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What AI agents can do in bookkeeping, close, collections and compliance today, where a person must stay in charge, and how to judge a product.
The short answer
A phone repair business starts with hands-on training and a core tool kit that costs about ₦410,000 in our labelled example. Repairers charge labour per job plus the part, quote part grades openly, and handle customers' data with care.
What phone repairers fix most
Most of a phone repairer's income comes from a few common jobs: cracked screens, dead batteries, faulty charging ports, water damage, broken back glass, and software problems such as boot loops, forgotten patterns and flashing. Board-level repairs, such as replacing chips or fixing short circuits, earn more but take more skill and equipment. Start with the common jobs and add board work as your skills grow.
Training: how repairers learn
Many repairers learn as apprentices in a busy repair shop. Others take a paid course at a repair training centre, which can be shorter but varies in quality and price. Before paying for a course, ask:
- How many hours of hands-on work on real phones are included?
- Does it cover both hardware (screens, ports, micro-soldering) and software (flashing and software repair)?
- Are tools provided during training, or must you bring your own?
- Can you see former students working now, and talk to them?
Expect to practise on old phones for weeks before customers trust you. A broken customer phone that you break further costs you a part, a refund and a reputation.
Tools and start-up cost (example)
Example only. Prices change with the exchange rate, as most tools are imported.
| Tool (example) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Hot air rework station | ₦60,000 |
| Soldering station | ₦40,000 |
| Stereo microscope | ₦120,000 |
| DC power supply | ₦45,000 |
| Screen separator, LOCA glue and UV lamp | ₦50,000 |
| Precision screwdriver set | ₦15,000 |
| Digital multimeter | ₦15,000 |
| Ultrasonic cleaner | ₦40,000 |
| ESD mat, tweezers and opening tools | ₦25,000 |
| Total | ₦410,000 |
Add a lockable drawer or safe for customers' phones, a small stock of fast-moving parts such as charging ports and screen protectors, and rent for a shop space or a shared stall. Many repairers start in a shared space inside a phone market to keep rent low.
Sourcing parts
Parts quality decides whether customers come back. Screens and batteries come in different grades, from original pulled parts to cheap copies. Lagos's Computer Village and big phone markets in other cities are commonly where repairers buy parts, but quality varies from seller to seller.
- Tell the customer which grade of part you are fitting, and price each grade.
- Test every screen before you glue it in.
- Keep two or three trusted suppliers and note which parts fail.
- Do not stock expensive screens for rare models; order when the customer pays a deposit.
Pricing common repairs
Price parts and labour on separate lines. The part price changes with the model and grade; your labour depends on time and risk.
| Repair (example) | Labour (example) |
|---|---|
| Screen replacement | ₦8,000 plus part |
| Battery replacement | ₦3,000 plus part |
| Charging port | ₦5,000 plus part |
| Water damage clean and diagnosis | ₦10,000 |
| Software flashing | ₦5,000 |
| Board-level repair | Quoted after diagnosis |
A month's numbers (example)
Example only. 40 screen jobs at ₦8,000 labour (₦320,000), 30 port and battery jobs at ₦5,000 (₦150,000) and 20 software jobs at ₦5,000 (₦100,000) bring ₦570,000 in labour. Costs: shared shop rent ₦80,000, power and fuel ₦60,000, an apprentice ₦50,000 and consumables ₦40,000, a total of ₦230,000. That leaves ₦340,000 before any margin on parts.
Customers' data and stolen phones
A phone holds photos, chats and banking apps. That is personal data, and the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 applies to businesses that handle it. The NDPC's General Application and Implementation Directive, operational from 19 September 2025, requires data breaches to be reported within 72 hours. Good habits protect customers and you:
- Ask customers to back up and remove their SIM and memory card before handing over the phone.
- Never open apps, photos or chats unless the customer asks and is present.
- Write a job ticket with the phone's condition, the fault, the price and the customer's name and number.
- Refuse to bypass locks on phones whose owner you cannot confirm. Stolen phones bring trouble to repair shops.
Warranty and returns
Offer a short warranty on your labour and on the part you fitted, such as two weeks for a screen, and write it on the job ticket. State what it does not cover, such as new drops or water. A clear warranty builds trust and stops arguments when a part fails.
What to check first
- Get trained and practise on old phones.
- Buy the core tools; add board-level equipment later.
- Find two reliable parts sellers.
- Write a price list with labour and part grades.
- Use job tickets for every phone.
- Register a business name as you grow (₦20,000 plus ₦1,000 name reservation on the CAC schedule dated 29 May 2025).
For selling accessories alongside repairs, see the phone accessories business. If you move into laptops, read laptop repair start-up cost.
Where Pryme fits
Customers pay for repairs by transfer at pick-up. A Pryme Business Account gives you account details so payments are easy to match to job tickets, separate from your personal money.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to start a phone repair business in Nigeria?
In our labelled example, core tools came to ₦410,000. Add shop rent, a lockable drawer and a small stock of fast-moving parts.
How long does it take to learn phone repair?
It depends on the route. Apprenticeship in a busy shop and paid courses both work; expect weeks of practice on old phones before taking customers.
How much do repairers charge to change a phone screen?
The part price depends on model and grade. In our example, labour is ₦8,000 plus the cost of the screen.
Is phone repair business profitable in Nigeria?
It can be. Our example month left ₦340,000 after costs, before any margin on parts.
Sources
- Mondaq (Adeola Oyinlade & Co): Key regulatory updates under the 2025 GAID issued by the NDPC, 21 May 2025 · accessed Oct 2026
- Corporate Affairs Commission: New Schedule of Fees, 29 May 2025 · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.