The Informal Market Standardization Report · 2025
A pioneer research publication from Cityhackz, documenting units, pricing, food safety, digital adoption and structural challenges across 11+ markets, 4,000+ businesses and 18 states in Nigeria.
Foreword
Pioneer EditionInformal markets feed Nigeria's cities, stabilise its supply chains and sustain millions of households, yet they remain largely undocumented, undefined and misunderstood.
Standardization is not a bureaucratic requirement. It is the silent infrastructure that lets trade flourish, a shared language between a market stall and a global buyer. In Nigeria, where the informal sector powers more than half of GDP, that language is inconsistent, local and often invisible.
IMSR 2025 is our attempt to close that gap: to observe, document and validate the informal economy as it actually operates today, and to offer a foundation for policy, technology and investment decisions grounded in evidence rather than assumption.
The Study, in Numbers
Stories From the Field
Four portraits from the markets we studied, each highlighting one insight the report explores in depth.
01 · The Trader
Mama Ngozi has sold grains at the same stall for 22 years. Her unit of measure, a repurposed paint bucket, is trusted by her regulars but understood nowhere else. The report documents how these local units shape trust, price, and margin across Nigeria's food supply chain.
02 · The Mechanic
For roadside okada mechanics, spare parts prices swing by 30% in a single week. Without price references or standardised catalogues, both mechanic and rider absorb the volatility, and consumers pay the difference.
03 · The Food Vendor
Suya vendors, pepper grinders and pop up kitchens operate at the frontier of contamination risk. IMSR 2025 maps how measurement gaps, storage practices and informal supply chains meet, and where standardisation would matter most.
04 · The Tailor
Small tailors in Kano and Onitsha now settle 40% of transactions digitally. But traceability, receipts and formal records still lag. Youth led businesses lead the shift, and reveal where infrastructure investment will pay back fastest.
Key Insights
From digital adoption to market standardization, these ten themes recur across every market we studied. The full report unpacks each with supporting data, regional variation and policy implications.
More traders now use smartphones, transfers and digital platforms to buy, sell and communicate with customers than ever before.
Bank transfers and digital payment channels continue to replace cash for many daily transactions across urban markets.
Poor roads, electricity, sanitation and storage continue to reduce productivity and increase operating costs.
Organized markets improve business confidence, consumer trust, food safety and investment opportunities.
More traders are using digital tools to track sales, communicate with customers and manage inventory.
Customers increasingly demand convenience, digital payments, transparent pricing and reliable product quality.
Young entrepreneurs are accelerating technology adoption across Nigeria's informal markets through innovation and digital commerce.
Consistent pricing, measurements, product quality and business practices create stronger and more efficient markets.
Businesses with transparent pricing, better customer service and digital visibility attract more repeat customers.
With better infrastructure, digital adoption and policy support, informal markets can become a major engine for inclusive economic growth.
Methodology
Six months of primary research, structured across six sequential phases.
Scoping, sampling frames, market selection.
On the ground observation across 11+ markets in 18 states.
Structured conversations with 4,000+ vendors and operators.
Cross checking with regulators, associations and secondary data.
150,000+ data points synthesised into thematic findings.
Peer review, editorial pass and open release.
Inside the Report
From Understanding Informal Markets to Digital Adoption & Traceability Readiness, the full contents at a glance.
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