The government of Nigeria is making a fresh push to build a robust e-governance system after years of failed attempts marked by inadequate infrastructure and poor connectivity.
The new target, according to the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), is to digitize at least 75% of government services by the year 2027.
NITDA’s Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa, who disclosed this during a recent meeting with a delegation from the Ukrainian Embassy in Nigeria, said this target is to be achieved through a one-stop-shop digital platform being developed by the Agency.
According to him, through this platform, Nigerians will be able to access all government services from license renewals, and international passport renewals to tax payments, health services and social benefits via a single, easily accessible online portal, dismantling the current compartments of government operations.
UK and Kenya’s model
While several countries have had successful stories of e-governance implementation, NITDA said it has carefully examined models from countries such as the United Kingdom and Kenya that have successfully implemented unified digital government service portals.
In the United Kingdom, for example, digital transformation initiatives have resulted in integrated platforms that enable citizens to easily access services ranging from tax filing to passport applications.
Similarly, Kenya’s e-government framework has led to a more efficient and user-friendly interface for its public services.
“We have been doing research on how the UK, Kenya and other countries have achieved this, so I believe we can learn from you as well to see how we can build our own.
“While such models are not entirely transferable between nations, we can learn from their experiences to develop a framework that works for Nigeria,” Inuwa said.
He said NITDA has identified multiple models from other nations that allow government agencies to provide services through an Application Programming Interface (API) while other countries provide services exclusively through designated portals backed by law.
“If we want to achieve this, we need to have these laws in place and kickstart the process of enacting the laws to facilitate a smooth and effective digital transformation,” he said.
Digital local governments
Earlier, the Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani had also announced plans to complete the digitization of all local government headquarters across Nigeria’s 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) by 2027.
- According to him, the project, to be implemented in collaboration with relevant agencies, is set to bring every LGA into the digital sphere by the target year.
- The Minister added that the overarching goal is to foster inclusive development and expand access to digital public infrastructure, especially for remote or underserved areas.
- He noted that a core aspect of the digitisation project is to provide reliable internet connectivity to local government offices, allowing them to efficiently deliver essential services like healthcare, education, social welfare, and infrastructure development.
Previous attempts at e-governance in Nigeria
It must be noted that this is not the first time the Nigerian government has tried to establish a unified digital government platform.
The country launched the e-Government Masterplan (referred to as ‘the Plan’) in 2019 under the Federal Ministry of Communications.
- The plan defines e-government as a socio-technical system consisting of technical (electronic) and social (government), which are interwoven.
- The FG also launched the OneGov.net initiative to combine various public services under a single digital umbrella.
- But despite their promise, these early projects posed significant challenges. Technical limitations, insufficient infrastructure, and the absence of consistent regulatory frameworks slowed progress.
- Many of these initiatives eventually stalled or failed to gain the momentum needed to effectively serve the public.
The connectivity challenge
According to the Regional Director at Avanti Satellite, Reuben Oshomah, a major challenge facing the implementation of e-governance in Nigeria is connectivity.
As a successful case study, he cited Estonia, a small European country with 90% connectivity despite having only 30% of Nigeria’s population.
- According to the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), broadband penetration in Nigeria stood at 44.43% as of December 2024 and many Nigerians in rural areas still lack access.
- With connectivity still skewed towards major cities, Oshomah argued that most Nigerians in rural areas would not be able to access the government’s digitised service because of a lack of connectivity.
- However, industry analysts are optimistic that the proposed national fibre project, through which the government aims to deploy 90,000 kilometres of fibre across the country, would address this problem and give Nigeria the needed backbone infrastructure upon which the current e-governance efforts could thrive.
Ways forward
The Managing Director of Galaxy Backbone, Professor Ibrahim Adepoju said increased collaboration across sectors was critical towards achieving the e-government agenda in Nigeria.
Adepoju outlined efforts to raise awareness about the organization’s infrastructure, noting that many are unaware of the capabilities already in place.
“It’s important to improve our broadband and ensure that our infrastructure remains relevant,” he said, adding that capacity utilisation remains below its potential despite significant government investment.
Hauwa Buba Wakili, head of Digital Skills and Services at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), stated that the commission is aware of the current limitations of e-governance and is taking steps to address them.
“We have been focusing on infrastructure and have developed a policy to drive indigenous content in the telecom sector. We’re looking at manufacturing, capacity building, and R&D,” she said.
Lessons from Denmark
- Although Nigeria has chosen to replicate the UK and Kenya models, the country will also be expected to take a cue from a country like Denmark, which has become the global reference point for e-governance success.
- In Denmark, the e-governance initiative is driven by all levels of government. From the central government to the local government, there is collaboration; everyone is aligned, and they fund various aspects of the project.
- While the federal government is currently driving the initiative in Nigeria, for it to succeed, states and local governments will also need to key in and own it.
This report is produced under the DPI Africa Journalism Fellowship Programme of the Media Foundation for West Africa and Co-Develop.
