Empowering Nigeria's e-Society: A Comprehensive Exploration of Cutting-Edge Digital Services
Abstract
Amidst a transformative landscape marked by increased internet penetration, mobile ownership, and digital literacy, Nigeria faces disparities in access and affordability that must be urgently addressed. This study explores Nigeria's digital evolution trajectory, examining the rapid advancements, challenges, and opportunities in building an empowered e-society. The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated remote interactions, evidencing the adaptability of online work, banking, governance, and education services. Emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and blockchain also carry immense potential to reshape these realms if underpinned by people-centric design. While growing mobile ownership and dynamic startup ecosystems indicate strong foundations, gaps remain in inequitable access, unaffordable data costs, low rural connectivity, and varying digital capacities across income and gender groups. The study’s roadmap analysis suggests that realising ambitious e-governance targets requires extensive public-private collaboration from the needs assessment stage, leveraging Nigerian innovation capabilities. The study concludes that vision statements on Nigerian e-society must translate into implementation plans with phase-wise targets, funding allocations, and citizen-centric metrics for successive upgrades. Sustained political commitment, institutional partnerships, and emphasis on leaving no one behind are crucial to fulfilling digitisation goals and citizen expectations in the coming decade
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