mobile internet users in Nigeria and the recent internet boom fueled by COVID-19, more businesses are shifting online to promote their live, virtual, and hybrid events on events calendars.
The growing popularity of online event calendars provides advertisers a tool to reach a specific audience(s) more easily than through traditional media.
You could allow advertisers to display events in a range of niches. Or you could focus on campaigns in the same niche as your blog, website, or social channel.
That way, you can easily become the preferred events calendar in your domain.
Your site could concentrate on local events in the city where you live, across the country, online or hybrid events (or both). There is just a whole range of event calendars you can choose to create.
You can set up your own events calendar on your site using one of the best events calendar plugins.
Creating your website on WordPress gives you access to a variety of top calendar plugins like The Events Calendar, My Calendar, Simple Calendar, Timely All-in-One Events Calendar, and many more.
These plugins come with a variety of customizable features – from simple event listing to advanced solutions/addenda like event bookings/reservations, ticketing, training scheduling, booking appointments, automated email notifications, integrations with Google Calendar, Google Maps, and more.
Most of them have both free and premium versions. I recommend you start with the free version and upgrade later as your site grows.
More importantly, choose a calendar plugin that is mobile-friendly and compatible with major web browsers.
Also, make sure it has robust customer support, among other features.
Some perfect examples of paid event calendars include ConnectNigeria.com (general), ExploreAsheville, ILoveMemphis (local city), and Smithsonian (industry).
You can replicate and pioneer these foreign examples in your local city or niche.
Monetization methods for paid events calendar websites include advertisements, donations, and of course, event listing fees.
12. Build a Question and Answer Website
You can create a question-and-answer website in your area of expertise and make money online in Nigeria today.
A question-and-answer website is a place where users can ask questions freely and answer them for free − in most cases.
Question and answer communities are very popular, and some of the biggest and most successful sites on the internet.
Tens of millions of people visit and use these sites every month.
Stack Exchange, for example, receives over 430 million monthly page visits and about 838.7 million monthly page views.
The flagship site of Stack Exchange, Stack Overflow, has 14 million registered users and 100+ million monthly visits.
The popular Q&A website, Quora, has 300 million monthly users, AskReddit − 33.5 million, Brainly − 350 million, to mention a few.
In Nigeria, 22.5% of internet users said they used Q&A sites as their primary source of information when researching brands in 2023.
Many of these Q&A websites have millions of user-generated questions and answers.
Stack Overflow, for example, has received 21 million questions and 31 million answers to date.
Anyone can post questions, and any member of the community can answer them.
Some of the contributors are experts in their fields, and they give expert answers to questions asked in their area of expertise.
So, the whole concept of the Q&A website is based on a participatory community.
However, the answers are usually moderated, and the best and most timely ones are published.
On some sites, users can upvote their best posts, and the answers with the highest votes are displayed to the public.
Generally, Q&A websites require that users register for free before they can ask and answer questions.
Users can also post different questions on a wide variety of topics and in various fields/categories such as news, business, science, politics, travel, parenting, guidance, games, beauty, electronics, entertainment, finance, pets, movies, sports, and many more.
Many of the questions that people query in search engines are asked and answered by these question-and-answer communities.
Some sites are multilingual. Quora, for instance, currently has multiple versions of its website in 22 languages; Brainly − 12; Yahoo Answers − 13, and many others (Wikipedia).
So they rank high in search results and attract lots of visitors.
You can start a question-and-answer community that engages, teaches, and helps its members.
Once you build a reputation as a website where questions are answered correctly and quickly, and people like your setup, you become their preferred Q&A site.
Very importantly too, you want a site where people are asking very interesting and challenging questions.
The quality of questions on your site is what will attract users, including experts.
That said, it takes time to build a sizeable active community but it is very doable.
You can adopt various bits and pieces of different Q&A websites that you want to see in your community.
You can also allow your registered users to interact with one another like many sites do.
Most question-and-answer sites make money through advertising, donations, sponsorships, subscription membership models, etc.
WordPress makes setting up a Q&A website so easy with a good plugin like Question Answer or SabaiDiscuss.
Any of these plugins will create a beautiful and robust Q&A website.
13. Create an Online Business Directory
Business listings have been around for ages, and they are still very much valuable and useful today.
They are one of the oldest ways to make money in Nigeria, both online and offline.
A business directory is a platform where businesses can easily connect with prospective customers.
More and more Nigerians are using the Internet to search for products and services they need.
Presently, 65% of them searching for specific information on a product they want to buy use search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc. (Statista).
And online business listings are one of the primary places that searchers look for such information.
That’s why search engines rank directories high because they consider them valuable and reliable sources.
So, smart managers and business owners are taking advantage of different web directories to boost their online presence, improve their local visibility, and create awareness of their brands.
They know the ROI (return on investment) is high – it will help them build credibility, boost their rankings, drive more traffic back to their sites, and grow their business.
Business directories make it really easy for online searchers to find vendors in a given industry, category, or locality. They are the go-to sites for lots of customers.
A business directory can be general, covering different niches across the country.
Some examples include BusinessList, Connect Nigeria, and Finelib.com, among others.
Some of these sites have hundreds of thousands of listings.
Though general business listings are highly competitive, you might still want to throw your hat in the ring.
Having said that, people may appreciate more and find a business listing for a locality or specific niche very handy.
For example, you could set up the most robust local business listing for your city like LagosList.
Or you could pioneer a niche directory for your industry.
That way, you can quickly emerge as the favorite directory for businesses and people in that community or vertical market, with little competition.
Moreover, business owners know local business directories are very useful for targeting customers visiting or living in their locality.
But for a few important pages that you’ll need to create, online directories are mainly user-generated content such as business contacts, services, reviews, photo coupons, emails, links, etc.
Many directories also run a blog section on a wide variety of different topics, mostly business.
Monetization strategies for web directories include listing fees, advertisements, sponsorships, etc.
You can easily create a business listing website using WordPress and one of the best directory plugins such as Connections Business Directory, Business Directory Plugin, or GeoDirectory, among others.
Any of these popular plugins will allow you to submit listings, integrate paid submissions, and more.
14. Publish Kindle Ebooks
Just like everything else, technology has reshaped the way people read books across the world.
Hard copy (or paperback) format no longer holds sway like it used to in the past.
Book lovers are increasingly embracing other formats, especially ebooks (or electronic books), through their mobile phones.
And Nigerians too have developed a taste for ebooks. That’s why publishing ebooks has become very lucrative today in Nigeria.
Look at the numbers for the past 3 years:
According to Datareportal, in 2021, Nigerians spent $268.8 million (i.e. over ₦220 billion then) on ebooks – more than double what they spent on digital music.
Although it dropped to $148.2 million (i.e. about ₦99.3 billion) in 2022, epublishing nearly tripled digital music spending.
However, digital spending on epublishing did much better in 2023 − $232.6 million (i.e. about 190 billion).
So epublishing is still a great way to make money online in Nigeria.
An ebook or digital book is a soft copy of a book, often consisting of text and images that can be read on electronic devices such as mobile phones, ebook readers, and other smart devices.
According to a 2018 report, African mobile users spent an average of 4 million hours reading ebooks on their mobile phones between January and September, a 32% increase from 2017.
The report said there were more than more than 9 million new readers in Africa.
And Nigeria topped the list of African countries with the highest mobile and online reading populations.
The reasons given for the increase in access to ebooks include the affordability of mobile phones and data-saving technology and the high cost of hard-copy books.
So, mobile technology penetration is greatly advancing literacy and learning in Nigeria and the rest of Africa.
51% of Nigeria’s 214.1 million total population – that is 109.2 million – used the internet in 2021, and 97.2% of this number were mobile internet users (Datareportal).
And the numbers continue to increase.
In 2022, 122.5 million Nigerians used the internet – that is 55.4% of the total population of 221.2 million, and 97.5% of them accessed the internet via their mobile phones (Datareportal).
What makes things even more interesting is that, according to the 2018 report on Africa’s mobile reading population, most readers preferred books written by local authors and publishers.
There is a wide range of popular content that you can create and publish – from business and investment to literature & fiction, education & textbooks, non-fiction, love & romance, thriller & suspense, kids, teens, & young adults, comic & graphic novels, cookbooks, poetry, and more.
If you’ve created content over time on your blog or website, that is also a good place to start.
So you can bundle some of your old posts together into an ebook format.
Thankfully, in today’s climate, anyone can write and self-publish ebooks, paperbacks, and hardcover books for free using platforms like KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing).
All you need to get started is to simply sign up for a free Amazon account.
Publishing takes less than 5 minutes and your book will be displayed on Kindle stores worldwide within 72 hours.
The best part is you can earn up to 70% royalty on each sale.
A great example of a successful writer and publisher is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
Her books continue to be a publishing sensation in Nigeria and around the world.
She currently has about 107 different titles (and counting) on Amazon.
Selling on Amazon stores means that your book will be available to millions of readers worldwide within days.
You can design your book cover using a freemium online graphic design tool like Canva, or hire an expert on Fiverr (if you can afford one).
For more variety, you can create a PDF (Portable Document Format) of your e-book.
In addition to Amazon Kindle, some people also sell their ebooks directly from their website using a WordPress plugin like EasyDigitalDownloads.
It has a free version and a Pro version.
As the name suggests, this plugin makes it very easy to create an eCommerce site for digital downloads.
That way, you get to keep 100% of the profits.
The plugin also has a good support system, should you ever need help.
15. Create an Independent News Site
There is still plenty of room to create your own independent news blog or website and make money online in Nigeria today, despite the number of big names operating in that space.
News blogs or websites are sites that are completely focused on publishing news in digital format, that is, online.
A news site may be devoted to telling either hard news or soft news, or both.
Soft news is information that are primarily entertaining or that have a practical or beneficial use to the reader.
Soft news focus on lifestyle, entertainment, arts, culture, commentary, and human events.
Examples include sports, entertainment, celebrity, fashion and lifestyle, technology news, and more.
On the other hand, hard news is breaking news and developing stories that are serious, timely, and important and are published as they happen.
Examples include politics, business, economics, foreign affairs, health, education, crime news, etc.
So, you could choose to create a soft news blog or website like a sports news site, celebrity news site, technology news site, entertainment news site, lifestyle news site, or whatever you want to make your focus.
Or you might want to start a hard news blog or website like a political news site, business and economics news site, health news site, education news site, foreign affairs news site, crime news site, etc.
Again, some news sites have a mixture of both.
A blog or website that focuses on a range of soft and hard news would be organized into different sections such as politics, health, education, sports, entertainment, art & culture, business, technology, fashion, and more.
You can create a special page for breaking news.
You could start as a news aggregator site where you collect news stories and updates from a variety of sources across the web and display them in a single location for readers to access easily.
Examples of news aggregators include Feedly, Panda, Parrot Nigeria, News360, and many more.
Note: It is important to fact-check before publishing any story. You wouldn’t want your site to be associated with any fake news, would you?
You could even be sued in court.
Launching a news site is relatively easy and cheap with WordPress.
First, you need to set up your blog or website.
Then, added to must-have plugins, you’ll need news plugins to build the news site you want.
Depending on your focus, you’ll be needing a combination of plugins to create different parts of your news site.
Monetization methods for news sites include subscriptions, advertisements, sponsored content, reviews, etc.
16. Create an Article Submission Site
You can also create an article directory site with free submissions and make money online in Nigeria, just like in other parts of the world.
An article submission site provides a platform for authors, writers, and publishers to list and showcase their best and original articles for free.
This helps them get exposure, gain credibility, grow their organic traffic, and build quality backlinks to their blogs or websites.
The creator of the article listing site can then monetize these articles.
So, it is a win-win for both parties.
With nearly 2 billion active websites globally currently, and about 8 million articles published every day on the internet, it is becoming extremely difficult to rank high in organic search results.
However, article submission sites rank high in search results because of the sheer volume of high-quality and unique articles that are posted on them regularly.
An article directory is an online content library.
It is one of the favorite places that people look when researching their blog posts, websites, and other content types.
So, as part of their marketing campaigns, smart authors and site owners submit their well-researched and well-written articles to article directories, so their work to be easily seen and republished in other places on the web.
This helps them to gain more backlinks and improve the value of their site’s domain authority, amongst other benefits.
So, article submission is a proven off-page SEO and brand awareness strategy.
It is good publicity for site owners and writers without spending a kobo.
Authors and bloggers get a quality platform for free to display their best work in exchange for quality backlinks, traffic, etc.
While you, the site owner, get quality posts for free and make good money from them – a kind of trade by barter.
Typically, an article listing includes virtually every kind of niche category or topic that authors and publishers have written articles on.
You can create a free article directory website that will attract submissions from every part of the globe.
However, you want to ensure that only quality and unique content is posted on your site.
This will help to attract more visitors and grow your site faster.
You can generate revenue using display ads, and tiered membership subscriptions, among other monetization methods.
Like some sites, you can offer a portion of your content for free membership, or the whole for premium membership with other benefits such as expedited article review, a call-to-action on each article, etc.
You can choose to charge subscription fees with monthly, quarterly, biannually, or annual options.
You can easily create your own article submission site using WordPress and a good plugin like List Category Posts.
Some great examples of article directories include GoArticles and Article Alley.
17. Start A Content/Copy Production Website
Creating a website and offering your audience content/copy marketing services is another great way to earn money in Nigeria today.
The mantra “content is king” may appear stereotyped, but it is a simple truth that still holds sway over much of the internet today.
Great content is central to the overall success of any online business, big or small.
Indeed, high-quality content is the lifeblood of the digital experience.
Original, useful, and relevant content that resonates with people is still essential for good ranking in organic search results.
However, many struggle to produce high-quality content that informs, educates, and engages their ideal customers, and web copy that delivers the sales results they want.
This is because online writing is completely different from offline writing.
The fact is, not everyone is cut out for creating good web content.
The bulk of what people churn out daily cannot appear on the first page of search results.
So, people are increasingly engaging the services of professional content creators and copywriters.
You can earn recurring revenue if you have the skills and expertise to create bulk content, customized content, web copy, user manual, etc. for blogs, websites, and other businesses in your niche.
A great example is WordCandy. They create blog content for WordPress businesses.
There are a lot of bloggers and businesses who want to boost their organic traffic and raise their brand awareness.
And as HubSpot said, they need to publish fresh content quite frequently.
Small blogs and big businesses jostling for positions on search engines will be willing to pay to keep up with the frequency of valuable content and compelling web copy they need to continue to thrive.
Your products can include blog posts, advertising copy, tutorials, infographics, videos, podcasts, social media marketing, email newsletters, user guides, press releases, About Us pages, FAQ pages, editorial calendar creation, and more.
To launch out, you’ll need to assemble a team of specialists to work with you.
Like WordCandy, you could focus on a specific niche and hire people full-time.
Or like Textbroker, you could create a marketplace where clients can connect with writers for a wide range of content/copy types.
Another great example is Constant Content.
You can charge based on type of content, volume, frequency, etc.
You can adopt the tiered membership model where you provide a certain number of posts per month per level.
For example, you could offer 4 or 5 posts per month, plus 50 email distribution for basic level membership, and 9 or 10 posts, plus 200 emails for premium level membership.
18. Create a Customer Review Website
Another great option to make money online is to create a customer review website where you collect authentic user reviews and monetize them.
Consumer reviews are feedback on user perception and rating of a product or brand, based on first-hand experience, to let its manufacturer know if it is successful, liked, or needs improvements.
So, customer review websites are third-party sites that collect these pieces of feedback online.
They are one of the primary places where businesses and potential customers can obtain consumer reviews on the Web.
Unlike paid reviews, customer reviews are largely consumers’ reactions to a product or brand after they buy and use it.
Needless to say, online customer reviews greatly influence today’s shopper’s purchasing decision-making process.
So, businesses want to get more positive reviews on several review websites to share with potential customers as testimonials.
And here’s why:
38.8% of Nigeria’s consumers said customer review sites were the primary channels they used for researching brands in 2023 (Datareportal).
Online reviews are invaluable, especially in a country like ours that is constantly flooded with substandard products and brands.
Thousands of people visit these websites daily because users’ opinions about any product (or brand) carry weight.
People want to read other users’ first-hand experiences before making a decision.
In 2023, 67% of online shoppers in Nigeria said customer reviews were helpful to their buying decision process, according to Statista.
So your customer review site will help users make informed purchase decisions while letting you earn money online through several monetization methods.
First is affiliate marketing which entails you recommending products that have good ratings on your site.
You earn a commission when users purchase using your referral links attached to these products.
Other monetization methods include membership subscriptions and donations. A couple of sites also make money using advertising.
You could choose to specialize in one niche like G2, or you can decide to collect reviews for a wide range of companies, both local and international like Amazon Customer Reviews or Consumer Reports.
You can build a brand-new customer review website or create a review section on your current site.
The user-generated content you publish on your online review site can include text, images, videos, audio, or any other content.
You can easily set up a customer review site using WordPress and a good reviews plugin like WP Customer Reviews, Site Reviews, or WP Review Pro.
Another great example of online review website is Which?
19. Start a Travel Blog
You can start a successful travel blog that makes a lot of money, like so many travel blogs in Nigeria and around the globe.
A travel blog is a website where you can document your travel stories and adventures in text, picture, and video forms and share them with your audience including friends & family, tourists, other travelers, etc.
Your content can also include practical tips & advice and other tools that help make travels exciting and successful.
So, a typical travel blog is largely focused on the world of travel.
If you have a knack for creating engaging content, your travel blog can quickly attract visitors including brands and tourist destinations, and make some good money through sponsorships, display ads, etc.
While you can write about places you’ve never been, you want to publish your personal journeys and first-hand travel experiences.
Your travels would need to be deliberate, frequent, and extensive for you to be able to create enough fresh content for your travel blog. Sometimes, if not most, for long periods.
This is practicable when you become a professional travel blogger. This means, over time, you could quit your 9-to-5 job to start traveling for a living.
Your travels would include long and short trips within and outside the country to exciting destinations.
Travel blogging covers a whole range of niches. And each niche in itself is huge.
Popular travel niches include family travel, food & culture travel, fashion & travel, adventure travel, different tourist destinations, luxury travel, tradition & festival travel, budget travel destinations, and solo travel.
It is easier to be successful if you focus on a niche you’re passionate about.
And choosing something you love doing will give you staying power. And boy, when it comes to travel blogging, you need to have a lot of staying power.
For your travel blog to stand out, you need to have passion not just for travel, but also for great photography and writing that resonate with readers.
You’ll only draw traffic to your site and build a travel community when you consistently create gripping and helpful content for your users.
This may take a bit of time, but with hard work it is achievable.
Once you’ve gained some travel experiences, you can also provide first-hand travel advice, safety & security tips, etc. that help your audience travel better, safer, smarter, and cheaper.
Other popular monetization methods for a travel blog include affiliate partnerships and offering your own products.
You could sell digital products like ebooks, online courses, games, apps, or physical products like clothing, hard copy books, branded mugs, etc.
Other monetization channels include speaking gigs at travel conferences and other related events.
You can set up your travel blog with WordPress and add content to your blog using the two default content types called posts and pages.
Some amazing examples of travel blogs include Travel With A Pen and The Ufuoma.
20. Make a Website for Your Photography Business
Photography is a very popular and competitive business in Nigeria.
So, if you’re a photographer, creating a photography website can give you a real advantage over your competitors.
A photography website is your virtual storefront where you can showcase your portfolio of photographs to potential clients.
Launching a website as your online shopfront can be the difference between an ordinary photography business and an extraordinary one.
It can help spread the word about your photography business and attract new customers. And that means more revenue.
A photography website will help you get the right response and appeal to a wider customer base.
A great example is Kristen Mittlestedt.
In addition to showcasing your work, you can add a separate blog section to share your expert skills, tips, and tricks on capturing breathtaking shots.
These regular posts can draw more traffic from search engines to your blog.
According to Google Trends’ data, the search interest over time for Photography in the last 5 years in Nigeria has been relatively high, averaging 79/100.
Search queries are coming from 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
These data clearly show that people want to learn about photography.
You can create quality content on topics like “what’s photography”, “types of photography”, “how-to” articles, photography trends, and product reviews on photography equipment like cameras, lenses, reflectors, diffusers, lights, new styles, news, and other useful tips.
Some photography websites also use their blog section to write about the directions of their business, and what their customers can expect in the coming years.
Photography is a broad topic. So for your photography business and website, it is easier to excel faster when you specialize in a niche.
The popular types of photography include Family photography, Fashion photography, Wedding photography, Portrait photography, Child photography, Newborn photography, Wildlife photography, Street photography, Event photography, Music photography, and Sports photography.
So for example, you can strive to be the best in wedding or portrait photography, or any other area you love.
Your website can also serve as your control communication hub for the smooth running of your photography business.
You can communicate with clients, make bookings, schedule sessions, accept payments, and even deliver soft copies of completed jobs.
Monetization methods for photography websites include affiliate marketing, display ads, sponsored posts, paid reviews, membership subscriptions, and of course, your photography business.
WordPress makes it really easy to set up a photography website without any coding skills.
With WordPress.org, you own and control 100% of your website content.
You’ll also need a good WordPress theme and a user-friendly photo gallery plugin like EnviraGallery to create a visually stunning portfolio to showcase your best work.
The premium version has more powerful features. It is the best WordPress gallery plugin in the market.
Alternatively, you can start your photography website using Shopify. Their Basic plan costs $32 (i.e. about ₦32,000) per month.
Other great examples of successful photography websites to inspire you include Emily Gustafson Photography and Ashley Smith Photography.
21. Create and Sell Online Courses on Your Website
Online learning is a growing trend in Nigeria.
So creating and selling online courses is another excellent way to attract relevant users to your website and make money online in Nigeria today.
Thanks to the worsening economic situation, lack of employment opportunities, and most importantly, the unemployability of Nigerian graduates.
However, they are actually a blessing in disguise.
A growing number of Nigerians are applying right now for different online courses to learn new skills in order to find new career opportunities or start new trades.
Those with a “decent” job are also upgrading their skills to improve their performance.
Google Trends’stats show that the search interest for online courses in Nigeria for the past 12 months has been steady.
Africa’s e-learning market value grew from $2.2 billion (i.e. about ₦1.32 trillion then) in 2020 to $2.47 billion (i.e. about ₦1.45 trillion) in 2021 to $2.8 billion (i.e. over ₦1.88 trillion) in 2022.
The market is expected to reach $5.2 billion (i.e. nearly ₦4 trillion) in 2028, at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 11.2% between 2023 and 2028 (IMARCgroup.com).
And online courses are a big part of these numbers.
Nigeria is currently ranking third in Africa among countries where online learning is gaining prominence.
So, take advantage of the huge opportunity and the growing market in Nigeria.
Create and sell an online course on any topic, skill level, or language you’re knowledgeable and passionate about.
More importantly, you want to choose the subject matter your audience is excited about.
Find out first if your course idea will fly before you create it.
You can test its popularity on Google Trends.
For example, below is the search interest in Digital marketing course:
Nigeria is currently ranking for search interest in ‘Digital marketing course’ worldwide.
One of the recipes for success is to only create an online course if it has high market demand.
The fact is that the current demand for high-quality online courses far exceeds the supply.
People want to acquire knowledge and skills that can help them find better-paying jobs or start their own businesses.
You should consider creating and integrating a variety of interesting mediums to present information to your students, considering that people’s learning abilities are different.
So, your course lessons’ structure should include videos, images, downloads, interactive web pages, audio files, slides, and other materials that can help make learning exciting.
Some sites offer customized, one-on-one support to their students.
You could adopt the tiered-membership subscription model, to give your users different levels of benefits, services, and access to your content.
For instance, you could adopt the 3-plan options: a Free version with zero support, Premium with some support, and All-access with full support.
You can either set up your online course on your existing site or create a completely new website for your courses using one of the best course creation platforms like MemberPress or LearnDash.
Next, it is important that you price your course well. It should be very affordable and it shouldn’t be too cheap either.
You can choose to either receive payment in installments or in full.
It can be a rewarding experience if your course breaks through. 100% of the course sales are yours.
You can also make money from your online course through affiliate marketing, coaching services, merchandising your own products, display ads, etc.
A great example of a successful online course is the ‘Earn Your First 1,000 as a Freelance Writer course’ by Bamidele Onibalusi.
Bamidele isn’t just a successful blogger and freelancer writer (earning a six-figure income), his online course has produced many other thriving businesses owned by people from different parts of the world (like WriteWorldwide).
Imagine if Bamidele had done nothing about his dreams, writing skills, and online course.
22. Create a Tailoring/Fashion Designing Apprenticeship Website
Are you a master tailor or fashion designer, or both?
You can create a tailor/fashion design apprenticeship website and make money online in Nigeria today.
Awed by the glitz of the fashion industry, young people especially have become increasingly attracted to tailoring and fashion design.
Taking advantage of the Internet, prospective tailors/fashion designers are eager to learn from the best, wherever they are.
You can set up a tailor/fashion design apprenticeship website to teach interested people the trade and the skills while you make money online.
Nigeria’s fashion industry continues to grow by leaps and bounds.
It grew 17% between 2010 and 2019, and was worth a whopping $4.7 billion (i.e. nearly ₦5 trillion) as of 2015, according to Wikipedia.
Nigeria’s fashion industry is gaining traction and attracting global attention, and orders are coming from around the globe.
Meanwhile, there aren’t enough skilled hands to handle the ever-growing market.
So the fashion industry in Nigeria is in dire need of highly skilled tailors and designers.
This is an opportunity to start an online tailoring/fashion design school that can train aspiring tailors and fashion designers, and help solve part of the problem.
If you’re already running a traditional tailoring apprenticeship program, you can bring it online to reach more people who otherwise wouldn’t enroll in the physical school because of distance.
Your training could cover a range of tailoring expertise – from basic to technical skills.
Tailoring apprenticeship websites are similar to paid webinars.
They enable you to impart knowledge to would-be apprentices from all across the globe, while you make money online as you pursue your dreams.
With the tailoring/fashion design apprenticeship model, you can address the shortage of skilled hands, in the short and medium terms, and raise the next generation of professional tailors and fashion designers in the long term.
This will further cement your place as an expert and a major player in the fashion industry.
The initial upfront capital is small compared to the huge return on investment (ROI).
There are people from all over the country and across the world who are ready to learn tailoring/fashion design virtually.
These include undergraduates, graduates, working-class people, and persons sponsored by other tailoring outfits and vocational schools.
The main monetization strategy is the training fees which can be paid in full or installments. Some tailoring websites also charge for certifications.
You can use the tiered membership model to offer your apprentices different levels of training.
You can organize personalized, one-on-one classes for apprentices who are willing to pay.
With time, you could also develop your own online courses.
Your practical classes can be organized regularly in real time via Zoom, Skype, or Google Chat.
23. Start an Online Tutoring Website
In-person tuition has taken a hit from COVID-19 and the worsening insecurity in the country.
But thankfully, like many others, the tutoring business is shifting to the Web.
Parents are now looking up online tutoring sites to hire private tutors for their kids.
So, there is an urgent need, and opportunity to start an online tutoring business.
Many parents are ready to pay for private online classes for their children to ensure they continue to receive the extra teaching they need to keep up with their studies.
If you’re passionate about education, the time is ripe to set up a tutoring website and earn money online in Nigeria, while providing the much-needed learning for students and pupils.
An online tutoring website is a platform where tutors and learners who want extra tuition can connect from the safety and comfort of home.
Tutoring sites include a listing of high-quality educators for a wide range of subjects – from Mathematics to Music.
You can focus on a subject or specialized area like eMathsWorld, or a specific demographic like VIPKID.
It is an excellent way to stand out from the competition.
Tutors who would get listed should go through vetting of their academic qualifications, subject expertise, experience, personality, communication skills, etc.
Each tutor’s profile should include their photo, reviews, ratings by previous students, and the number of lessons they’ve been booked for (for those with such experience).
You can allow direct contact and negotiations between parents/students and their preferred tutors.
Also, instructors can decide their special rates, set their flexible work schedules, and choose their own teaching techniques and materials.
An initial upfront investment of time and capital is required to set up an online tutoring website.
Still, you are better off starting yours than working for someone else.
As part of your marketing strategy, you can encourage your tutors to offer either the first hour of lessons or the first lesson, for free.
The monetization method used by most online tutoring sites is to charge a commission to their tutors.
You can also make money selling your online classes by charging per hour, per lesson, or a one-time fee.
Learners who have become loyal might be willing to pay a discounted recurring fee for ongoing classes.
You can set up your online tutoring business with WordPress and a good Learning Management System (LMS) like LearnDash, MemberPress, or Teachable.
For video chat, you can choose either Zoom, Skype, or Google Chat.
They’re all free to use, reliable, and easy to set up.
Examples of thriving tutoring sites include EliteTutors, CompassTutors, TuteriaNigeria, PrepClass, and SuperProf.
24. Create an Online Food Delivery Website
Starting a food delivery business is a great way to make money online in Nigeria, at this moment.
Over the recent years, online food delivery websites and apps have gained popularity, even before COVID-19.
Here are the statistics to prove it:
In 2019, Nigeria’s spending on online food delivery was $296 million (i.e. about ₦204 billion then).
In 2020, online food delivery in Nigeria grew exponentially by 39.9% to $465.3 million (i.e. over ₦279 billion then). And 9.14 million people ordered food online through various platforms (Datareportal).
In 2021, the total value of online food delivery orders in Nigeria increased to $536.9 million (i.e. about ₦340 billion), and the number of users to 12.69 million.
And in 2022, the market reached $729.2 million (i.e. about ₦475 billion then), while the number of users increased to over 18 million.
In 2023, Nigeria’s online food delivery market size hit $936.5 million (i.e. about ₦1 trillion), according to IMARC group.
The primary reasons for the growth are the heavy work schedules of many Nigerians, the rise in internet access, and affordable smartphones.
The recent global pandemic was the icing on the cake. People simply shifted from physically visiting traditional food joints to ordering food online.
Here are a few more reasons why you should consider starting a food delivery business now:
The experts are predicting better days ahead for online food delivery in Nigeria.
IMARC says the online food delivery market will rise to approximately $2.4 billion (i.e. about ₦2.4 trillion) by 2032, at an annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.7%.
Statista projects higher numbers − $2.3 billion (i.e. about ₦2.3 trillion) in 2024, and $5.17 billion (i.e. about ₦5.2 trillion) by 2028, at an annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.26%.
The number of users is also expected to rise to 62.5 million by 2028, almost 4 times more in just about five years.
Also, according to Statista, the sector has witnessed significant growth lately due to the increasing demand for convenience and variety in food choices.
Whatever the case, the future is looking very good for online food delivery business in Nigeria.
So, based on the above statistics, this is the right time to start an online food service website in Nigeria.
More Nigerians will order food online in the coming years, preferring to eat out rather than in a restaurant.
This business model has been mainstreamed in the food service industry. Because consumer demand for restaurant delivery meals is increasing rapidly.
As a result, there is a sharp rise in the use of independent food delivery websites and apps to order food.
Consumers can choose restaurants, place orders, make payments, and select pick-up or delivery options and locations.
Thankfully, smart restaurant owners are keying into this delivery model.
First, they’re following consumption because they know the customer is king.
Second, they’re situating delivery-only kitchens in high-brow areas to expand their delivery outlets at lower costs.
This means reduced overhead and operational costs, more deliveries, and higher profit margins without compromising quality or increasing prices.
However, you don’t have to own a physical restaurant to delve into the food delivery business.
You can run a meal delivery service from your kitchen, and take orders of premade meals or home meal prep ingredients from your customers across your city or town.
Or you can talk to independent restaurants and small food service businesses in your target location.
Then create your own website with a variety of robust features needed to run a food delivery business.
Despite the increasing competition, it is easy to quickly stand out in the food delivery space if you deliver rich meals with a unique taste at competitive prices.
Your website should include features such as a list of restaurants, menu or catalog, call-to-action, shopping cart, order forms, safe online payment gateways, and mobile friendliness.
Depending on your business model, you can pass the order to the selected restaurant to handle the delivery or take care of both yourself.
Self-hosted WordPress is your best option to set up a food delivery website.
You can use a good WordPress restaurant plugin like WPCafé, WooCommerce Food, or WPPizza, to add the features your site needs.
Some great examples of delivery service platforms that can inspire you include foodpanda and Uber Eats.
Monetization channels for food delivery services include commission on food orders, advertising, and paid reviews.
25. Create a Property Listing Website
A property listing (or real estate) website is another user-generated content platform you can build and make money online in Nigeria now.
A property listing website is a platform where people can list and advertise properties they want to sell or lease, and where prospective buyers and renters can search and pay for houses, shops, office space, etc. they like.
Real estate listing sites are some of the largest websites on the Web in terms of traffic.
Because of how important housing is to our existence, tens of thousands of people visit and use these websites daily, wanting to sell, buy, or rent a property.
For example:
Private Property has over 1 million visitors monthly page views and 120k+ property listings.
Nigeria Property Centre has over 1.25 million monthly visits, 8.5+ million monthly page views, and 105k+ listings.
PropertyPro.ng attracts about 1 million monthly visits, 6.5 million monthly pageviews, and 60k property listings.
Like most websites, you can create a robust property listing site for all players in the real estate industry – buyers, sellers, renters, landlords, agents, movers, etc.
You can carve out a niche by narrowing it down to one property type such as residential, office, or land only.
Or you could list every property type – private, commercial, retail, industrial, and more.
You may also want to focus on a particular locality e.g. your city, or create a nationwide or international listing.
To give your users a great user experience, you can include several search filters such as property type, size, price, basic amenities, location (including maps), and more.
Some listing sites allow sellers and leasers to promote their properties using different listing exposure options with varied features.
For example, you could name your membership levels Bronze, Silver, and Gold – with different benefits.
There could be a section with business names and contacts of qualified movers for new renters who may need their services.
You can also provide a detailed overview of the local housing markets based on market trends, ratings, available properties for sale and rent, and contacts of top-rated estate agents
Generally, property listing websites have a blog section where they publish articles on the property business, access to finances at reasonable interest rates, property remodeling, property news, and lots more.
The main monetization methods for real estate websites are property listing fees and advertising.
Users usually sign up for a free membership with limited features and can upgrade to a paid membership for more features and access to a wider audience.
For advertisement, you can sell banner ads directly in strategic places on your site, and company logo display on your homepage.
WordPress remains the favorite platform to create your own real estate listing website.
You’ll need one of these popular real estate plugins to easily add your listings – Estatik Real Estate or WPLPro Platform.
26. Start a Food & Beverage Blog
Are you a chef, a foodie, or a proficient home cook? Why not start a food blog and make money online?
A food blog is a website where you can catalog healthy recipes, healthy cooking, and appetizing pictures of any particular type of food that you want to share with your audience and other foodie bloggers. For example, Nigerian food.
So, a typical food blog is centered on a specific type of food and other things about it.
Some food blogs focus on listing healthy and tasty recipes, writing restaurant reviews, food photography, or any other topic category.
That said, in the food blogging space, there are no hard and fast rules for creating content for a food blog.
For example, food bloggers don’t make a distinction between topic categories – whether it is recipes or reviews.
They are all considered food blogs as long as the focus is food.
And you don’t have to be a professional cook or a food critic to start a food blog.
You just need to be passionate about food, love cooking good meals, and want to share your ideas, recipes, knowledge, pictures, videos, etc. with others.
So, anyone can start a blog on any type of food as long as it is what people can eat, drink enjoy, and benefit from health-wise.
However, for your food blog to succeed, you must have a passion for food, photography, and good writing that captivates your audience.
Your content can also include reviews on restaurants and the dishes they offer, their health benefits, local markets where certain ingredients can be purchased, and their prices.
Some food bloggers promote their blogs on social channels like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, etc. to reach a wider audience.
For example, Ify’s kitchen has 2 million followers on Instagram.
Similarly, Sisi Jemimiah has about 794k subscribers on YouTube and over 400k followers on Instagram.
Some of the monetization strategies used in food blogging include affiliate marketing, selling ads, writing reviews, and sponsored posts.
Some companies may also approach you to become their brand ambassador.
You can also charge membership fees for your premium content such as special recipes, ebooks, videos, online cookery classes, etc.
Some sites sell their own physical or digital products like cookbooks, mugs, etc.
You can easily create your food blog with WordPress and a good SEO-friendly recipe plugin like WP Recipe Maker. Their Pro version has more powerful features.
Recipe Card Blocks Pro is another popular option in the market.
Some other great examples of a successful food blog that can inspire you include Dobby’s Signature and Pinch of Yum.
27. Start a Fashion Blog
Are you a great lover of fashion? Are people struck by your great dress sense?
Are you the go-to among your friends and colleagues for what to wear on every occasion?
Then, starting a fashion blog will be a great way to share your personal style with a lot more people while you make money online.
People are consistently searching the Web in Nigeria to read about all kinds of fashion.
So fashion blogs are popular amongst professional tailors, designers, brands, fashion enthusiasts, and so many others, at home and abroad.
These avid readers visit these websites regularly to learn a thing or two, and to stay abreast of top trends and events in the fashion world.
A fashion blog is a platform where you can constantly publish articles about trending fashion & styles, and designs, including photos of trendy outfits you love to share with your audience.
You can also cover many other things such as accessories, shoes, beauty tips, fashion advice, product reviews, news and events, outfit ideas, fashion shops, and much more.
Starting a fashion blog provides a platform to showcase your style, announce yourself to the fashion world, and build a distinct brand to be reckoned with in the industry.
To succeed as a fashion blogger, however, you must find your niche and create consistently unique and high-quality content that resonates with readers so they keep coming for more.
Since fashion is highly visual, a decent part of your content should be high-resolution pictures of these outfits. A picture, they say, is worth a thousand words.
You could even model some yourself.
You want to, however, pay attention to Google image SEO best practices for optimizing your images for higher rankings.
There are different types of fashion that you can cover in your blog – from casual to official, native, western, wedding, and lots more.
However, you can choose a specific niche area like men, women, teenagers, children, or newborn babies/toddlers.
You should seriously consider creating an Instagram account for your fashion blog. Many fashion bloggers are big influencers on Instagram.
In fact, fashion is the most active sector on Instagram because it is a very visual social media platform.
According to Traackr, the ratio of fashion influencers to food or beauty influencers is about 2 to 1.
Popular monetization methods for fashion blogs include adverts, affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, and paid reviews.
You can also monetize your Instagram account by selling ad space on your feed.
Once you become popular, different fashion brands will want to collaborate with you to run their marketing campaigns on your platforms – i.e., your blog and Instagram page.
You can create your fashion blog on WordPress using the default pages and posts menu.
And you’ll need a beautiful, mobile-friendly fashion theme that can help your blog stand out.
28. Start a Video Blog
Do you have a way with words? Are you a better speaker than a writer?
Then, starting a video blog (or vlog) could be a great way to build an audience and make money online in Nigeria today.
(Vlog is a combination of video and blog).
A vlog is a blog where your content is mostly in video format, though it can include text, images, infographics, and other formats.
To put it simply, a vlog is a blog in a video format.
So, vlog posts consist of regularly updated videos that address different topics, needs, problems, DIY (do-it-yourself) tutorials, etc. to help your target audience understand the subject better.
Just like blogging, vlogging can be about virtually anything.
So, starting a vlog could be a good alternative to creating a blog if you’re a better speaker than a writer.
You can produce videos on “how-to” articles, product reviews, sponsored video content, and so forth on any subject matter.
Around the world, including Nigeria, video is quickly becoming one of the important formats for content creation and consumption.
92% of Nigeria’s Internet users watched all kinds of videos regularly in 2021, according to Statista.
That number increased to 97.4% in 2022. 30.8% of these users watched influencer videos and vlogs, while 40.2% watched tutorials and “how-to” videos (Datareportal).
These numbers fell slightly in 2023:
That said, however, it is very lucrative to start a vlog.
Here are more reasons why you should consider starting a vlog:
Video is still a preferred choice for people whether it is accessing information, education, or entertainment.
First, as of 2018, 92% of Nigerian Internet users used free online video services, while 55% subscribed to watch premium content (MarketingEdge).
Furthermore, 24.3% of Nigeria’s Internet users said vlogs were the main channel they used for researching brands in 2022 (Datareportal).
That number dropped a bit in 2023 to 17.4%; however, it is still a lot.
Even globally, according to a 2023 study by Wyzowl, an overwhelming percentage of people – 96% – said they watched explainer videos to learn about a product, and 89% were convinced to purchase it (HubSpot).
And it isn’t only physical products. According to the report, 79% of people said they were swayed to purchase an app or software after watching a video.
From a previous study, people spend an average of 2.6x more on pages with video than pages without video (Wista).
That’s why today, Google indexes videos from millions of sites to serve users in several places, including organic search results, video search results, Google Images, and Discover.
In fact, videos feature among the ranking results on page 1 of Organic Search.
So there’s a huge opportunity for influencer marketing through vlogs and videos.
Again, the good news is that the quality of video equipment (including smartphone cameras) keeps improving, and their prices continue to fall – but for the crumbling naira.
However, you don’t have to break the bank to produce high-quality videos.
You’ll need a good camera, tripod stand, microphone lights, a quiet location, and maybe a teleprompter to make your videos.
That said, unless you’re already a celebrity, it may be difficult to start a vlog on just anything and expect to attract a dedicated, sizeable audience.
So you want to first carefully choose your niche based on enough of these five parameters – enough queries, expertise, passion, sustainability, and profitability.
Then, you need to consistently create great content after content that is relevant and helpful to people in your chosen niche.
A major way to captivate people in an already saturated niche is by bringing fresh and reliable content to the table.
The summary is that every vlog that will succeed requires an upfront of time and hard work.
Once you’ve created your videos, you’ll need to start a blog where you’ll place them.
You can also post your videos on other platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, etc.
However, YouTube is the most popular platform for vlogs.
It is the most common way to make money as a vlogger.
However, according to their requirements, among other things, you must have at least 1,000 subscribers to qualify.
Other popular monetization methods include affiliate marketing, paid sponsorships and reviews, and membership subscriptions. You can also offer your own products.
A perfect example of a successful vlogger in Nigeria is Dimmah Umeh.
For more, you should see wikiHow’s article on how to become a successful vlogger on YouTube.
29. Launch a YouTube Channel
Creating a YouTube channel is another sure way to build a loyal fan base and make money online in Nigeria today.
A YouTube channel is different from a video blog (vlog).
First, a YouTube channel is created on YouTube.com, while a vlog is videos published on a blog.
So, a YouTube channel makes videos only for YouTube.com, while a vlog produces content for different platforms including the blog itself, YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, TikTok, Dailymotion, and Playeur.
That said, the equipment and the process of producing video content for both are exactly the same.
Note: A person who owns a YouTube channel is known as a YouTuber, while a person who owns a vlog is called a vlogger.
With data becoming more affordable, video content is now a critical source of information and entertainment for many people.
People watch all sorts of videos on YouTube in Nigeria.
Some popular videos include movies, music, comedy, news, documentaries, “how to” guides, cooking, fashion, beauty, sports, and vlogs.
Here are a few statistics that may spur you to create a YouTube channel:
YouTube is the most popular platform for consuming videos in Nigeria, and around the globe.
In 2020, 81.6% of Nigeria’s internet users used YouTube at least once a month (Datareportal).
There are 5.29 million active YouTube users presently in Nigeria, and they are expected to increase to 11.99 million by 2025 [Statista].
However, your subscribers won’t be limited to users in Nigeria. They will come from different regions of the world.
Here are a few examples from different niches:
▪ MarkAngelComedy currently has more than 9 million subscribers.
▪ Family The Honest Comedy − over 6.3 million subscribers.
▪ Editorial beauty556 − 2.93 million subscribers.
▪ Success Secrets TV − about 1.4 million subscribers.
▪ Tomi Colour Pavilion – 723k subscribers.
You can monetize your videos using YouTube’s monetization scheme.
For your channel to qualify, however, it must have at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watch time in the last 12 months.
YouTube channels also make money through paid sponsorships and reviews, affiliate marketing, selling your own merchandise, and subscription membership.
You can sign up with your Google account to create your YouTube channel.
It’s that easy.
30. Create a Video-On-Demand Website
Right now, creating an on-demand video (VoD) platform is also a very attractive option for making good money online in Nigeria.
VoD is fast taking over from Cable TV in Nigeria, partly thanks to the growing access to the internet, affordable smart devices, and fairly stable data connection.
Because of its flexible and personalized structure, more and more people are turning to VoD to stay informed, entertained, and educated.
It is also very affordable. The monthly subscription is as low as ₦1,200 on some platforms.
So, Nigerians are embracing it like no man’s business.
According to Datareportal, VoD accounted for $508.5 million (i.e. about ₦381 billion then) of Nigeria’s digital media spend in 2022.
VoD did very well again in 2023, reaching $861 million (i.e. about ₦720 billion).
Video-on-demand websites are online libraries for all types of videos.
These distribution platforms give viewers the ability to stream videos at will.
This means that users can access and watch as many videos as they want, whenever they want, on whatever internet-enabled device they choose – without the rude interruptions by commercials.
What’s more, they can play, pause, rewind, and fast-forward any video as they please.
Unlike a traditional channel’s schedules, VoD puts users in control and gives them the freedom to pick and choose what, when, where, and how they watch.
Modern life is all about being in control and VoD hands viewers that, while allowing you to earn money online.
Some great examples include IROKOTV, Netflix, ibakatv, Showmax, Hulu, and Disney.
Here are a few more statistics to inspire you to start your own video-on-demand business:
The VoD industry is booming in Nigeria.
According to Statista, video-on-demand revenue is projected to reach $1 billion (i.e. more than ₦1 trillion) in 2024.
Video streaming (SVoD) would continue to take the lion’s share − a whopping $913 million (i.e. about ₦950 billion) in 2024.
(SVoD raked in $340 million [i.e. about ₦200 million then] in 2021).
It is also expected that the VoD market will continue to gather momentum with a strong annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.75% projected between 2024 and 2027.
The number of users is expected to reach 34.8 million users by 2027.
In summary, Nigerians’ viewing habits are changing fast.
An increasing number of viewers prefer the flexibility VoD offers to traditional TV schedules.
VoD platforms are also replacing other conventional channels like CDs, DVDs, etc.
The days are gone when this business was for an exclusive few. Because it does not require huge capital to build your own infrastructure.
With many good and affordable video hosting providers available today, anyone can venture into the VoD business.
That said, you need to pick a good VoD solution provider that offers all the latest and future-proof features and turnkey technologies, with 24/7 support.
Here are a few providers to consider:
Uscreen, Dacast, IBM Cloud Video, Vimeo, and Muvi.
VoD content mostly comes from the following niches: Media & Entertainment, Education, Religious, Health & Fitness, and Sports.
You can build a niche on-demand video platform or cover multiple niches.
Also, you could create your own original, high-quality content or buy the rights for trending videos.
The most popular video monetization model in Nigeria is SVoD (or subscription VoD).
As of 2018, SVoD users in Nigeria spent about seven and a half hours a day consuming videos (MarketingEdge).
Other common monetization options include TVoD (transitional or pay-per-view), AVoD (or advertising VoD), etc.
You’ll want to choose a hosting provider that supports multiple payment gateways such as PayPal, Stripe, debit/credit card, bank transfer, and more.
To learn more about the different video-on-demand models, see this article: SVOD, AVOD, and TVOD Explained.
31. Publish Exclusive Members-Only Content
Do you regularly publish original, valuable content on your website?
Creating a restricted members-only area and offering exclusive content can be a great way to earn money online, even in Nigeria.
Exclusive content is usually more detailed, and only members with an active subscription can access it.
This include bonus blog posts, special videos, audio files, original infographics, downloads, and more.
You can limit access to all or some of your content.
However, before you do so, you should have built a decent-sized readership already hooked on your content.
From this audience that views your work as priceless, your super fans may be willing to pay for exclusive access to your premium content.
That way, you can grow a real membership and generate sustainable income from your work with recurring subscriptions.
So, while your readers would need to sign up to view your free content, your members would need to pay to gain access to your protected content.
This gated area of your site must be of great value to your users, to entice them to pay to access it.
Your private content should be what your members cannot get somewhere else for free, or for less than what you charge.
Most membership sites create multiple access levels to their closed content using tiered memberships.
You can structure and name your membership levels to improve user experience.
For example, you could use a 3-tiered structure like Free, Premium, and All-access; or 4 tiers like Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum.
The more valuable the content, the higher the price.
However, as a strategy, the value of the content for each level should be worth more than the subscription.
Having said all that, you would need to be on your A-game to consistently create fresh content for these esteemed users.
While it takes a huge effort to continually create high-quality content for your membership, the investment will be worth it for years.
The secret of a profitable membership site is simple: keep producing second-to-none content that will keep your readers coming back for more.
If your fans feel they’re getting their money’s worth, they’ll stick with you.
You can create restricted members-only content in any niche.
Monetization models include creating a members-only area on your site that allows you to use a recurring billing model. This guarantees you a steady income stream.
You can also make money online using affiliate marketing, advertising, sponsorships, paid reviews, etc.
The easiest way to create a membership site is to use one of the best WordPress plugins like MemberPress.
32. Create a Private Online Forum
Another proven way to make money online in Nigeria today is to add a private forum to your website that only registered members can access.
Again, you’ll need to first build an audience. Because private forums only thrive when you have a sizeable audience.
Online forums are private discussion sites where registered users can hold conversations and share useful information or opinions through posted messages usually on one or more topics (or “threads”). For example, a hobby, a particular career, sports, politics, security, etc.
Online forums are a great way to find people of mutual interest (from around the globe) and spark discussions around a topic.
An online forum provides private spaces for one-on-one consultations/interactions between the creator and their members, especially when the topics are considered sensitive.
Issues like health, marriage, finance, or more personal things users can’t talk about publicly.
Members are also free to connect and help each other out.
A good example of a thriving online forum in Nigeria is Nairaland with over 3 million registered users and 7.4 million+ topics already discussed on the platform.
A foreign example you should look at is Reddit.
It presently ranks as the 10th most-visited website in the world. It had over 52 million registered users as of 2020.
Here is why you should consider starting an online forum:
Because humans are social beings, people need and long for companionship.
That’s just the way we are wired.
People are, therefore, naturally drawn to groups of like-minded individuals, and do not mind paying to belong.
People used to belong to, and gathered physically regularly in, small groups in their neighborhoods and communities, based on their interests, to discuss various issues.
They also gathered for social recreations and extended family events – when extended family bonds had strong connections.
Modernization has over time broken down that tradition and destroyed those close family and community ties.
Thankfully, the Internet has brought back the opportunity for people to connect and interact, and online forums are one of those ways.
People just want to talk and will jump at the chance to belong and mingle.
You can create an online forum on any subject(s) you have good knowledge about and passion for, and build a virtual community around your site.
However, find out first the various topics your audience is interested in.
Also, it is common for online forums to have a general guest area that is free and open to everyone, and a gated area that is only available to paying members.
Or you could choose to be completely closed to the public, especially when your topic is private and sensitive.
However, you want to choose a model that best suits your audience.
Having said that, building a successful forum takes time and effort. And when it is done correctly, you and your members stand to benefit greatly.
The monetization methods for most forums include membership subscriptions, coaching fees, display ads, and affiliate marketing.
You can easily set up a forum on your site using a good WordPress Forum plugin like bbPress or BuddyPress.
33. Make Your Own Stock Photography Website
Do you have a flair for photography?
You can create your own stock photography website to showcase and sell your photos, videos, etc.
It is a great way to make money online in Nigeria today.
Stock photography is a generic term for imagery like photographs, pictures, videos, charts, infographics, illustrations, vectors, etc. used both online and offline, for the visual content of articles, books, adverts, magazines, and other materials.
The growing demand for visual content makes building a stock photo site worthwhile.
Globally, content marketers, bloggers, web designers, entrepreneurs, musicians, etc. constantly use photos, videos, images, and other graphic design items for their work, and many of them buy from stock photography sites.
In 2023, the global stock images market reached $2.62 billion (i.e. about ₦2.15 trillion), according to Expert Market Research.
They found that “the growing popularity of stock images for digital and social media marketing is a major factor driving the growth of the global stock images market.”
Thanks to the rise in smartphone and internet use, businesses and marketers are mainstreaming digital and social media to advertise and market their brands and acquire new customers.
And they have noticed that posts with images attract more views and responses.
While 33.4% use original images, 33.6% patronize stock photography sites, and 31.8% say they struggle to produce visual content consistently (Venngage).
So, according to Research And Markets, the demand for stock photography will never die. Because visual content will continue to play an critical role in commerce, communication, and consumption.
Here are a few more reasons why stock photo websites are thriving. These data have global relevance:
56% of marketers constantly use visuals in all their articles (99firms).
80% of social media marketers used visual images in their content, while 63% used videos as at 2018 (Foap).
So, stock photo sites will remain popular because their piles of pictures are cheaper and readily available.
In fact, the global stock photography market is projected to reach $4.8 billion (i.e. about ₦4.8 trillion) by 2028, at an annual growth rate (CAGR 2023-2028) of 5.2% (Coherent Market Insights).
What’s more, your users will come from everywhere, not just Nigeria, especially if your images are unique and your pricing is competitive.
To get started, you’ll need to keep abreast with what’s selling and capture those pictures.
Also, you want to research other photo libraries, identify missing images, and stock them in yours.
Next, research what buyers want and capture them.
You want to frequently upload fresh, high-quality content because trends are ever-changing. This will turn your photo site into a hub.
You could specialize in a single niche market or even a micro-niche of photography to quickly set you apart from the competition.
A big idea is to focus on the uniqueness of this part of the globe, capture its beauty in pictures, and sell it to the world.
All you need to create a thriving stock website is an eye for photography, a decent smartphone camera, and steady hands.
85% of 1.2 trillion digital photos were estimated to have been captured on smartphones as of 2017.
Some popular micro-stock categories include current news stories, nature and landscapes, business, tech and industry, holiday photos, travel photography, and lifestyles.
You’ll need to work out a payment system for your customers and accept payments through integrated payment gateways like bank transfer, debit/credit card, Paystack, etc.
Monetization models for stock photography sites include tiered membership subscriptions, advertisements, and sponsorships.
You can also earn a passive income by becoming an affiliate partner to popular stock photography marketplaces like iStock, Shutterstock, Vecteezy, and others.
Simply sign up for free, and start referring photo buyers to these sites from yours and earn a commission.
You can create your photography website with Shopify or WordPress’ WooCommerce.
34. Start an Online Store
Do you already own a brick-and-mortar store and desire to expand your business online, or are you looking to start your first-ever store?
You can create an online store to reach more customers and earn more profits.
An online store is an eCommerce business model where you’re the sole vendor selling your physical products (manufactured by you or sourced wholesale) to your customers.
For the eCommerce market, Covid-19 has been a huge blessing.
While brick-and-mortar shops were all shut down in the thick of the pandemic, eCommerce grew astronomically globally.
In Nigeria, the eCommerce market grew to $4.95 billion (i.e. about ₦3 trillion then) in 2020 and $7.50 billion (i.e. about ₦4.9 trillion) in 2021 (Datareportal).
Although the world is open again for business, the pandemic has greatly influenced how we do things.
Shopping online has been mainstreamed today globally.
Consumers in Nigeria spent $6.62 billion (i.e. about ₦4.6 trillion then) purchasing goods online in 2022.
Moreover, with an increasing internet user penetration in Nigeria, eCommerce is here to stay, and consumers are warming up to it.
Statistics also show that Nigerians are getting more comfortable buying goods online.
In 2020, nearly 65 million people bought consumer goods via the internet.
That number increased to 77.95 million and 90.88 million in 2021 and 2022 respectively (Datareportal).
Also, take a look at the weekly shopping activities of Nigeria’s online shoppers in 2021 and 2022:
And experts are saying this positive momentum will continue.
First, the eCommerce market in Nigeria was projected to reach $7.63 billion (i.e. about ₦5.2 trillion) in 2023 (ecommerceDB).
The market is also expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR 2023-2027) of 11.3%, that is a projected market volume of $11.71 billion (i.e. about ₦12 trillion) by 2027.
Nigeria’s eCommerce users hit 45.3% in 2023 and are expected to reach 58.6% by 2027. That is about 143.90 million users by 2027 (Statista).
So this is a great time for eCommerce in Nigeria.
You can create and sell your own physical products on your eCommerce store. Otherwise, countless options with high-profit margins are in demand that you can deal in.
With that said, starting an online store can be very demanding.
You are responsible for creating or sourcing the products, managing your inventory, and shipping them out.
However, finding products that will benefit your audience makes the venture rewarding and lucrative, plus you get the chance to be your own boss.
Moreover, it is still cheaper to set up an online store, than creating and maintaining a physical shop with the ambiance it needs to succeed.
If you already own a physical shop, you can start your own online store and sell your products to more people you wouldn’t otherwise have been able to reach.
You can create a new website for your store or set up one on your existing site.
To get started, you can use a fully hosted eCommerce solution like Shopify, or a self-hosted platform like WooCommerce.
Shopify is a simple solution that requires only a three-step sign up. And then you start immediately with a free 3-day trial.
Their Basic plan now costs $32 (i.e. about ₦32,000) per month.
The first 3 months are heavily discounted by about 97% − so you’ll get for only $1 a month.
BigCommerce is a good alternative to Shopify. Their Standard plan costs $29 (i.e. about ₦29,000) monthly.
On the other hand, WooCommerce requires some initial setup. But it is cheaper in the long run. See my guide on how much it costs to build a new website for the exact estimates.
Monetization strategies for online stores include advertisement and profits from sales.
35. Start a Dropshipping Business
Do you want to sell online but don’t have starting capital?
You can still make good money online in Nigeria’s eCommerce space with the dropshipping model.
Dropshipping is a partnership between you and a third-party supplier.
In a dropshipping arrangement, you’re known as the dropshipper, your eCommerce store is called a dropshipping store, and the retailer is the dropshipping supplier.
So, a dropshipping store is an online store where you don’t have to stock the products you display and sell to your customers.
Both inventory and order fulfillment (or shipping) are handled by the dropshipping supplier.
Unlike the regular online store, you don’t have to bother with raising capital, managing inventory, or shipping items.
Dropshipping is becoming increasingly popular in Nigeria, especially among eCommerce startups.
It is easy and cheap to start and manage a dropshipping store compared with an eCommerce site.
So, the risk is low, and you can sell a wide range of products.
Here is how the dropshipping model works in 6 steps:
Step 1. You find a third-party supplier who stocks bestsellers and high-quality products
Step 2. Both of you agree on dropship prices
Step 3. You set your selling prices and display products in your store
Step 4. The customer places an order and pays you the selling price
Step 5. You pass to the vendor and pay at the dropship price
Step 6. The supplier confirms the order, packs and ships the product directly to your customer under your name
Step 7. Finally, the customer receives the product they ordered
This business model gives you ample time to focus all your energy on building a dropshipping store with great user experience, running the business more effectively, and providing excellent customer service to shoppers.
The downside, however, is first, you do not have control over the quality of products and delivery time.
That’s why you should go for quality products, even if the prices are a little higher.
Second, the profit margins are lower because suppliers charge for dropshipping.
And third, sometimes, the wrong products may be supplied. In such situations, you’re liable because the purchaser doesn’t know the supplier exists.
You can easily find trending products using a tool like Google Trends to discover interest over time in a product, and by checking other data to learn about consumer spending on top eCommerce categories.
For example, below are the top eCommerce categories in Nigeria and how much consumers spent in each category in 2021, 2022, and 2023:
You may consider dropshipping one of these categories that are already popular in the Nigerian market.
To get started, you’ll need to find the best dropshipping suppliers/companies to register with.
Some of the popular websites include AliDropship and Alibaba.com
You can partner with more than one supplier.
I recommend you choose a market niche, based on the products that people are interested in, and not what you want to sell.
You can build your dropshipping store using one of the best fully-hosted eCommerce solutions like Shopify or BigCommerce, or self-hosted WordPress’ WooCommerce.
For WordPress, you’ll need a WooCommerce Dropshipping add-on to automate the process.
Monetization methods for dropshipping stores include advertisement and profits from sales.
36. Create an Online Clothing Store
Do you have a passion for fashion or are you already running a physical boutique?
Data show that the online clothing industry is a great niche to make money in Nigeria’s eCommerce space right now.
According to Datareportal, the fashion and beauty industry accounted for $1.82 billion (i.e. around ₦1.1 trillion then) − the largest online spending in Nigeria in 2020.
However, it fell slightly to $1.65 billion (i.e. nearly ₦1 trillion then) in 2021, $1.50 billion (i.e. about ₦1 trillion) in 2022, and $1.25 billion (i.e. about ₦800 billion) in 2023.
But it has remained the second largest eCommerce spending for 3 consecutive years.
Aside from the fact that everybody – from day-old babies to elderly folks – needs and wears clothes, Nigerians love fashion.
In fact, 47% of online shoppers in Nigeria said they bought clothes online in 2020 (Statista).
Can’t over-emphasize this: Nigerians are fashionable people with great dress sense.
We love to wear trendy clothes and would put our money where our mouth is, whatever the economic conditions.
Here are a few more statistics to spur you to start your own online clothing:
Revenue from fashion has remained above the $1 billion mark for the last couple of years.
The best time to start selling clothes was in 2014 when current leaders in the market like ajebomarket.com started out.
Ajebomarket raked in $1 million (i.e. about ₦600 million then) in 2021 [Source: ecommerceDB].
The second best time to start is NOW.
There is a wide range of clothing niches you can deal in.
They include babies’ clothes, children’s clothing, men’s dresses, ladies’ wear, bridalwear and accessories, T-shirts & Polo shirts, designer gear, shoes, accessories for men and women, and underwear.
Nigerians also love different types of fashion – from native dresses to western, casual, official, sports, and much more. And countless styles are always evolving.
You’ll first need to conduct market research to find your target audience, what clothes and styles are trending, where to source them, their prices, the profits, etc.
Places to search include GoogleTrends, customer review websites, and competitors’ sites.
Based on your findings, select a profitable clothing niche with enough trending categories you’re passionate about.
However, you don’t want to take on too much when you’re just starting.
You can specialize in a micro-niche. For example, if you want to sell women’s dresses, what type? What style? What age group?, etc.
Next, decide on the eCommerce model to use. Do you have starting capital to buy enough stock, or do you want to dropship?
You can build your online clothing store using WordPress’ WooCommerce, or with Shopify and start selling immediately.
Monetization methods include advertising, sponsorships, affiliate marketing and profits from wear sold.
37. Create an Online Travel and Tourism Website
Is your interest in the travel business?
The travel industry is another very profitable category in Nigeria’s eCommerce space.
An online travel agency (OTA) is a third-party platform where travelers can connect with various travel services such as hotel reservations, sightseeing tours, vacation packages, car rentals, etc.
Online travel agencies make traveling seamless by removing bottlenecks created around travel arrangements such as buying tickets, finding the best packages, and accessing other important travel information.
According to Datareportal, the travel, mobility, and accommodation category accounted for $1.79 billion (i.e. around ₦1.1 trillion then) in 2020, the 2nd highest spending in Nigeria’s eCommerce market (despite the pandemic).
However, this is a sharp drop of 42% (compared to the previous year) due to Covid-19 restrictions and travel bans.
In 2019, the travel sector generated $3.20 billion (i.e. about ₦1.9 trillion).
Until 2020, the travel industry used to be the largest online spending in Nigeria.
That said, despite the severe impact of the pandemic on the travel industry for most of 2020, it still came a close second behind fashion.
This shows how important and resilient the sector is.
But with the world reopened for business, the industry is picking up again, and online travel agency websites (OTAs) are, once more, becoming popular in Nigeria with leisure and business travelers alike.
Here are the numbers for online spending on travel and tourism in Nigeria in 2021, 2022, and 2023 (Datareportal):
Here is why you should consider launching an online travel website right now:
In today’s world, a lot of research and planning around travel and tourism is done online. And for most travelers, OTAs are the primary sources of information.
So, travelers no longer need to visit a physical travel agency to plan their trips. They can now do everything online from the comforts of their homes.
The Travel and Tourism market value is expected to reach $3.33 billion (i.e. about ₦3.5 trillion) in 2024 (Statista).
The largest Travel & Tourism market volume, the Hotels market, is projected to hit $1.52 billion (i.e. about ₦1.6 trillion) in 2024.
Revenue is projected to hit about $3.8 billion (i.e. nearly ₦4 trillion) by 2028, at an annual growth (CAGR) of 3.96% between 2024 and 2028.
And 68% of the total revenue should be realized from online sales by 2028.
Some OTA examples in Nigeria include Wakanow.com, Touchdown Travels, and Zenith Travels & Tours Ltd.
Aside from OTAs that specialize in selling travel and tourism services, you can create a review website where travelers can post their experience of hotels, restaurants, and other hospitality experiences, plus travel bookings.
Some perfect examples include Tripadvisor and Debbies Caribbean Resort Reviews.
You want to research the market and choose a specialized niche and region to help you quickly stand out.
Also, identify travel challenges and proffer better and more robust solutions to give customers new personalized and great travel experiences at competitive prices.
You can easily create an online travel marketplace using self-hosted WordPress and the following add-ons:
▪ WooCommerce − to create an eCommerce store, shopping cart, and payment features.
▪ A multivendor plugin like WC Vendors or Dokan Multivendor − to turn your store into a marketplace.
▪ A travel plugin like WPTravel or Travelpayouts − to create a travel marketplace.
For a travel review website, you’ll need a review plugin instead. E.g. WP Review Pro.
Alternatively, Shopify allows you to convert your eCommerce store to a fully-fledged marketplace.
Monetization strategies include advertisement, sponsorships, affiliate marketing, and a cut from each booking.
38. Launch an Online Electronics Store
Another consumer eCommerce category making money online in Nigeria today is Electronics & physical media.
It is selling like hotcakes.
According to Datareportal, it accounted for $1.34 billion (i.e. about ₦800 billion then), the 3rd largest eCommerce spending in Nigeria in 2020.
It shot up to $2.78 billion (i.e. about ₦1.66 trillion then) in 2021 but fell slightly to $2.40 billion (i.e. ₦1.6 trillion) in 2022.
Then, it rose again to $2.53 billion (i.e. about ₦1.9 trillion) in 2023.
It was the highest eCommerce spending for 3 years running (Datareportal).
Electronics and physical media products include:
✓ Home office electronics − e.g. laptops and desktop computers, printers, copiers, computer peripherals (like modems, computer speakers, wireless routers, etc.), air conditioners, cameras (like camcorders, digital cameras, etc.), and more.
✓ Home electronics − e.g. televisions (like LED TVs, Smart TVs, Plasma TVs, QLED TVs, OLED TVs, HD, Full HD, etc.), TV peripherals (like DVRs, digital cable boxes, VCRs, DVDs, video games consoles, satellite receivers, etc.), audio equipment (like audio receivers, audio mini-systems, portable stereos, CD players, etc.), electric cookers, washing machines, etc.
✓ Mobile phones − e.g. smartphones, camera phones, music phones, iPhones, tablets, iPads, mobile phone parts & accessories, power banks, earphones, headphones, batteries, chargers, etc.
✓ Smart electronics (or smart home devices) − e.g. smart home security devices, smart home appliances, smart home comfort & lighting, etc.
✓ Outdoor/garden electronics gadgets like electronic barbecue grills, outdoor projectors, etc.
✓ Sports electronics gadgets − e.g. fitness trackers, watches, headphones, etc.
✓ And more
The top-selling brands in Nigeria include LG, Sony, SamSung, Nokia, and Apple iPhones.
Nowadays, more and more people are buying electronics and physical media products online in Nigeria.
Because for electronics, what you see is what you get.
So, people have come to trust that what is displayed online is what will be delivered.
Another reason for the rising figures is that Nigerians are gradually building confidence in online transactions, coupled with the delivery options offered at no extra cost by these electronics stores.
Here are a few more stats to inspire you:
The Electronic market value is projected to still hover around $2.031 billion (i.e. about ₦2.1 trillion) in 2024 (Statista).
Revenue is expected to reach $3.4 billion (i.e. over ₦4 trillion) by 2029, at an annual growth rate of 10.83% between 2024 and 2029.
The electronics and media category still has so much room for growth.
For instance, the total market value for smart home devices in Nigeria was $208.5 million (i.e. about ₦164 billion) in 2023 (Datareportal).
And this is only 3.4% market penetration in 2021, 4% in 2022, and 4.6% in 2023. There is still about 95% untapped.
The secrets to a successful online electronics and media store are top-quality products, quality customer service, and solid trust.
People don’t buy electronics on impulse. They usually consult review websites, watch YouTube videos, and compare products on different online stores, before making a choice.
So, from the get-go, work on building a reputable online store where people would want to buy their electronics and physical media products.
Two perfect examples are kara.com.ng with net sales of $2 million (i.e. ₦1.55 billion), and Pointekonline.com $1.3 million (i.e. about ₦975 million), mostly in Electronics & Media in 2023 (ecommerceDB).
You can easily set up your online electronics store with WordPress’ WooCommerce or Shopify.
39. Start an Online Furniture Store
Selling furniture online has also proved to be one of the lucrative eCommerce categories in Nigeria.
It accounted for $888.7 million (i.e. about ₦660 billion) in 2020 (Datareportal).
Then in 2021, it crossed the $1 billion mark, raking in $1.06 billion (i.e. about ₦600 billion then).
Then, it fell slightly to $811.1 million (i.e. about ₦608 billion) in 2022, and further to $520 million (i.e. about ₦390 billion) in 2023.
However, it was still the 3rd highest eCommerce spending for 3 years in a row.
The Furniture & Appliances sector has seen remarkable growth online.
Despite the drop in 2023, the above data show that Nigerians still buy furniture online.
Furniture can refer to movable items in a house or an office that make it suitable and comfortable for living or working in.
They include chairs, dining and coffee tables, recliners, beds, dressers, wardrobes, couches, kitchen cabinets, seating cushion sets, swivel casters & glides, and furniture accessories.
Here are more statistics to spur you to start an online furniture store:
Revenue in the Furniture category is expected to climb again to $5.60 billion (i.e. about ₦6 trillion) in 2024 (Statista).
It is also projected to grow annually at 12.91% between 2024 and 2028.
One of the biggest advantages of setting up an online business, especially eCommerce websites is that they are open 24/7.
Unlike a regular brick-and-mortar store that closes for some hours of the day (usually at night), or a day of the week (normally Sundays) and public holidays.
So, customers can browse through your website and order pieces of furniture, say a ₦3 million settees, at 11 pm on a Sunday night from the comfort of their homes, without needing to visit your physical store.
What’s more, you don’t need to own a furniture company or a physical shopping business before you can start selling furniture.
All you need to do is to find top furniture manufacturers and reliable shippers.
If you have the means, you can own a physical furniture store and create an eCommerce website as your online shopfront.
And if you don’t have starting capital, you can use the dropshipping model.
It is also important you research the market and choose your niche.
You could focus on selling furniture for public spaces such as hotels, schools, restaurants, etc., or meeting domestic needs.
A good example of a successful furniture website is hogfurniture.com.ng with net sales of $1.2 million (i.e. about ₦900 million) in 2022, mostly in Furniture & Appliances.
You can create your own online furniture website using fully-hosted Shopify or self-hosted WooCommerce.
Shopify allows you to easily build and start selling immediately for free for the first 3 days. Their Basic plan now costs $32 (i.e. about ₦32,000) a month.
You can also access 24/7 support should you need any help.
WooCommerce allows you to transform your website into an online store. You’ll also need a clean furniture WooCommerce theme as your site design.
Whatever you choose, quality, design, color, and competitive pricing are keys to running a successful furniture business.
Apart from profits from furniture sales, you can also make money through advertising, affiliate marketing, sponsored posts and reviews, among others.
40. Create a Freelance Marketplace Website (Like Upwork)
Another group of websites that people are flocking to in Nigeria today is freelance marketplaces.
A freelance marketplace is quite unlike a regular job search website.
An online freelance website is a platform that helps professionals connect with employers for mostly freelancing work.
Freelance marketplaces allow professionals to create profiles to showcase their skills and expertise, and employers to find and hire them to complete specific tasks and pay them for every successfully completed assignment.
Simply put, a freelance marketplace is a site for buying and selling skilled services online.
Freelance marketplaces charge a fee for each profile or every job completed. So, they make money on each listing or every project.
Here is why you should consider starting a freelance job website:
Due to the recent global pandemic and economic hardship, more businesses are downsizing and more people are being laid off.
Unemployment in the country is at a record high. It was projected to hit 41% in 2023.
Having said that, people are beginning to see that they can earn money working short-term or selling their services outside a 9-to-5 job setting.
So, more and more professionals are willing to take on freelance and get paid per hour, per day, or per job, and an increasing number of employers are hiring them, instead of permanent staff, to complete sets of tasks and projects to reduce cost.
Now, skilled workers are advertising their services on various freelance job marketplaces, seeking to work freelance from home for different companies, especially online businesses.
People are showcasing lots of professional services on these websites.
The popular ones in Nigeria include web design, graphic design, content creation, computer programming, music, film and video production, translation, and marketing.
You can focus on your area of expertise and create a micro-job marketplace like Fiverr or Upwork to cater to a specific niche or industry.
This can quickly set you apart from the competition.
Also, your freelance marketplace will quickly grow in popularity when you have testimonials of competent freelancers who complete projects successfully, and employers who pay on time.
WordPress makes it easy to build a micro-job marketplace using two basic methods.
The first method is to install the following add-ons:
▪ WooCommerce − to create an online store.
▪ A multivendor plugin − to turn your store into a marketplace. E.g. WC Vendor or Dokan.
The second way is to add a good micro-job WordPress theme like MicrojobEngine or Taskerr to your website.
Apart from making money on each listing, you can earn from display ads.
Hostinger has a list of popular freelance marketplaces that can inspire you.
41. Create an Online Course Marketplace Website (Like Udemy)
Ever heard of Udemy and Coursera?
They are the leading online course marketplaces in the world.
You too can build a successful course marketplace like these e-learning platforms.
An online course marketplace is an e-learning website where instructors and learners can connect.
It is the marketplace for buying and selling courses online.
A course marketplace is a much larger platform than an online course website.
Unlike a regular online course website where you usually have one instructor and one course, a course marketplace is a multi-instructor platform with many different classes.
For instance, Udemy currently houses over 70,000 instructors, 210,000+ courses, 62+ million learners, etc., and counting.
So online course marketplaces attract large audiences from all over the world.
They’re often the first point of call for thousands of knowledge entrepreneurs who want to sell their online courses and millions of knowledge seekers who want to purchase these courses.
Over 113 million people, for example, are already learning on Coursera, while Udemy has more than 830 million course enrollments.
Online course marketplaces make money by taking a sizeable chunk of the course sales say between 40% and 75%.
Here are a few more reasons why you should consider building a course marketplace:
Globally, e-learning is booming.
Between 2017 and 2021, the e-learning market shut up by 200% to $250 billion (i.e. about ₦150 trillion then).
It was estimated to have reached $332.6 billion (i.e. about ₦223 trillion) in 2022, and it is expected to hit $686.9 billion (i.e. over ₦700 trillion) by 2030, growing at an annual CAGR 2022 – 2030 of 9.5% (Research And Markets).
In their article titled “e-learning market global outlook & forecast 2023-2028”, Research And Markets predicted that Africa is one of the places where the e-learning market will grow tremendously.
What’s more, self-paced learning will continue to dominate the e-learning market. Its share of 61% in 2021 is expected to increase in the coming years.
According to their findings, an increase in internet access and affordable smartphones are the driving force behind the e-learning market growth.
It makes sense, therefore, to start an online course marketplace now. This is just the right time.
You can build an exciting course marketplace platform that will attract users from around the globe, like Udemy and Coursera.
Udemy allows anyone to easily set up online courses on their platform.
Coursera collaborates with many higher institutions and corporate organizations to provide professional education and skill development programs in about 75 languages.
You can come up with your own model with a global focus.
You can launch your online course marketplace using WordPress without knowing how to code.
To get started, you’ll need the following add-ons:
✓ A good course-building learning management system (LMS) plugin like MemberPress.
✓ WooCommerce − to create an eCommerce store, and
✓ A multivendor plugin like WC Vendors or Dokan − to create a marketplace.
Or you could opt for Bluehost’s WooCommerce marketplace hosting.
The main monetization strategy for most course marketplaces is a decent share of the course sales, usually between 40% and 75%.
Other money-making methods include membership subscriptions, accepting donations, and sometimes, advertisements.
Another great example of a successful online course marketplace is Skillshare. They have also developed their own unique model.
42. Launch a Stock Photography Marketplace Website (Like Shutterstock)
Creating a stock photography marketplace website (like Shutterstock) is another great way to make money online even in Nigeria.
A stock photography website is an online platform for buying and selling virtual content such as photos, videos, vectors, illustrations, etc. on a large scale.
Instead of a single-vendor website where you’re the only contributor, a stock photography marketplace allows a community of photographers to showcase and sell their pictures and videos online. While you make money from each sale.
Stock photo marketplaces are huge and attract users from all around the world.
For instance, take a look at Shutterstock’s latest numbers:
According to Coherent Market Insights, in 2020, the global stock images and videos market accounted for $3.3 billion (i.e. about ₦2.475 trillion then).
While your vendors continue to upload fresh, high-quality content, you (the merchant) are focused on improving SEO, drawing in customers, and building marketplace brand awareness and recognition.
That said, unlike a stock photo website where 100% of the proceeds belong to you, you only get a percentage of every sale with a stock photography marketplace.
However, because stock photography marketplaces attract diverse contributors, amateur, and pros alike, from all over the world, these platforms showcase many varieties of pictures, many times more than single-seller websites.
So, they attract lots of buyers from across the globe, and as a result, they make a lot more sales.
According to Venngage, only 36.4% of marketers create their visual content. Others buy from stock photography platforms.
Photo buyers include content marketers, web designers, bloggers, entrepreneurs, news sites, musicians, and white-collar professionals.
Here is why creating a stock photography marketplace is a great idea right now:
It is projected that the global stock images and videos market will reach $7 billion (i.e. about ₦7 trillion) by 2028, growing at an annual growth rate (CAGR 2022-2028) of 6.74% (Research And Markets).
In fact, since 2017, the market has been growing at 5% every year. And 75% of all images sold have been for commercial purposes such as marketing, advertising, and social media usage (Stock Photo Secrets).
These are some of the reasons why Research And Markets say the demand for stock photography will never die.
Starting a stock photography marketplace may seem challenging, especially when competing with big names like Getty Images, Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, etc.
But you can still create a very competitive platform by offering, for example, better discounts to customers, and higher payouts to contributors, among other incentives.
In the stock photography business, the fact is, you must either compete with the top marketplaces for the megabucks, or you compete with pro photographers for the meager payouts.
You can set up your stock photography marketplace by adding the following add-ons to WordPress:
▪ WooCommerce − to first create an online store
▪ A multi-vendor plugin like Dokan or WC Vendors − to create a marketplace
43. Create an ECommerce Marketplace Website
One of the best ways to make money online anywhere today is to set up an online marketplace website.
You probably have heard of China’s Taobao, America’s Amazon, and Nigeria’s Jumia, among many others.
ECommerce marketplaces are online supermarkets where people can buy and sell all kinds of retailing products including foods and household goods.
Unlike an online store, an eCommerce marketplace website is a large online shopfront that allows multiple third-party sellers to offer different consumer products.
That is why they are called multivendor websites.
An eCommerce marketplace is a great place for startups to showcase their products and for existing stores to expand their business online.
Each seller can set up and manage their mini-shops within the eCommerce platform.
The sellers also handle inventory, while the online marketplace operator(s) focus on improving user experience and their site’s SEO.
Shoppers should be able to easily browse products from different sellers, compare prices, create a shopping cart, add all the items they want to purchase, and proceed to checkout.
Online marketplaces are arguably the largest eCommerce sites in the world.
Their popularity and value in recent times have greatly surged, especially due to the pandemic.
And they continue to grow in every way – in market size, revenue, traffic, popularity, etc.
For instance, visitors to online marketplaces in Nigeria grew from over 230 million in 2017 to over 250 million in 2019, before Covid-19 (Statista).
Here a few more statistics to spur you to start an online marketplace:
In a Mastercard study in 2020, 81% of Nigerian online consumers were shopping online during the pandemic.
And according to Statista, 70% of them said they plan to continue to do so.
Also, experts have projected that eCommerce revenue would reach $6.88 billion (i.e. about ₦7 trillion) in 2024 (Statista).
It is expected to hit $9.45 billion (i.e. about ₦9.5 trillion) by 2028, at an annual growth rate (CAGR 2024 -2028) of 8.26%.
Despite the economic crisis, user penetration is projected to continue to rise.
So, there is still considerable headroom for eCommerce to grow in Nigeria.
Having said that, among other things, the greatest challenges faced by online marketplaces in Nigeria include:
▪ Cheap products − in many cases, the quality of goods that are delivered is lower than what is advertised.
▪ Wrong delivery – sometimes, wrong products are shipped to customers.
▪ Logistics − orders don’t arrive on time in addition to inability to locate customer addresses due to house numbering issues.
▪ Lack of trust − consumers don’t trust the process, especially the safety of users’ personal data, because of the frequency of internet fraud.
Even the biggest name in Nigeria’s eCommerce space, Jumia, struggles with these issues.
This shows that no one is dominating the market yet.
However, these challenges present huge opportunities.
If you can tackle some of these fundamental problems in your marketplace, you’ll quickly rise to the top.
The secret to building a successful online marketplace is customer satisfaction through competitive prices, plus quick and safe delivery of quality products.
This will build customers’ trust and confidence in your marketplace.
Very importantly, too, make your marketplace mobile-friendly.
The stats show that as of 2020, 88% of Nigeria’s shoppers used a mobile device, according to Statista.
Monetization strategies include membership subscriptions. Professional vendors pay a monthly or yearly selling plan fee for items beyond a certain threshold.
Some platforms also collect per-item fees from other sellers, just a small fee for every item sold.
You can also collect a referral fee on each sale or charge a small fee on every new listing.
You can easily build your online marketplace using WordPress and the following add-ons:
▪ WooCommerce − to create your online store
▪ A multi-vendor plugin like WC Vendors or Dokan − to create your marketplace
Or you could purchase ready-made eCommerce marketplace hosting from Bluehost.
44. Make Money on Instagram
Do you have an Instagram account?
Instagram is a great platform for sharing your beautiful photographs and videos with fans, friends, and family.
It is also a great place to promote your blog, website, or business.
However, you can actually do more on Instagram.
You can make a lot of money.
Indeed, Instagram is a great tool for making money online today, even in Nigeria.
Instagram has evolved over the years into a multimillion-naira marketing tool.
It has proven to be the most effective social platform for influencer marketing.
Businesses pay Instagrammers (or Instagram Influencers) thousands – and millions – of naira to reach their audiences and connect with new customers.
See the numbers that businesses know so well:
So, you can turn your Instagram profile and pictures into profits.
The best part is Instagram has diverse revenue streams.
For instance, brands in your niche will be willing to partner with you to connect with your audience.
Also, Instagram announced in 2021 that they would be investing $1 billion (i.e. about ₦1 trillion) in bonus programs to reward creators who share great content that is trending.
Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook and Instagram’s top boss, re-emphasized this goal at the company’s first Creator Week:
So, Instagram is more than a photo-sharing platform − it is a money-spinning app.
Below are a few more stats to further inspire you:
First is the usage occasion data.
59.1% of Nigeria’s internet users used Instagram at least once a month in 2023 (Datareportal).
In fact, 17% of Nigeria’s internet users (between ages 18 and 64) say Instagram is their favorite social media platform (Datareportal).
It is the 3rd most preferred social platform behind WhatsApp and Facebook.
Nigeria’s Instagram user base in Nigeria reached 12.40 million as of January 2024.
That number is expected to increase to 16.57 million by 2028 (Statista).
These statistics show that the growth prospects for Instagram are promising.
You don’t need a large following before you monetize your account.
Right now, all categories of Instagrammers are earning money on Instagram – from nano influencers to celebrity influencers.
According to influence.co, influencer rates for Nigeria are anywhere between $50 (i.e. about ₦50,000) per post for creators with less than 5,000 followers (nano), and up to $1,000+ (i.e. about ₦1 million) for celebrity influencers with 1 million followers.
You can find a list of top Instagram influencers in Nigeria on StarNgage.
On Instagram, image is everything. It is what sets it apart from other platforms.
Your image is every aspect of how you portray yourself – your visual appearance (including having a good eye for pictures that give aesthetic pleasure), how you communicate, and how you behave, among other things.
And every aspect of your image must exude confidence, ensure originality, reflect professionalism, show and command respect. Your image is what gives you influence − it is what makes you an influencer.
Just how much you make will depend on the following factors: your niche, reach (or fan base), influence, the uniqueness of your content, an engaged audience, and sometimes, your country.
So, some of the above factors depend on the totality of your image ‒ that is, the general impression you present to the public.
It is what determines how much money you make on Instagram.
Generally, influencers make more money creating videos for brands than social posts.
Moreover, again, Instagram will reward you for every content that goes viral on their platform.
To get started, head over to Instagram to set up your creator account.
Constant Contact has written a beautiful guide, to help you through the process.
Choose a specific niche you want to work in, to stand out from the competition.
However, to get noticed by businesses, you need to promote yourself in as many public places as possible.
These include other social networks and contacting prospective advertisers through emails.
45. Earn Money on TikTok
TikTok is another popular social networking platform where you can make money online in Nigeria.
It is a video-sharing app that allows you to create and upload short videos for various categories including pranks, stunts, jokes, tricks, dance, and entertainment.
The videos are usually between 15 seconds and 10 minutes long.
TikTok was released in 2016, and compared with other platforms, it is an overnight sensation.
In just 5 years, it already had about 3 billion installs and 1 billion monthly active users, making it the fifth non-game app to hit that mark – after WhatsApp, Messenger, Facebook, and Instagram.
(By the way, it took Facebook and Instagram almost a decade to reach the 1 billion active user mark).
Consumer spending on TikTok hit $2.3 billion (I.e. about ₦1.725 trillion then) globally, the 4th highest in 2021.
But by the end of 2022, it was topping the charts with $6 billion (i.e. about ₦4.5 trillion), according to Linkedin.
In 2023, 54.7% of Nigeria’s internet users used TikTok at least once a month, according to Datareportal.
Nigeria’s TikTok users (between ages 18 and 64) reached 23.84 million as of January 2024.
To get started, choose a TikTok niche where you best fit in.
This can help you quickly become popular and build a following, especially if your videos are original, interesting, and consistent.
You can create your TikTok account by following these steps:
➀ Download TikTok from Google Play (on your Android device) or App Store (on your iPhone or iPad).
➁ Once installed, open the TikTok app directly in Google Play or App Store or by tapping the music note icon.
➂ Tap the Signup tab and choose your preferred signup option. You can create a new TikTok password with your phone number or email, or sign up with your Facebook, Google, or Twitter account.
If you’re creating a new password, you need to supply your personal data – your birthday, phone number and email address. They are needed for log in and password recovery, so make sure they are valid.
If you’re signing up with any of the 3 social accounts, type in the login details for the site, and follow the on-screen instructions to permit TikTok to use your account.
If you sign up with your phone number or email, you’ll be asked to verify it. Once you click Send code, you’ll receive a 6-digit code through email to confirm your data.
➃ Create your TikTok username. This is the name people will see when they view your videos or comments. So, coin a memorable, catchy name.
When you sign up through a social media account, a username is automatically created for you. However, you are free to change it. Simply click on Profile, select Edit Profile and Username. Then, enter your new name, and click the Save button, to save changes.
On the next screen, you’ll be asked to choose the classes of videos that you want TikTok to show you.
Monetization strategies on TikTok include affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, and selling merchandise to your audience.
Like other social platforms, how much you make from your TikTok account will depend on the size of your audience.
You can also make money by flipping TikTok accounts like you flip websites.
You create or buy a TikTok account, grow it, and then sell it.
It can be a challenge, like anything else, to grow your TikTok account and make money from it, but it is doable. Just be authentic and consistent.
46. Earn Money Through Amazon Associates Programs
Finding quality products is the biggest hurdle to monetizing your traffic or starting a dropshipping business.
With millions of products to select from on Amazon.com, their affiliate marketing program, Amazon Associates, can be a readier way to monetize your content or set up a dropshipping website.
What’s more, they are a global brand, and they already have a huge customer base.
The Amazon Associates program is probably the biggest affiliate network in the world.
And the good news is, it is available in Nigeria.
It is a great way for publishers, bloggers, and content creators to turn their traffic into cool cash.
This is different from selling your products on Amazon.
Amazon allows you to promote thousands of products on your blog or affiliate store, and earn commissions when your audience uses your links to buy products.
This is a type of affiliate marketing.
All you need to do is add affiliate links to your posts on your website or to products listed on your store, to drive traffic to Amazon.
This is how the Amazon Associates Program works:
Step 1. Bloggers and website owners sign up for free
Step 2. They choose the products they want to recommend to their users
Step 3. Amazon creates for them unique affiliate links which they place on their site, and
Step 4. Once a purchase is made from Amazon via their links, they are paid a commission.
Also, the Amazon Influencer Program was recently launched for social media.
Here, content creators can promote products on their YouTube, Facebook, or Instagram accounts, and earn a referral fee on each sale made using their affiliate links.
Influencers can also customize their page on Amazon with a personalized URL, and publish their photos, videos, and live streams, thereby, expanding their earnings.
If you have a blog or website, it makes sense to recommend products that will benefit your readers.
If you own a dropshipping store, it is best to specialize in a niche. Because if you want to promote a wide variety of products, that would mean creating a mini-Amazon, and that would be suicidal.
Note: Amazon’s program policies require that you disclose your affiliate partnership with them. So, you must let your audience know you’ll earn a commission when they buy through your links.
Head over to Amazon.com to view their commission rates.
One more thing, you can add products from other affiliate networks to your blog or store. That way, you can diversify your revenue streams.
Again, the Amazon Associates program is available in Nigeria and every other part of the world.
47. Become a Contributor on Popular Stock Photography Sites
Apart from starting your own stock photography website or marketplace, you can earn money as a contributor on big stock photo websites.
The demand for visual content on stock photography marketplaces remains high.
Millions of customers from around the globe constantly purchase stock photos for their marketing campaigns and other projects such as blog posts, web designs, brochures, billboard ads, book & magazine covers, etc.
34.29% of marketers say stock photos are top-performing visual content for them (Venngage).
So take advantage of the opportunities on different established stock photography marketplace websites and sell your images, pictures, videos, vectors, etc. to their ready-made audiences.
Luckily, buyers search for photos and videos on these sites by keywords, not by the photographer’s name. So, the prospects of making a sale are very high.
Thankfully too, these marketplaces welcome both amateurs and professional photographers from all over the globe and cover virtually every subject/category possible.
The process of selling your stuff on these sites is quite easy:
➀ Produce beautiful images.
➁ Sign up for free and submit your photos for review.
➂ Once approved, you can upload them to your portfolio.
➃ Every time someone licenses your content, you get paid a royalty.
Here are some popular marketplaces that you may want to take a look at:
▪ Depositphotos. You get between 30% and 42% for each file purchased.
▪ Shutterstock. You earn between 15% and 40% for both videos and photos.
▪ Adobe Stock. Pays 33% royalty per image sold on their site.
▪ Dreamstime. You can receive between 25% and 60% revenue share on their website.
▪ Getty Images or iStock. You will earn a royalty between 15% and 45% on each file license.
▪ YayImages. Pays 50% commission on each file sold.
▪ 123RF. Pays between 30% and 60% commissions on each license sold.
▪ Vecteezy. Pays 50% commission on every download.
Note: Use the exact keywords that customers are typing to find images like yours on these platforms to upload your photos.
There are two ways of licensing your photos: exclusive – where you sell on a specific photo site, and non-exclusive – where you offer them on different websites.
However, you earn more money for exclusive than non-exclusive imagery.
All you need to get started is a smartphone with a good camera and a flair for snapping photos.
Having said that, you need to do some market research. Find out what is trending, and decide on what types of pictures you want to focus on.
You want to pick a niche with low competition. For example, you may choose to capture the uniqueness of this environment and sell it.
Also, research the stock photo websites where you can sell your content.
48. Sell Online Courses on Course Marketplaces
The Internet has taken center stage in virtually every sector, including education.
People find education more accessible and enjoyable today because of the online experience. Whether it is just imparting or acquiring general knowledge, specific knowledge or skill, a degree, level, or kind of schooling, or simply giving or getting instruction or training.
Are you an expert in any field or at anything?
One of the best ways to share your knowledge with the world and, at the same time, make money is by creating and selling an online course on course marketplaces like Udemy and Skillshare.
These third-party platforms offer all the resources you need to create, teach, sell, and manage your online course, and earn good income from it.
They support different content formats such as text, video, audio, PDFs, images, etc.
They also have customization, editing, and payment features. In addition, they provide support for assessments such as assignments, quizzes, exams, and certifications.
Most online learning marketplaces will allow you to launch your course for free, for a percentage of the course sales.
The best part is your course is instantly available to millions of students across the globe, which is great, especially when you’re just starting out.
One of the drawbacks is that competition is very high because of the sheer number of courses hosted on them.
You can create an online course on any subject.
However, it is best to first research your course topic, and find whether there is a market for it.
You can use free tools like Google Trends to assess people’s interest in the topic over time.
Also, research and pick a course creation platform that matches your needs and goals.
Now, here’s an overview of some of the best course marketplaces available:
▪ Udemy
This is the best online course marketplace for launching a first course.
They offer plenty of resources to help you get started free of charge.
They have over 62 million learners and 70,000+ instructors actively using their platform.
Udemy charges a 3% revenue share on course sales made by instructor’s coupons and between 50% and 75% revenue share on courses found or sold through them.
▪ Skillshare
This is the best online course marketplace for teaching creative skills like photography, writing, designing, marketing, freelancing, and more.
Presently, they have over 34,000 premium courses and more than 11,000 teachers.
They pay instructors $10 (i.e. about ₦10,000) for premium membership referrals, plus royalties based on the monthly minutes watched in a premium class.
Top-earning teachers make over $100,000 (i.e. about ₦100 million) yearly.
If your course is targeted at helping companies develop their workforce, then this is the platform to be on.
They offer the most comprehensive catalog of curated e-learning courses in different formats and languages.
They have over 30,000+ courses in different industries and markets.
You can post your course(s) online once you’re accepted as an instructor.
You can earn 50% of the proceeds for each sale of your course while they take care of the marketing aspect.
You can also check out Pluralsight and Domestika, for more inspiration.
49. Become an Online Tutor Via Tutoring Sites
If you feel creating an online course is a lot of work, why not become an online tutor through tutoring websites?
The demand for online tutors has greatly increased since the start of the pandemic.
Parents from around the globe are employing private tutors via online tutoring sites to teach their kids remotely and help them with their academic goals.
Even parents who want to continue with in-person tuition are visiting these sites.
If you love to teach and are qualified to, why not give it a shot?
You can easily earn money as an online tutor while you have complete control over your working hours and teaching methods/materials.
And it is so easy to get started.
Simply apply on these tutoring sites. Once you’re vetted, you’ll be allowed to create a profile, and you’re good to go.
In no time, you’ll start receiving offers.
There is opportunity to tutor all categories of learners, and all types of subjects.
While Mathematics, Sciences, and Foreign Languages like French, Spanish, etc. are often in high demand and thus, attract more pay, you can receive reasonable requests and good pay for other subjects.
In addition to your academic qualifications, you’ll need the following skills to succeed as an online tutor: communication skills, patience, positivity, subject knowledge, empathy, and time management, among others.
You may not have all these skills initially but don’t worry, you can develop them with time.
Some websites allow tutors to set fees and negotiate directly with parents and learners.
That said, don’t set your price too high so you don’t scare people away.
Neither should you set it too low so they don’t think you’re too cheap, probably because you’re not good at what you do.
Tutors, however, pay their host a commission on most tutoring sites.
For one-on-one lessons, there are different tools available that you can use such as Google Chat, Skype, and WhatsApp, among others.
They’re free, user-friendly, and can work on any device.
You can find tutoring jobs on the following online platforms:
▪ SuperProf. They are completely free to use. No signup or commission charges.
▪ Studypool. Their commission rates range from 20% to 32.5%. They cover several countries and are currently seeking tutors in Nigeria.
▪ Tuteria. Their commission fee is 30% initially; however, it decreases to 25% if you maintain a good rating.
▪ PrepClass. First-time tutors get a 70% commission on the tuition fee while they take 30%. However, you can get up to 85% if you perform excellently.
You want to also check out EliteTutors.
To find more opportunities, you can apply on more than one platform.
You’ll also find examples of successful tutors on all these sites.
50. Make Money Flipping Domain Names
Similar to flipping websites, you can make money online flipping domains.
However, the process is much simpler because you don’t need to make any improvements to them like you do websites.
Flipping domains is a simple process of buying domain names at the best prices and selling them at a healthy profit.
You buy a domain as cheaply as possible. Then, just as you bought it, you put it on the market at a higher price.
A domain name doubles as the name and the address of a website on the web. So, every website needs one to function on the internet.
There were 359.8 million registered domains globally by the end of the third quarter of 2022 (Verisign).
The “.com” extension remains the most valuable and dominant, accounting for about 44.3% of all domain name extensions.
Now, choosing the right domain is crucial for the success of any site.
However, people find it challenging to coin catchy domain names because the “good ones” seem to have been taken.
So, the scarcity of good names puts a premium on buying and selling domains.
Many people opt to purchase domains from domain name registrars/marketplaces like Sedo, Afternic, GoDaddy, etc.
Flipping domains has over the years turned out to be extremely lucrative for so many people.
For example, someone sold insurance.com for $35.6 million (i.e. about ₦26 billion) in 2020 (.inc means business). It took the lead as the most expensive domain ever sold.
Namebio compiled a list of 100 top domain name sales in 2024.
There are tons of success stories like these even now. DNJournal publishes top and verifiable sales of domains every fortnight.
They have in their archive charts for domain sales for previous years.
According to GoDaddy, the average price of a domain name sold in the secondary market – that is, buying a domain from someone who already owns it – is in thousands of dollars (i.e. hundreds of thousands – and millions – of naira).
That’s why flipping domains is still considered a wise investment.
And it only requires a small starting capital.
You can either coin a name and register it for as little as $10 (i.e. about ₦10,000), or purchase an already registered domain cheaply, and sell it for more.
51. Sell Your Services As a Freelance
Freelancing remains one of the best ways to earn money online for your skills and expertise, especially when you’re very good at what you do.
With unemployment and underemployment at all-time highs, you can earn a living in Nigeria by landing different freelance gigs online, like in other parts of the world.
Freelancers are self-employed professionals who offer their services to multiple clients for particular assignments, sometimes, at the same time.
In simple terms, a freelance is someone who does particular pieces of work for different companies, rather than working as full-time staff of a single organization.
More companies are engaging freelance workers to complete various projects, to reduce recurrent expenditures like wages and salaries.
So, the freelance (or gig) economy is growing fast in Nigeria.
As a freelancer, you’re essentially your own boss and work on a contract basis.
So, freelance gigs usually last for a short time.
And depending on the job, you determine when you work and where – either remotely or in your client’s office.
Also, the number of projects you take at a given time boils down to your capacity to deliver.
How much money you make freelancing depends completely on how good you are, the number of tasks you can handle at a time, and your ability to deliver promptly.
Once you earn a reputation for doing a quality job and getting things done on time, the sky is the limit.
When someone hires you as a freelancer, make sure they fill you in on their goals and acquaint you with their audience.
Also, you’ll have more success when they provide you with a detailed outline of what should go into each segment of the assignment.
The contract expires once a job is finished and delivered and you get paid.
Some examples of popular freelance gigs include writing, translation, web & graphic design, development & IT, sales & marketing, virtual assistant jobs, and voice-over.
That said, professional services are needed in so many other areas.
You can start a blog in your niche to showcase your skills and expertise.
Once your website gains some traction, you can then venture into freelancing.
Your audience will be your first set of clients.
However, you can expect to get gigs from anywhere if you’re good at what you do.
You can also find freelance jobs in marketplaces like Fiverr, Upwork, Freelancer, Guru, 99designs, and many others.
Most freelance marketplaces will allow you to sign up for free, create your profile, and upload your portfolio in minutes.
Millions of people from around the globe use these platforms to advertise jobs and find skilled professionals in different fields.
They are safe to use, secure, and trustworthy.
Your profile should include an eye-catching title, work history, skillset, and photo.
Some platforms would even allow you to create a short introductory video of your profile.
Some of these sites have paid membership upgrades that feature premium gigs that can fetch more money.
If you want to test the waters in freelancing, you’ll need several tools to organize your workflow so you can be more productive.
52. Sell Your Products on Established ECommerce Platforms (Like Amazon)
Are you interested in selling your physical products online?
Apart from setting up an online store, you can sell your products directly on established eCommerce marketplaces.
It is the easiest and quickest way to sell your products online. Because you leverage the popularity and credibility of leading eCommerce retail giants like Amazon.
So, just by getting listed on these mega sites, local startups and products can have a global reach in minutes.
Having such access to millions – and billions – of people worldwide, is one of the perks of selling products on these platforms.
And what is more, they give your products an instant stamp of approval and trustworthiness that ordinarily would have taken you years to achieve on your own.
Buyers generally assume that products listed on these mega-super sites are all sold by them.
So, they trust these products, more so when Amazon screens every product before allowing them to be listed on their platform.
However, these websites take a share of the profits and charge a monthly listing fee especially if you’re selling in large quantities.
Moreover, competition is also pretty high in eCommerce marketplaces. Other people are selling the same or similar products on these platforms.
So, the quality of your products must be high, and your price competitive, to thrive in these market settings.
Still, it is a good place to sell your products.
So why not take advantage of this amazing opportunity?
Amazon makes it super easy for new eCommerce startups to launch their products by following a simple sign-up process on their platform.
Pretty much anyone can sell their products on Amazon, using one of these business models below.
Each model has their own benefits and downsides.
You need to understand and choose the model that is best for you.
▪ Resellers model
This is about the easiest model.
It entails finding and buying products made by other brands at the best rates and selling them at a healthy price on eCommerce marketplaces.
It is like buying wholesale and selling retail.
That said, this model works best when you establish lasting relationships with manufacturers of the products.
Bear in mind you won’t be the only one selling these products on these sites, so competition will be stiff.
▪ Private labellers
This model involves sourcing marketable products from third-party producers and branding them as your own.
There are many companies out there that specialize in producing quality unbranded products for other brands.
One of the benefits of this model is that you can customize the products.
You can also sell multiple product lines under your brand name.
The downsides are that a significant investment of time and money is required to build a brand, and you have to manage inventory, among other things.
▪ Propriety product sellers
This model entails producing your own products like handmade crafts and selling them on eCommerce marketplaces.
So, you’re in charge of everything, from quality to value. Simply put, you are the manufacturer.
However, this model requires huge startup money and involves a lot of risks.
To continue to thrive, you need to maintain a very high standard.
If you succeed, you can easily carve a niche for yourself because competition is minimal.
53. Work As a Full-Time Remote Employee Online
Working as a full-time remote employee is one of the finest ways to make money online in Nigeria today.
Full-time remote work (or distance working) is any permanent job that can be done away from a usual workplace using a laptop and a strong internet connection besides the requisite skillset.
So, a full-time remote employee is employed full-time by a company but works from anywhere outside a traditional office environment.
So, employees around the world can work from home, or other locations of their choosing
This is very different from freelance gigs.
Covid-19 brought to the fore the huge opportunities and benefits of working remotely online.
So, remote work took the front seat during the pandemic when many people everywhere were forced to work from home.
That was actually how the global economy was able to keep afloat.
And its popularity continues to grow.
Although relative normalcy has returned to the world, more businesses are integrating remote work into their workforce.
Full-time employees can now take their jobs with them everywhere they go, or work from wherever they are.
Some companies are even fully remote from the start.
Business owners now understand that they can access a larger, deeper pool of talent, regardless of where they live on the globe, partly thanks to the digital age.
Platforms like Google Chat, Slack, Zoom, and many others have made full-time remote work a lot easier.
So, people are getting full-time jobs from across the world.
Jobs that were initially almost impossible to get are now within reach.
And suddenly, or so it seems, there is a mold for remote careers.
Securing a remote job allows you to enjoy working from your living room and more time with your loved ones, while you get paid big bucks.
For a fully remote job, you still get to work for 40 hours a week, but from home or any other place outside the office space.
Some jobs allow you to create your own flexible schedule.
Added to the required prerequisite skills, companies want self-driven, motivated, and entrepreneurial individuals.
There are so many excellent full-time remote job offers within and outside Nigeria you’ll want to look at.
For local remote job opportunities, check Linkedin, Jobberman, and Indeed.
You can find some openings for international jobs on We Work Remotely (WWR), Remote.co, indeed.com, and more.
So why not give it a shot? This might just be your next big break and the start of your remote career.
54. Make Money on Credible Online Loan Apps
Earning money on established online loan apps is another way to make some cash in Nigeria today.
The popularity of online loan apps is on the rise.
An increasing number of people are turning to them for personal and business loans on short and long-term bases.
They are helping to fill some of the void of access to easy and quick loans in Nigeria.
While many of them are questionable, a good number have proven to be reliable and trustworthy. Because they’re licensed by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and insured by the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC).
Some of the credible loan apps in Nigeria include Branch and Carbon.
That said, these apps don’t only provide loans to their users, they also create opportunities for people to earn money on their platforms.
First, you can invest your money with them and earn some interest on your investments.
Different loaning apps have different investment plans with attractive interest rates between 9% and 23% per annum.
Some of them have monthly investment plans that allow you to earn interest on your capital on a weekly or monthly basis.
Second, you can make money on these platforms by recommending them to people.
They will provide you with a unique link that you will share with friends.
Once someone successfully registers via your link, you get your reward bonus. Some others will only pay you after the loan has been repaid.
Third, you can also earn money from using their services.
For example, you get a reward for funding your own wallet. You also earn cashback for bill payments and airtime (and data) purchases.
To get started, simply click through to these trusted apps and look at their different investment packages.
It makes sense to compare different platforms and plans before settling for any.
You can find more about their operations and terms on their Terms of Service and Frequently Asked Questions pages.
Be free to ask questions through their Contact page if you need more clarifications.
All the documentation for capital investments is usually done online. So you don’t have to visit their physical office.
Payments are also made online on due dates.
55. Start a Reseller Web Hosting Service
Are you a freelance web designer, web developer, or digital marketer, or do you run an agency in a specific niche market?
Right now, there is a huge demand for web hosting services everywhere.
Since the pandemic, opportunities in web hosting have exploded. Because doing business online has been mainstreamed across the globe, including in Nigeria.
More people are launching new blogs to get their messages online, more businesses are building websites to offer their products, and more developers are creating apps to sell their services.
All these sites need web hosting to live and be accessible on the Web. So, this is a great time for web hosting providers.
Reseller hosting is the easiest and cheapest way to start a robust web hosting business.
Because it doesn’t require the initial investment in hosting infrastructure, nor does it require managing servers.
Established web hosts usually offer fully white-label hosting services that are 100% brandable. So, it is as if you built and own everything.
You can leverage the unprecedented growth opportunities in reseller web hosting and create a source of recurring revenue even in Nigeria.
It simply involves purchasing a hosting solution from a web host and repackaging it into small hosting plans under your brand name.
You can then resell them to your own clients at a profit.
Again, it makes more business sense to ride on the back of a top web host that has servers set up around the globe instead of setting up new hosting infrastructure from scratch to target a particular region.
It positions you as a reliable web host in the market, though you have limited knowledge about web hosting.
That being said, it is important you partner with a reliable web hosting provider that offers powerful tools and a flexible reselling program that suits your budget and business goals.
You can start a stand-alone reseller hosting company, or add hosting packages to your existing service portfolio to make your business the ultimate one-stop shop for your customers.
And as you build a solid reputation in web hosting, your customer base will expand.
The top features your reseller hosting should have include scalable plans, storage space, bandwidth, quality customer support, great performance, strong security, and competitive pricing.
Thankfully, many of the leading web hosts such as SiteGround, Hostgator, A2Hosting, GoDaddy, HostPapa, and many others offer fantastic reseller hosting plans on their platforms.
There are different reseller hosting packages; again, choose an expandable plan that fits your market strategy and business goals. It makes sense to start small and grow your brand.
One way to quickly stand out is to create unique hosting packages with attractive features that can entice your target audience. This includes reasonably pricing your hosting plan.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
People searching the web to learn how to make money online also ask many questions about the topic.
Below are some of the most frequently asked questions in Nigeria:
How much money can I make online?
How much you make will depend on several variables such as the quality of work you deliver, the size and frequency of customer patronage you enjoy, and the monetization strategies you employ.
What determines the quality of your work is primarily your skills, plus the time and effort you put into creating your content, product or service, as the case may be.
That said, you will get more clicks and make money if your business features prominently in search results.
That’s where people searching for businesses like yours look. Statistics show that 95% of searchers don’t go beyond the first page (Digital Synopsis).
However, you will need staying power until you begin to see results. It won’t happen overnight, but it will certainly come.
The fact is, you can earn a good six-figure income from your work online, like so many others.
To get started, see my step-by-step guide on how to start a blog (if you are interested in setting up a blog), or how to create a website (if you want to build a website).
You should also see my post titled 27 basic SEO best current practices that can help your site’s rankings in Google.
How can I make money online without paying anything?
Whether you’re a student, an applicant, or simply looking to earn some extra bucks aside from your salary, you can make money online without paying a dime.
However, you won’t earn as much as when you invest in building your own site.
The beauty, though, is you can get started in a minute.
All you need are the requisite skills, your laptop or smartphone, an Internet connection, and data.
Even when you lack the experience, some people will be willing to give you your first break.
You could work as a freelancer in many fields, start a YouTube channel, sell photos online, teach a subject, language, or music online, publish a book on Amazon, create an online course, etc.
All the above options are free to start – no catch and no cash is needed.
To sell yourself, you could offer your services for free initially. That way, you can quickly build your reputation and attract more customers.
To get started, simply register for free on marketplace websites related to your area(s) of interest. Refer to this article: 55 proven ways to make money online in Nigeria for more guidance.
How can I make money online in Nigeria as a student?
As a student, you can make money online through the following proven ways:
✓ Sell freelance services. Get freelance gigs in writing and translation, graphic design, transcription, voice recording & editing, proofreading, customer support & admin, etc. on popular marketplaces like Fiverr, Upwork, Constant Content, etc.
✓ Write and sell ebooks. You can publish ebooks on fiction, non-fiction, poetry, novels, comics, children’s literature, and more through Kindle Direct Publishing.
✓ Produce YouTube videos. You can create some quality homemade videos on “how-to” tutorials, product reviews, movie reviews, and other in-demand topics and post them on YouTube.
✓ Become a private tutor. As a university or polytechnic student, you’re perfectly positioned to offer your services as a tutor in subjects you specialize in.
You can create a profile on online tutoring sites like SuperProf (for free) to tutor primary or secondary school subjects in your discipline or any skill or passion you have.
✓ Buy and sell Domains. For as little as $15 (i.e. about ₦15,000), you can flip domain names and make money online.
✓ Start a blog and monetize it. As a student, you can make money blogging. The process is not as difficult as people think.
Simply choose a blog niche, start a blog, learn basic SEO best current practices, and make money through ad networks, direct advertisements, affiliate marketing, paid reviews, and sponsored posts, among other ways.
That said, you need to invest time and effort to reap the full benefits.
How can I make money with my phone?
Below are some ways to make money with your phone:
✓ You can make extra money selling images. Take photos and videos with your phone, and sell them on stock photography marketplaces like Getty Images, Shutterstock, EyeEm, Snapwire, Foap, and others.
✓ You can start a YouTube channel on any topic.
✓ You can also shoot short, interesting videos using your phone, and upload them to your TikTok and Instagram accounts.
Conclusion
All of these 55 ways are popular, and have been proven to make money in Nigeria.
So many people are using them and are doing well online right now.
That said, choose the idea(s) that is best suited to your skills, passion, and budget.
Once you make your choice, act on it now. Start your website today.
Who knows, you might be the next big thing online!
And there you have it – 55 proven ways to make money online in Nigeria.
I hope this article has spurred you to try your hand at one or two of these methods.
Once you are ready to go, feel free to consult these my step-by-step, comprehensive guides:
▪ How to start a blog and make money in Nigeria (to set up your blog)
▪ How to create a website in Nigeria (to make your website)
Both articles include SEO tips to help your site’s visibility and ranking in Google Search.
That said, I have written a comprehensive article on 27 simple SEO current best practices for better rankings.
You may also want to check out my easy-to-read and informative guide on how to choose the best domain name for your site.
It is a great read for anyone who wants to pick the right domain name for their site.
If you like this article, kindly help me spread the word among your friends. Thank you!