Why laptops may become more expensive in Nigeria

…Global PC shipments fall 4.9% to 68.2m units in Q2 2026By Juliet Ume For many Nigerians preparing for a new academic session, entrepreneurs running digital businesses and professionals working from home, owning a laptop is no longer a luxury. It has become an important tool for learning, work and running a business. However, buying one may soon become even more expensive.

Already, Nigerians are struggling with the effects of the weak Naira, rising inflation, high import costs and foreign exchange challenges. Now, another problem has emerged, a global shortage of memory chips, an important component used in laptops and desktop computers. The shortage is increasing the cost of producing computers around the world.

This comes as the global PC market recorded its first decline in more than two years, raising fears that laptop prices could rise further in countries like Nigeria that depend largely on imported computers. According to the latest report by the International Data Corporation, IDC, global PC shipments dropped by 4.9 percent year-on-year to 68.2 million units in the second quarter of 2026. This was the first quarterly decline after nine straight quarters of growth.

IDC said the drop was not because people were buying fewer computers. Instead, it was mainly caused by the ongoing shortage of memory chips. The shortage has slowed production, increased manufacturing costs and forced computer makers to raise prices even though they shipped fewer PCs.

IDC Research Director, Jitesh Ubrani, said the industry is witnessing an unusual trend in which shipment volumes are falling while revenues continue to rise because manufacturers are passing increased production costs on to consumers. According to him, the memory shortage is unlikely to ease soon, with vendors already preparing for further price increases as supply constraints persist. Similarly, IDC Vice-President, Jean Philippe Bouchard, noted that larger PC manufacturers are better positioned to weather the shortage because of their stronger purchasing power and long-standing supplier relationships, leaving smaller manufacturers and distributors more exposed.

The outlook mirrors an earlier warning by HP Inc., which projected that rising memory chip costs and supply constraints would continue to weigh on the global PC market through 2027. Although IDC did not provide country-specific figures for Nigeria or …