by Joy Onuorah
The conversation about digital transformation in Nigeria often centres on startups and fintech innovation.
However, in Calabar this week, the focus shifted to an institution that touches millions of lives daily: the public service.
At the official launch of the Civil Service Technology Empowerment for Capacity and High Performance programme, 2,000 Cross River civil servants began a structured journey into digital skills development.
The initiative, hosted by the Cross River State Government and organised by the Cross River State Microfinance and Enterprise Development Agency, signals a deliberate attempt to modernise governance at the sub national level.
Representing the Director General of the National Information Technology Development Agency, Kashifu Inuwa, Dr Aristotle Onumo delivered a clear message. Governance can no longer rely on legacy systems if it intends to remain credible, efficient and competitive.
“For decades, the public service has been the engine room of national development but in an era defined by speed, data and innovation, traditional bureaucratic processes are no longer sufficient to meet the expectations of citizens and businesses,” he said.
The urgency is measurable. Nigeria’s ICT sector contributed close to 20 percent to real GDP in 2024, reflecting the scale at which digital infrastructure now shapes economic performance.
Yet, as public institutions digitise unevenly, service delivery gaps remain visible in delays, duplication and manual bottlenecks.
According to Inuwa, digital transformation is not merely about technology deployment. “It is an economic agenda, it is a governance agenda and it is a national competitiveness agenda,” he stated.
He added that digital excellence represents a shift “from paperwork to performance, from process driven governance to outcome driven governance.”
Importantly, the programme acknowledges a critical truth. Infrastructure alone does not modernise institutions. Capacity does.
“Technology alone does not transform institutions. People do,” he emphasised, assuring participants that automation is designed to enhance their relevance, not diminish it. “Technology frees you from repetitive administrative tasks so you can focus on strategic thinking, policy innovation and national development.”
The state’s Head of Service, Mr Orok Okon, reinforced that message as he declared the programme open. He noted that investing in digital competence is essential to delivering timely and transparent services.
In practical terms, this training is expected to support Cross River’s ambition to transition toward a paperless civil service, improve workflow efficiency and strengthen accountability mechanisms.
Furthermore, the Director General of the Cross River State Microfinance and Enterprise Development Agency, Mr Great Ogban, described the initiative as foundational to building a technology enabled workforce capable of sustaining reform beyond political cycles.
He urged participants to approach the training with seriousness, linking their performance directly to the state’s institutional competitiveness.
Beyond Cross River, the implications are national. As NITDA advances digital literacy frameworks, cybersecurity standards and automation strategies across ministries and agencies, state level alignment becomes decisive. Without digitally fluent public servants, policy ambition cannot translate into operational reality.
Consequently, the CIVTECH programme represents more than a training event. It reflects a structural recalibration of how governance is conceived and executed.
If sustained and replicated, such efforts could significantly reduce administrative friction, accelerate decision making and rebuild public trust in service delivery.
In a country where citizens increasingly compare government services to the seamless experiences of digital banking and mobile platforms, expectations are evolving.
Cross River’s move suggests that parts of the public sector are beginning to respond with measurable action rather than rhetoric.
The test, as always, will be implementation. However, for 2,000 civil servants stepping into digital classrooms this week, the message was unambiguous.
The future of governance will be defined not by bureaucracy preserved, but by capacity upgraded.
