Are electronic signatures legal in Nigeria? Evidence Act, Cybercrimes Act and what to sign in ink

Nigerian businesses sign contracts across Lagos, Abuja and the rest of the world every day, and more and more of those signatures happen on a screen. Nigeria still has no single electronic transactions act of the kind found in the UAE or South Africa, so people reasonably ask whether e-signatures are valid at all. They are. The legal basis is spread across two statutes, the Evidence Act and the Cybercrimes Act, and a few important documents are excluded. This guide pulls it together.

The short answer

• Evidence Act 2011, section 93: where a rule of evidence requires a signature, or sets consequences for a document not being signed, an electronic signature satisfies that rule or avoids those consequences. The Evidence (Amendment) Act 2023 extended this to digital signatures.
• Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015, section 17: electronic signatures in respect of purchases of goods and other transactions are binding.
• Excluded by section 17: wills and testamentary documents, death and birth certificates, family law matters (marriage, divorce, adoption), court orders and judicial documents such as affidavits and pleadings, cancellation or termination of utility services, documents that must travel with dangerous materials, and orders withdrawing unsafe drugs or chemicals.
• Deeds and sealed documents (land conveyances, deeds of assignment, powers of attorney executed as deeds) are normally still signed and sealed on paper.
• Electronic evidence in court must meet the conditions in section 84 of the Evidence Act, including a certificate about the computer that produced it.

The law in Nigeria

Evidence Act 2011

The Evidence Act 2011 brought electronic evidence into Nigerian law.

• Section 93 covers electronic signatures. If a rule of evidence requires a signature, an electronic signature satisfies it. An electronic signature may be proved in any manner, including by showing that a security procedure had to be followed to proceed with the transaction and verify that the record came from that person.
• Section 84 covers statements in documents produced by computers. To rely on such a document, you must show the computer was used regularly for that purpose and working properly, and you normally file a certificate identifying the document and describing how it was produced. The Supreme Court applied this certificate requirement strictly in Kubor v Dickson, reported at (2013) 4 NWLR (Pt 1345) 534, where printouts of an online newspaper and a page from the electoral commission's website were rejected because no certificate accompanied them.

Evidence (Amendment) Act 2023

The Evidence (Amendment) Act 2023, signed in June 2023, brought the Act further into the digital age:

• New provisions after section 84 recognise electronic records (data, images or sound stored, received or sent in electronic form) as admissible, and treat a legal requirement for information to be written or printed as met where it is in electronic form and accessible for later reference.
• Section 93 now covers digital signatures alongside electronic signatures. A digital signature is treated as reliable where it is linked to the signer alone and any later change to the record or the signature can be detected.
• Oaths and affidavits can be taken through audio-visual means, not only in person before a commissioner for oaths.

Check the amended text, and how the courts are applying it, when you prepare evidence for court.

Cybercrimes Act 2015

Section 17 of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015 provides that an electronic signature in respect of purchases of goods and other transactions is binding. Where it is disputed whether a signature is genuine, the Act places the burden of proof on the person who disputes it. It also makes it an offence to use another person's electronic signature fraudulently.

Section 17 then lists transactions to which the electronic signature rule does not apply:

1. Creating and executing wills, codicils and other testamentary documents.
2. Death certificates.
3. Birth certificates.
4. Family law matters such as marriage, divorce and adoption.
5. Court orders, notices and official court documents such as affidavits, pleadings, motions and other judicial documents.
6. Cancellation or termination of utility services.
7. Instruments required to accompany the transport or handling of dangerous materials.
8. Documents ordering the withdrawal of drugs, chemicals or other materials that are fake, dangerous or expired.

The Cybercrimes Act was amended in 2024. The amendments focused on other provisions, such as the cyberstalking offence, identity theft and the cybersecurity levy, and we are not aware of a change to the section 17 exclusions, but check the current consolidated text for anything important.

No licensing scheme for certificate authorities

Nigeria does not yet have a statutory scheme that sorts signatures into "advanced" or "qualified" tiers with licensed certificate authorities, as in the EU or UAE. The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) launched a national public key infrastructure, and in 2026 an amended National Identity Management Commission Act made the NIMC the root certification authority for that infrastructure, with NITDA handing it over. A National Digital Economy and E-Governance Bill, which would give electronic records, contracts and signatures express legal recognition, has also been before the National Assembly, so check whether it has become law. Until a signature-tier scheme exists, courts judge an electronic signature mainly on the evidence of who signed and whether the document was changed. An audit trail and tamper-evident sealing therefore matter more, not less.

Documents you cannot sign electronically (or need a special signature)

Common situations

Employment contracts

The Labour Act requires employers to give workers a written statement of the main terms within three months of starting. It does not prescribe how the statement is signed. E-signed offer letters and employment contracts are common and valid. Keep the audit trail in case the employee later denies signing.

Tenancy agreements

A tenancy agreement is a contract and can be signed electronically. Two cautions: longer leases are generally expected to be made by deed under the property laws that apply in many states, and a lease you may need to register or rely on in court should be signed in a form the registry and your lawyer are comfortable with.

Land in Lagos and elsewhere

Transferring land usually involves a deed of assignment or conveyance, the Governor's consent under the Land Use Act 1978, and registration at the state land registry (in Lagos, the Lands Registry). These documents are traditionally signed, sealed and witnessed on paper, and the registries expect that. A sale agreement signed electronically can evidence what was agreed, but it will not get the deed registered.

Companies

The Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020 (CAMA 2020) modernised company law. A common seal is now optional, and the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) runs registration and filings through its online portal. Board resolutions, shareholder agreements and commercial contracts are routinely signed electronically. Where a document must be executed as a deed, check whether the company's articles and the receiving party accept electronic execution.

Banks and government

Banks and agencies often set their own requirements. Some accept e-signed mandates and forms, others want ink or their own authentication. Ask the institution first.

Is DocuSign (or KovaPDF) valid in Nigeria?

For ordinary commercial contracts, yes: section 93 of the Evidence Act and section 17 of the Cybercrimes Act support electronic signatures. What matters in a dispute is proof of who signed and that the document was not changed, plus, if you rely on a printout or file in court, a section 84 certificate. Platform signatures cannot be used for the excluded documents above.

How to get a digital certificate in Nigeria

Certificate-based signatures are not required by Nigerian law for most documents. If your bank, a regulator or a counterparty asks for one, use the certificate they specify. International certificate authorities issue document-signing certificates, often on a USB token or in a cloud service, and those cannot be used on a website. If you have an exportable .pfx or .p12 file, you can use it with a website signing tool.

Using KovaPDF for this

• Contracts with several people: Request Signatures emails each signer a private link; they sign in the browser without an account. All parties receive the PDF with a certificate of completion showing each signer's name, email, open and sign times, IP address and browser, and the file is sealed with a trusted timestamp so later edits show up. Keep that certificate: it is the kind of record that helps with a section 84 certificate if you ever go to court. These are simple electronic signatures.
• Just you: Sign PDF places your signature image on the page. It is a simple electronic signature with no tamper protection.
• With your own certificate: Digital Signature applies a PAdES signature with a trusted timestamp using your .pfx or .p12 file.
• Checking a signed file: Verify PDF Signature.

KovaPDF can help you prepare a deed or will as a PDF for printing, but it cannot replace the ink, seal and witnesses those documents need. See also is an e-signature from an online platform legally binding.