Top 10 Businesses You Can Do To Make Money In Nigeria

In the current economic climate, everyone is seeking ways to branch out into business, whether as a side hustle or main means of livelihood. Unemployment rates have tripled in the last five years, with recent reports showing that about 33% of the country's labor force are unemployed. Among the fraction of those employed, there's the case of underemployment, data pointing out that 22.8% of employed Nigerians are underemployed. If there's one thing that's constantly on the mind of Nigerian's, it's how to make more money, and below are 10 businesses you can do to make money in Nigeria.

1. Mobile Food Business

Food always sells. You don't have to be Gordon Ramsey to start a profitable food business. If you enjoy cooking, you can cook for others and make money from it. Food is a huge business as a huge number of people outsource their feeding to vendors, and there's no reason why you can't tap into that market. 

Another thing to ensure is to focus on a niche and work on scaling it.

If you don't have a spot to set up or the resources for it, you can do it from the comfort of your home and deliver to any location around you. 

2. Blogging

Blogging is a good way to make money online in Nigeria.

If you have basic writing skills or want to learn, you can start a blog. You need a laptop and internet access, but the most important thing you need is your time. You don't require deep technical skills to start, as there are a lot of videos on YouTube that'll walk you through the entire process and show you what to do.

You can set up one for free on WordPress or a self-hosted server, and write interesting content on any topic. Although it's best if you decide on a niche.

3. Agriculture

Agriculture is thriving in Nigeria. There are a lot of options when it comes to this, examples include poultry business, fish farm business, rice farms, oil farms, etc. Investing in agriculture has the potential to pay off big time. The best thing about this is that you don't have to get your hands dirty. You just need to get a good management structure and your agricultural activities will prosper even when you're not physically there. 

There are a lot of loans financed by the government which is available to agriculturists now and you just might get lucky.

4. Selling Used Products

The price of nearly everything brand new is too expensive for the average Nigerian. Most Nigerians purchase the already- used type of everything, from cars to mobile phones and gadgets, to clothes and kitchen equipment. Starting a thrift business that focuses on selling used clothes is lucrative in Nigeria. Pick your niche and sell!

5. Digital Marketing

Digital marketing is a big thing currently as nearly every business is trying to take advantage of all the potential clients the internet makes available. The internet remains one of the best tools for businesses to generate visibility for themselves and attract more customers through their brand. While digital marketing success won't happen overnight, it has the potential to fetch you loads of cash if you are persistent. 

There are various forms like email marketing, SEO, social media management among others. There are also tons of materials and free courses online that you can take advantage of to get you started in the field. A lot of good ones are even free, so you don't need to pay to learn the basics. One of the free courses is Google Digital Skills for Africa. 

6. Drive For Uber

If you live in major cities like Lagos or Abuja, you can sign up to drive for the ride-hailing company Uber. This is a very lucrative business as drivers earn a commission on every ride. 

If you have a car, then you have all it takes to start. All you have to do is to become part of the uberpreneurs and start making money driving people around.

7. Social Media Management

If you have great communication skills, you can start to manage social media accounts for businesses.

Social Media is on the rise now and businesses are taking advantage of the benefits that social media provides. Social media is a massive tool for businesses to generate leads and ultimately create conversion. Starting your own social media marketing business will make you smile to the bank. You can start your social media marketing business, get clients, and help them market and manage their business through social media and make money.

8. Freelancing

If you consider yourself creative, there's an opportunity in freelancing for you. There's a lot of demand for freelancers, whether writers, photographers, etc and you can fix yourself in the market. The best thing about freelancing is that you can do it at your convenience, right from the comfort of your home. All you need is steady internet access and a charged laptop. If you don't have a laptop yet, you can start with your phone. 

There are multiple apps or job boards you can surf for gigs like Freelancer, Upwork, Indeed, Jobberman, and tons of others. The best thing about freelancing, just like any job you can do over the internet is that your immediate environment doesn't limit your potential clients, the internet makes available to you customers from all parts of the world.

9. Event Planning

If there's one thing you can't take away from Nigerians, it's love for big parties. It's ingrained in our culture. There can however be no events without event planners, and this is where you come in.

You don't have to be a social butterfly to be an event planner, you just majorly need excellent organizational and communication skills to create your brand. Event management is a fast-growing industry in the country and there's no reason why you shouldn't tap into it. 

You can start with small parties and work your way up to larger events. It's going to take some time and organizational skills, but there's nothing you cannot do.

10. Real Estate

This is one of the most lucrative businesses in the world hands down. Even though venturing out into real-estate is capital intensive, there's no reason why you can't start small. You don't have to have enough money to buy and sell properties, you can work as an agent for starters. There's a market for linking people who own property and people who are interested in owning or renting said property. You can act as the middle man and earn a fat commission off every sale. 

There are a lot of business opportunities in Nigeria and these are just a few. One thing that is important to realize is that the internet is your best friend, there are tons of opportunities available on the internet. There's also absolutely nothing you cannot learn over the internet, so there's no need to feel like just because you aren't already well-versed in a specific area then you cannot launch a business in it. While there's an advantage in choosing a business you're already interested in or good at, but do not let the lack of prior interest or knowledge discourage you from trying something out.

Social media is one of the tools you can maximize to your benefit as it gives you visibility. You don't have to buy office space for your new business just yet when there are online homes on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. All you need to do is ensure you clearly and consistently convey your products and services on social media and you'll be surprised how many customers/clients you can fetch from there.