Nigeria Targets 70% Digitalisation by 2025 Through Public-Private Partnerships

The Nigerian Government says it is working to achieve 70 percent digitalisation by 2025 through Public-Private Partnerships.

The Managing Director of Galaxy Backbone (GBB), Professor Ibrahim Adeyanju, disclosed this at a one-day 1Government Cloud digitalization retreat for Federal Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) on Thursday in Abuja, Nigeria.

The retreat was tagged “Presidential Priorities 8: Improved Governance for Effective Service Delivery”.

Adeyanju said the GBB aims to improve service delivery for citizens by providing a single Government Service Portal, offering access to services from all government MDAs. To this end, he said the GBB introduced 1Government Cloud, which combines Infrastructure and Software.

“For those of you who know us, you will agree that the newest entry to our cloud solutions is Software as a Service. The 1Government Cloud Software as a Service framework has been set up to enable the speedy digitalization of the MDAs. In a bid to fulfill our mandate, we have evolved into a Cloud Services and Integrated Technology Solution Company, acting as an enabler, platform, and aggregator of digital services,” he said.

He explained that the Service Framework aims to provide Federal Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) with the software and secure data storage they require. The GBB boss noted that this would be achieved through a standard unified interface following best practices to support the Federal Civil Service Strategy Implementation Plan 2025 (FCSSIP 25).

“This vision can only be achieved through the speedy digitalization of the MDAs.”

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Mr. Faruk Yabo, stressed the need for Nigeria to take charge of its Data Sovereignty to ensure sensitive national data is secured and saved.

“Data sovereignty rules must be wholly governed by Nigeria, ensuring that our sensitive national data is not subject to the regulations or access rights of other governments or foreign technology providers. This autonomy is crucial for maintaining the integrity and security of our national digital infrastructure,” he affirmed.

Also Read: Nigeria Gives Priority To Digital Transformation

Yabo noted that embracing digitization through partnerships with local Nigerian companies will support the country’s economy and create jobs. By leveraging indigenous talent and solutions, the Civil Service not only enhances its digital capabilities but also fosters national economic growth and innovation.

The Permanent Secretary said the Civil Service handles sensitive information that requires secure and compliant software solutions, emphasizing the need to partner with indigenous public and private sector players.

He noted that these players, operating at global standards, allow the government to exert greater control over the security of its software, ensuring robust protection for its data.

While advocating for a centralized government digital front for Civil Servants to access workflows, he acknowledged the need for individual MDAs to maintain their autonomy.

Yabo added that to future-proof responses to new technological innovations, base government solutions will provide a framework for secure integration through APIs over a secure network.

“This includes the ability to request specific functional enhancements unique to their operations, ensuring a balance between uniformity and customization. This approach encourages local development and maintenance of software, avoiding dependency on expensive commercial software licenses, and enhancing technological self-reliance,” he added.

Some key features of Galaxy Backbone’s 1Government Cloud include:

• Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): Provides virtualized computing resources, storage, and networking.
• Platform as a Service (PaaS): Offers a complete development and deployment environment for applications.
• Software as a Service (SaaS): Provides software applications over the internet.
• Cloud Security: Robust security controls, compliance, and threat detection.
• National Data Centres: Hosted in Nigeria, ensuring data sovereignty and reduced latency.

Other features include Scalability, Elasticity, and Flexibility: Scalable infrastructure to support fluctuating workloads.

Reliability and Uptime: High availability and redundancy, minimizing downtime.

Data Analytics and AI: Access to advanced analytics and AI tools.

Citizen Engagement: Enhanced digital services and experiences for citizens.

Workforce Productivity: Modern tools and platforms for employees.