How to Make Money Online in Nigeria as a Student

last Updated on November 10, 2023

Are you interested in how to make money online in Nigeria as a student as another source of income to supplement your monthly allowance as a student? Here’s how to earn money online while pursuing your studies.

In the bustling nation of Nigeria, where vibrant cultures intersect and where people have high aspirations, the internet has presented a new wave of opportunity for students seeking financial independence and empowerment.

Gone are the days when conventional part-time jobs or limited local prospects were the available ways for students to make some income. Today, willing, innovative and disciplined students thrive, connect, and start to find financial success by making money online. Whether you’re looking to pay for your education, cover your living expenses, or simply treat yourself to some extra pocket money, we’ve got the inside scoop on the best strategies and platforms that can help you make it happen.

You can make money as a Nigerian student from digital freelancing, content creation, e-commerce ventures, affiliate marketing, blogging, gaming, building a community and even tutoring.

However, you need to tread with caution and realistic optimism, for in this digital realm of opportunities, pitfalls and challenges lie in wait. There are different ways to make money online as a student for free and without investment, but the earnings tend to be limited. To really earn significantly, you need to invest time and resources.

Let’s get started on how you can turn your spare time into a goldmine as a Nigerian student. Here’s how to make money online in Nigeria as a student and the reins of your destiny and harness the vast potential of the internet.

Also See: How to Make Money on Your Phone in Nigeria

How to Make Money Online in Nigeria as a Student (21 Easy Ways)

1. Sell Online

 An online marketplace offers a great opportunity to make money online in Nigeria as a student. Basically, you’ll buy products at retail prices and sell them on online marketplaces like jumia and Konga or even Jiji. These are the places where some serious buying and selling takes place in Nigeria.

See: Best Online Shopping Sites in Nigeria

However, for every product, you sell on jumia or Konga they get a commission depending on the type of product sold.

The trick to making this hustle or business or whatever you want to call it to work is to find great products at good prices. To find great products you should consider profitable product categories like fashion, electronics, gadgets, and foodstuffs.

But if you think these categories are too crowded,  then maybe health & beauty, gaming and Baby categories should be your focus.

Some of the things you can sell online in Nigeria are: 

• Sell used books
• Sell customized T-shirt
• Sell Ankara fabrics
• Sell Ankara books, shoes and bags
• Footwear sales
• Sell fancy jeans
• Make and sell skin products
• Sell foodstuff
• Natural skin products
• Natural hair products
• Sell weave on
• Make and/or sell wigs
• Sell underwear for students
• Phone Accessories
• Sell used phones
• Sell perfumes
• Sell Jewellery
• Create and sell artwork

2. Start an E-commerce Store

The reason people use marketplaces like jumia and Konga is that they already have tonnes of traffic and you don’t need to start driving traffic to your online store or start developing or designing your eCommerce store in Nigeria from scratch.

Also See: How to Start an E-commerce Business in Nigeria

But starting your own independent online store in Nigeria has its benefits and it’s never been easier to start your own store in Nigeria. You can start a free online store today in Nigeria within minutes and start making money.

A lot of people have their own independent stores and are making so much money selling their own products that they made from scratch or selling other companies’ products. 

You too can do the same. All you have to do is.

• Pick profitable products or product categories.
• Create an online store in minutes.
• Push traffic to your store and start making money.

Here’s a guide on how to start a free online store in Nigeria.

If selling through an online store seems like too much to do to you. Then you can sell via social media channels like Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Just make sure your page stands out amongst the competition.

Also See: How to Make Money with Your Phone in Nigeria

3. Dropshipping

Dropshipping is a valid way to make money online in Nigeria as a student. Although it’s not an easy way either. It involves a lot of work because of the number of people doing it around the world.

Dropshipping involves selling products online, the only difference is you don’t have to buy and stock the products before you can sell them.

With your drop shipping online store, whenever a customer orders products, your store orders the product from a third-party supplier. The supplier then ships the product directly to your customer. You don’t see the product nor do you deliver it.

You can start a Dropshipping business with Oberlo or Spocket.

Also See: How to Make Money as a Teenager in Nigeria

4. Buy & Sell Domain Names

The highest someone has ever sold a domain name was $16 million. “Insurer.com” was sold to Quinnstreet in 2009. Buying and selling domain names is a great way to make money online in Nigeria because domain names can be sold for profit in the future.

You can buy and sell domain names through auction by using domain registrars like Godaddy or by using dedicated websites like Sedo. However, buying and selling domain names comes with its own set of risks. It can take years for you to sell a domain name while continuing to renew it while holding the domain name.

Then there’s the legal issue where you have to stay away from trademarked names so a domain name of yours doesn’t lead to forfeiture. 

But if you can consider the risk and return thoroughly, then buying and selling domain names is a great way to start making money online in Nigeria as a student. Here’s a great guide to get you started.

5. Sell Pictures Online

The online photo-selling industry is a billion-dollar growing market, so the opportunity to make money online in Nigeria as a student by selling photos is amazing.

However, though, you must be able to take amazing pictures. For professional enthusiasts, this is a great way to earn some extra income for yourself.

Some sites that you can use to sell photos and make money are your site/blog, Shutterstock, 500px, Etsy and Foap.

Checkout: Best Games & Apps that Pay Real Money in Nigeria

6. Resell Unused Gift Cards

If you have gift cards that you aren’t using or know someone who does, you can buy them from them and resell them for some profit.

There are plenty of sites that you can use to sell gift cards in Nigeria. Some popular ones are Glover, Cardtonic and Cardnosh.

See: Best Virtual Dollar Cards in Nigeria

7. Freelancing

One of the easiest ways to make money online as a student in Nigeria is through freelancing. Freelancing involves offering your services to clients on a project-by-project basis.

The freelance industry has continued to rise rapidly and is expected to reach $30 billion by 2025. However working as a freelancer is not easy, especially in our current ever-growing digital world.  A lot of other talented people are also looking for work as well.

So if you’re going to make money online in Nigeria as a student by freelancing then it is important you take these steps:

• Pick a profitable niche/field you are skilled at or one that sparks your passion. Profitable fields include software development, web development, writing, graphic design, digital marketing, virtual assistant and even photography.
• Specify the services you’ll render. If you’re a designer, you can’t possibly do everything related to design like; UX, UI, visuals, illustrations, logos, advertisements, or complete brand identity. Pick one or two. Choosing specific services will help you make more progress as a freelancer.
• Assemble an appealing portfolio. Your portfolio is like your CV in the freelance world, it displays your approach as a freelancer. Your portfolio is a way for you to display your professionalism, and attract and impress clients enough so they hire you for their work.
• Find clients through Freelance sites and by advertising yourself online. Some popular freelance sites where you can make money online in Nigeria are Fiverr and Freelancer.

To get started, you’ll need to create a profile that showcases your skills and experience and start bidding on projects that match your skills.

Read: How to Start a Successful Music Career in Nigeria

8. Content Creation

If you’re creative and have a passion for writing, photography, or video production, you can make money online in Nigeria as a student by creating content.

There are many websites and platforms that allow you to create and publish your own content, such as blogs, YouTube channels, and social media accounts.

To monetize your content, you can use advertising, sponsored posts, affiliate marketing, and more. Some popular platforms for content creation in Nigeria include YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.

 Blogging is one of the proven ways of making money online in Nigeria. 

There are two ways to make money blogging:

• By writing for someone else’s blog and get paid immediately (freelancing)
• Write for yourself/blog and make money slowly but consistently. (owning a business)

Your blog can be your online business or your side hustle. But it will take some time to build your audience and start making enough money from it. However, once your blog starts earning money, it doesn’t stop earning even when you sleep.

You can make money from your blog through:

• Ads (e.g Google Adsense)
• Affiliate marketing
• And even selling your own products or courses in some cases.

 If you can create videos around a topic(s) or are willing to learn how to. You can make money publishing videos on YouTube. There are a lot of people making millions by creating videos on uploading them to YouTube.

9. Youtube Channel

If you’re wondering what types of videos you can make for YouTube that will help you make money online in Nigeria s a student; you can either make funny and entertaining videos or videos targeting a particular type of audience (home-staying moms, tech nerds, children and even students). 

To become a Youtuber, you must create a Youtube channel, create and upload videos to YouTube and market your YouTube channel. 

Here’s a complete guide on how to make money from Youtube in Nigeria

Also See: How to Make Money on Instagram in Nigeria

10. Professional/Research Services Online

One way to make money online in Nigeria as a student is by selling your knowledge to people. You don’t necessarily have to be a recognised expert in your domain to become a consultant or teacher, you just have to be better than your student or client and be able to solve the problems you claim you can solve.

You need skills if you’re going to become a consultant and find clients online. For example, if you are a legal or finance professional, then you create a website or cultivate an online following, and start attracting clients online.

It is possible to earn any competitive skill online in a few months of dedicated time. So don’t be discouraged if you think you have no monetizable skills.

11. Social Media Influencer

If you have dreams of becoming an influential person or you are already one, building a big online following and monetizing that influence is a great way to make money. But to do this you’ll need to establish your value as an influencer. And to do this you’ll need to create high-quality content and constantly engage your audience.

You can make money as a social media influencer in Nigeria through

• Sponsored posts
• By joining an influencer network
• By working with Brands
• and even through your own products

12. Invest in Foreign and Local Stocks

You can make an extra income on the side by investing in stocks, especially foreign stocks. Although this comes with a risk and requires some financial know-how. 

When buying stocks it’s best to buy shares of companies that would be around for a long time. If you’re interested in investing in foreign stocks in Nigeria.

You can start investing in foreign shares in Nigeria through apps like Trove and Bamboo. You can also check out our e-book on investing as a Nigerian.

13. Invest and Trade Crypto

With all the rave going on about cryptocurrency, you definitely should be trying to understand cryptocurrency first as a technology and then as an asset class. To get started in investing and trading bitcoin and other crypto in Nigeria, you can use trusted cryptocurrency exchange platforms in Nigeria. Like Binance, Paxful and Remitano.

Also See: How to Buy Cryptocurrency in Nigeria

14. Online Book Publishing

If you’re good at writing or think you can become a good writer. Then you should consider publishing a book online. There are a couple of platforms that make book online publishing fairly easy.

Amazon, the world’s leading online publishing platform controls more than 60 per cent of the entire online publishing industry. Amazon has a very diverse global audience you can leverage by publishing with them. 

However, you must consider if the target audience for your book is on Amazon and if it will do well on Amazon. If not you should consider other online book publishing platforms like Lulu and Okadabook. 

Lulu is a top self-publishing platform for people who want to share their expertise by publishing a book. While Okadabook is a fast and free online publishing platform in Nigeria for monetizing books. Whenever your book is published or read by anyone, you get paid by Okadabooks.

15. Build Communities

One of the best and easiest ways to build communities is through Facebook groups. They are a great way to meet and connect to like-minded people and share your interests as well. They also present a great way to make money online in Nigeria as a student. But you need to make sure you’re attracting the right people to your group. You can do this by asking people questions before they join your group.

You can monetize your Facebook group by selling print-on-demand merchandise and ad space and by selling courses as well.

Read: How to Make Money from Facebook in Nigeria

16. Sell an Online Course

Online courses offer a great way to make money online in Nigeria. People charge $100 to nearly $20000 for their online course, depending on their topic.

You don’t need the experience to teach an online course. As long as you have expertise in the topic you’re teaching as a course.

There are a bunch of platforms you can use to create an online course today. You can use Udemy, Outschool and Teachable to start creating your online course. You can also take this free training on how to create a 7-figure online course.

17. Paid Webinars

If you’re an expert at a certain skill or have a particular knowledge that isn’t readily available. You can monetize your knowledge or skill via paid webinars.

You can make money online in Nigeria via paid webinars. All you need is to choose the right platform to host your webinars, promote your webinar effectively and always deliver quality content to your webinar attendees.

Some ideas for webinars can include; Cooking class, An Excel class, a weight loss program and even a design workshop. 

To host your webinars you can use platforms like Zoom and WebinarJam. If you really want to know how to create a successful webinar, this guide will teach you the secrets to creating a successful webinar.

18. Online Gaming

If you’re a fan of video games, you can make money online in Nigeria as a student by playing games competitively. There are many online gaming platforms that offer cash prizes for winning tournaments or competitions, such as Twitch, GameBattles, and ESL Play.

To get started, you’ll need to be skilled in a particular game or genre, have a good internet connection, and be able to dedicate time to practising and competing.

There are also play-to-earn games and apps that pay people in Nigeria real money. If you can make time to play these games as a student, then you can make some extra cash.

19. Online Surveys

Another way to make money online in Nigeria as a student is by taking online surveys. There are many companies that are willing to pay you for your opinions on various products and services.

To get started, you’ll need to sign up for an account with a reputable survey company, such as Swagbucks, Toluna, or Survey Junkie. Once you’ve signed up, you’ll be asked to complete surveys on various topics, such as consumer products, politics, and more.

20. Virtual Assistant

Virtual assistance involves providing administrative or technical support to clients remotely. This can include tasks such as data entry, research, customer service, social media management, and more. To get started, you can create a profile on virtual assistant platforms such as Upwork, PeoplePerHour, or Freelancer. You’ll need to have good communication skills, be organized, and be able to work independently.

Each survey usually takes between 10 and 30 minutes to complete, and you’ll earn cash or rewards points that you can redeem for cash or gift cards.

Final Thoughts on How to Make Money in Nigeria as a Student

In this day and age, having a digital skill is not only an advantage but a necessity. Digital skills are also a great way to earn a good income in Nigeria.

Examples of top digital skills are content writing, design, programming, Product management, SEO(search engine optimization), data analytics & visualization, video creation and editing. Etc. 

Making money online in Nigeria as a student is a great way to earn some extra cash, develop new skills, and gain valuable work experience. Whether you choose to freelance, create content, trade stocks, or play games, there are many opportunities available to you.

So if you’re a student in Nigeria looking for ways to make some extra cash, don’t hesitate to explore the many options available to you. Good luck!

if these ideas for making money online in Nigeria as a student are not relatable for you. Maybe an offline idea is what you need. Here are ways you can make money offline in Nigeria as a student.

• Photography
• Laundry Services
• Computer Repair
• Phone Repair
• Do nails or makeup /Gele
• Become a Disk Jockey (DJ)
• Master of ceremony
• Fitness training
• Become a Model
• Become a motivational speaker and start small
• Start ushering services
• Start event planning business
• Open a mini restaurant, and sell special delicacies you can prepare
• Hairdressing/ natural hair carer
• Tailoring
• Barbing salon
• Painting house or wallpaper
• Create comedy skits
• Training predecessors students skills you know
• Phone and computer repair
• Teach people how to use a computer
• Start a furniture workshop, etc
• Drive for Uber if you live in Lagos or Abuja
• Hostel accommodation agent
• Start running a bar
• Enter a scholarship competition
• Get an internship
• Write and Publish an Ebook
• Become a Jumia Agent
• Become a professional proofreader
• Apply for Grants in Nigeria

The key is to find something that you’re passionate about and that fits your skills and interests. With hard work and dedication, you can turn your online pursuits into a lucrative source of income. So don’t be afraid to get creative, take risks, and explore new opportunities. Good luck on your journey to making money online in Nigeria as a student!