Nigeria must link digital transformation to industrial growth

Stakeholders at the Public Sector Technology Dialogue have called for a fundamental shift in Nigeria’s digital transformation strategy,

They urged the Federal Government to move beyond digitising public services to building an integrated digital ecosystem that drives industrialisation, promotes local manufacturing, strengthens public sector collaboration and unlocks investment.

This came to the fore at the dialogue themed “Building Nigeria’s Digital Future” held in Abuja, where officials of the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) and technology investment firm Brendan Nicholas Holden (BNH) outlined their visions for a digitally enabled Nigeria.

Delivering the keynote address on behalf of Nnanyelugo Ike-Muonso, Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of (RMRDC), Gimba Maju argued that Nigeria’s digital future would remain incomplete unless technology is deliberately deployed to strengthen production, manufacturing, agro-processing, mining and industrial value chains.

According to him, countries leading the global digital economy are those using technology to organise supply chains, improve productivity and transform natural resources into jobs, wealth and industrial competitiveness.

“Nigeria’s digital future cannot be built on connectivity alone. It cannot be built on software while the productive base of the economy remains weak. It cannot be built on imported technology without developing local capability,” he said.

He warned that Nigeria cannot continue exporting raw materials in their crude form while importing finished products and technologies that could be manufactured locally from the same resources.

Ike-Muonso stressed that discussions around digital transformation have focused excessively on broadband, fintech, e-government, cloud computing, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, while neglecting the productive sectors that sustain economic growth.

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According to him, Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda should be built on five pillars: digital government, a technology-enabled digital economy, smart industries, digital knowledge infrastructure and digital sovereignty that enables the country to strategically manage its natural resources.

He maintained that agriculture, mining, petrochemicals, manufacturing and other raw material-based industries must become central to Nigeria’s digital future.

“A nation that cannot map and manage its resource base cannot industrialise at scale,” he said.

The RMRDC boss urged government to build national industrial data platforms capable of identifying raw materials, supporting import substitution, connecting producers with manufacturers and helping investors identify opportunities across Nigeria’s value chains.

Drawing examples from Singapore, Australia, Indonesia and the European Union, the RMRDC chief said successful economies deliberately integrate digital technologies into manufacturing and industrial policy.

He noted that while Singapore uses Industry 4.0 technologies to strengthen factory productivity, Australia treats geological and raw materials data as strategic infrastructure for investment decisions.

Indonesia, he said, has successfully built domestic processing industries around its mineral resources, while the European Union is deploying Digital Product Passport systems to improve product traceability and supply-chain transparency.

He disclosed that to support Nigeria’s industrial transformation, RMRDC is implementing several digital initiatives, including the Nigeria Raw Materials Information Management System, the Raw Materials E-Registration Portal, a digital research library, an Artificial Intelligence Research Assistant and an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platform covering its nationwide operations.

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The Council is also rolling out ICT capacity-building programmes while embedding digital reforms within its 2025-2034 strategic roadmap to support local sourcing, backward integration and value addition.

Also speaking during a panel discussion, Samuel–Ajakaye Kehinde, Headlines of ICT, at NASENI, identified fragmented government technology systems as one of the biggest obstacles to Nigeria’s digital transformation.

According to the official, ministries, departments and agencies continue to build isolated digital solutions that do not communicate with one another, resulting in duplication, inefficiency and higher costs.

“The majority of the problems we have in this country is that we have government-type solutions. Everybody is doing things differently.

“There is no synergy between what organisations are doing. With technology, there should be a platform for government-to-government collaboration,” she said.

The NASENI representative disclosed that the agency has already transformed its internal operations through an Enterprise Resource Planning system that has connected more than 30 development institutes and skill acquisition centres nationwide.

According to Kehinde, the platform now manages leave applications, approvals, records, financial processes and other administrative functions electronically, replacing the agency’s former paper-based system.

She also explained that NASENI has adopted digital identity verification using the National Identification Number (NIN) to strengthen staff verification and eliminate ghost workers.

“If you’re a government worker and you don’t have an NIN, you don’t exist,” she said, noting that digital identity verification has improved transparency and accountability.

Beyond internal reforms, NASENI said it now provides digital platforms through which researchers, startups and innovators can submit research proposals, access partnerships and seek commercialisation support without relying on paper applications.

The agency reiterated that it does not take ownership of innovations developed by startups but instead provides mentorship, technical support, funding pathways and market access to help commercialise indigenous technologies.

NASENI also highlighted ongoing work in electronic voting technology, virtual laboratories, electric vehicles (EVs) and compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicle conversion programmes.

Speaking on behalf of Brendan Nicholas Holden (BNH), Paul Ebiala, Portfolio Manager at the firm’s Training Desk, said the dialogue was organised to understand the technology needs of government institutions before deploying investment capital.

“As an investment company and finance house, before deploying capital, we first want to understand what the economy needs and where technology can make the greatest impact,” he said.

Ebiala said discussions at the forum revealed significant opportunities for improving collaboration among government institutions, particularly in data sharing.

He observed that some government agencies still pay to access information from other government institutions, describing the situation as evidence of weak interoperability.

“One of the things that struck me was the lack of synergy within government agencies. We heard discussions about agencies having to procure data from one another even though they are all government institutions. That is an area where technology can provide a solution,” he said.

According to him, BNH and its technology subsidiaries, Goldbarn and NASENI Goldbarn, will incorporate insights from the dialogue into future product development, focusing on interoperable government platforms.

Among the company’s digital solutions is NGO Procure, a procurement management platform that digitises the entire procurement process while incorporating provisions of the Public Procurement Act and Bureau of Public Procurement guidelines.

Ebiala said the platform enhances transparency by making procurement activities visible and traceable, thereby reducing opportunities for procurement fraud.

He also highlighted enterprise management systems and digital identity management solutions already developed by the company.

Earlier, officials of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) urged government agencies to stop duplicating digital databases and instead integrate existing systems around a trusted national digital identity.

The Commission outlined three principles for Nigeria’s digital future, including integrating rather than duplicating government systems, designing digital services that reach underserved communities, and building public trust through robust cybersecurity, data privacy and ethical use of information.

According to NIMC, a trusted digital identity ecosystem would simplify access to healthcare, education, financial services, taxation and social intervention programmes while positioning Nigeria as a leader in digital governance.