Nigeria risks digital exclusion without reliable infrastructure, FG tells stakeholders

The Federal Government has warned that gaps in Nigeria’s digital infrastructure could slow economic growth, increase business costs and exclude millions of citizens and enterprises from accessing digital services.

Abisoye Coker-Odusote, director-general of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), said the absence of a robust DPI framework could limit access to essential services, increase business costs and expose the country to growing cybersecurity risks.

She spoke on Wednesday in Abuja at the 2026 ITGOV summit organised by Tranter IT in partnership with ManageEngine, with the theme: “Building Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure for Economic Growth, Security and Government Efficiency.”

According to Coker-Odusote, DPI has become a critical foundation for modern economies, with trusted digital identity systems serving as a key enabler for secure transactions, efficient governance and financial inclusion.

“Without a professional DPI, governments will continue to struggle to deliver services effectively, financial institutions will face heightened risks, businesses will suffer unnecessary costs and marginalised businesses may be excluded from the global economy,” she said.

She said Nigeria needed a comprehensive, interoperable and inclusive identity ecosystem that would allow citizens and businesses to access public and private sector services seamlessly while maintaining privacy and security.

The NIMC director-general noted that the enactment of the NIMC Act 2026 had expanded the commission’s mandate by providing a legal and institutional framework for secure authentication, electronic signatures and digital trust services across sectors.

She added that a reliable digital identity system would improve transparency in government programmes by ensuring that public services and social intervention initiatives reached intended beneficiaries.

Beyond service delivery, Coker-Odusote said a verified identity ecosystem would strengthen Nigeria’s response to identity theft, cybercrime, financial fraud and terrorism financing by improving investigations and intelligence gathering.

“Countries with robust DPI attract more domestic and foreign investments because businesses operate more efficiently and securely,” she said.

However, she stressed that developing resilient digital infrastructure required a collective effort involving government agencies, financial institutions, telecommunications operators, development partners, academia, civil society and private sector players.

“It also requires sustained investment in cybersecurity, digital literacy and institutional capacity,” she said.

Emmanuel Olarewaju, executive chairman of Tranter IT, said the summit would explore ways of deploying digital solutions across identity management, cybersecurity, network management, customer service and IT governance.

He said greater digitisation of government services could significantly reduce processing times, eliminate unnecessary physical visits to government offices and improve citizens’ access to public services.

“Where some processes take about three months, they can be reduced to one week because information will be collected online. Citizens do not have to queue up at different government offices but can simply go online and achieve the same objective,” he said.

Olarewaju added that increased reliance on digital platforms would require stronger cybersecurity measures and improved data management practices to protect citizens’ information and comply with privacy regulations.

He said digital transformation would also enhance ease of doing business, improve government revenue collection and support data-driven decision-making.

Solomon Raj, associate director at ManageEngine, said Nigeria remained one of Africa’s most important technology markets, adding that the company would support the implementation of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (2020–2030).

Raj said the company’s focus was to provide solutions that would strengthen cybersecurity, improve IT management and enable better collaboration across government institutions.

ITGOV, ManageEngine’s flagship seminar series, is designed to help government organisations secure and manage their IT infrastructure amid evolving global technology challenges.

The summit brought together representatives from ministries, departments and agencies, policymakers, technology experts and members of the organised private sector.

The new infrastructure is being built on international best practices and open standards, with privacy, security and interoperability embedded into its design.

The reforms are expected to have wide-ranging implications across key sectors of the economy.