Nigeria’s quest for digital transformation; Mirage or reality?
Read about Nigeria's progress in digitalising government service provision and the challenges the transition still faces.
The digital transformation journey for Nigeria has been one filled with lofty targets and institutional challenges. From a lack of skilled personnel to inadequate regulation, governance, IT infrastructure and synergy among major stakeholders, the country’s set targets continue to be threatened. The Nigerian government has however put up some efforts to ensure significant progress is made in the country’s strive for digital transformation.
Can we say however that these efforts have been enough to make Nigeria’s attempt at digital transformation a reality? Well, firstly let’s look at the primary meaning of Government Digital Transformation (GDT). Also termed e-government, GDT involves the process of leveraging the latest digital technologies to improve the delivery of government services. Enhancing public service delivery's overall efficiency and effectiveness can be said to be the heart of government digital transformation.
In tracing a country’s journey through GDT, it is necessary to review some key elements. Such elements to consider include the ability of the government to fundamentally transform the way it operates and delivers services to citizens and businesses, and the type of strategies applied to accelerate digital transformation within the public sector. Thus, these elements form the basis of this write-up.
The first attempt at GDT in Nigeria began in March 2001 when the federal government through the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved a national information technology policy to harmonise efforts of various governmental agencies in the development and use of ICT in Nigeria. The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) was then formed in April 2001 as an agency of government charged with the mandate of fostering the development and growth of IT in Nigeria. Subsequently, the federal government introduced the National eGovernment Strategies Limited (NeGSt) as a Special Purpose Vehicle in March 2004 mandated to operate, drive and implement the Nigerian eGovernment programs under a tripartite joint venture comprising government (5%), a consortium of banks (15%) and a strategic partner (80%).
Aside from the provision of these institutional structures to lead the advancement of GDT, prominent policy documents and plans were also launched. These included the national ICT4D plan developed by NITDA in 2008, the Nigeria eGovernment Master Plan, which was developed in 2015, approved for implementation by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in 2018 and officially launched in 2019 and the federal government's National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS) 2020-2030, which was launched in 2019. A critical enabler of digital transformation is internet connectivity which has also had its share of development, with the 1st Nigerian National Broadband Plan (2013-2018) and the 2nd plan for 2020-2025 developed by the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC).
With all these institutional structures and policy frameworks in place in Nigeria, extensive development has not been recorded. Broadband penetration is still at 44.5% of Nigeria’s total population and there has been a slow transition from the transactional stage of e-government development to the transformational stage. Being that citizens and businesses are now able to conduct most government transactions online, this has made public service delivery more efficient and transparent. However, the shift from this stage to one where government data is seamlessly intra-exchanged and e-government operations and processes are fully integrated is slow.
Some key issues have impeded Nigeria’s digital transformation. These include disparate government funding for digital transformation projects, a lack of citizens’ readiness to adopt this digital transition, an absence of an effective change management plan, a perceived absence of strong government leadership to drive digital transformation across all strata of government and an absence of a single-window portal for the delivery of digital government services to citizens and businesses. The availability of a one-stop portal for the delivery of government digital services is critical to GDT. One-stop portals in countries like Rwanda, South Africa, Tunisia, and Ghana have shown successful use cases and proven this to be true.
To tackle these structural gaps, the availability of a strong and active governance structure for the implementation and advancement of the country's digital transformation goal is paramount. Interestingly, the Presidential Council on Digital Economy and eGovernment was launched by Nigeria’s President in June 2022 but not much action has been seen of the council after its inauguration. It can be seen in cases of other countries that the advancement of digital transformation was championed by a strong governance structure, giving evidence that the inaugurated council needs to be actively engaged. The council would of course need to maintain a whole-of-government approach in achieving the digital transformation plans.
Additionally, the availability of prospects for the provision of digital Official Development Assistance (ODA) by partner countries is an opportunity window for Nigeria. Development partners like the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and the German Development Agency (GIZ) have been actively supporting the Nigerian government. To achieve optimal benefits for Nigeria, the government should however ensure that a synergised approach is maintained for all digital ODA programs.
Similarly, the activation of a single-window portal for citizens to access digital services more conveniently and seamlessly must be considered a top priority by the government.
Overall, Nigeria has made some strides in its quest for digital transformation, but there is still much work to be done to fully realise this goal. Whether this quest is a reality or a mirage depends on the ability of the government and other stakeholders to address the challenges and overcome them to create a favourable environment for digital transformation.