Digitalisation as Daily Relief: How a Virtual Workshop Reframed Nigeria’s Tech Future Around People
By Jerry Adesewo
For civil servants battling paperwork delays, entrepreneurs navigating opaque systems, and citizens frustrated by slow public services, digitalisation often sounds like a distant policy buzzword. On Wednesday, February 18, 2026, that distance narrowed.
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From London, Professor Ojo Emmanuel Ademola convened Nigerians across sectors and borders for a national online workshop with a simple but urgent message: digitalisation is no longer optional—it is personal, practical, and necessary for everyday survival in Nigeria.
Following on the heels of its recent summit in Abuja, the workshop, organised by the Professor Ademola Ojo Emmanuel Foundation (PAOEF) and titled “Digitalisation – The Way to Go for Nigeria Now!”, brought together policymakers, academics, public servants, private-sector leaders, and civic actors. But beyond the policy language and technical sessions, what stood out was the shared human experience behind the conversation.
Participants spoke not just about systems, but about lives: the hours lost to inefficient processes, the opportunities missed because of corruption-enabled bottlenecks, and the growing gap between citizens and institutions meant to serve them.
In his opening remarks, Professor Ademola framed digitalisation not as a technology project, but as a governance lifeline. Nigeria, he argued, needs a state that works at the speed of its people—transparent enough to earn trust and efficient enough to reduce daily hardship. Digital tools, he said, can restore dignity to public service and confidence to citizenship.
For many in attendance, the conversation resonated deeply. Civil servants reflected on how manual systems expose them to undue pressure and compromise. Small business owners described how digital payments and e-procurement could open doors previously closed by bureaucracy. Legal professionals spoke of delayed justice and how electronic filing and virtual hearings could shorten the human cost of waiting.
Throughout the session, one theme kept returning: digitalisation reduces suffering.
Discussions highlighted how e-governance can curb corruption by limiting human discretion, how digital identity systems can help citizens access services without humiliation, and how integrated platforms can save time, money, and emotional energy. Participants agreed that when systems work, people breathe easier.
The workshop also placed strong emphasis on capacity. Digital tools, attendees noted, are only as effective as the people using them. Calls were made for role-specific digital training across the civil service—from procurement officers to judges and legislators—so that reform does not remain theoretical but becomes operational.
Importantly, the dialogue extended beyond government. Participants examined how digitalisation can support small businesses, expand economic inclusion, improve revenue collection, and even reduce environmental waste through paperless processes. For young professionals and entrepreneurs on the call, digital governance represented not just reform, but opportunity.
By the close of the workshop, there was a shared sense that Nigeria’s digital future must be built around human needs, not institutional convenience. Digitalisation, participants agreed, should make governance kinder, fairer, and more predictable.
The Professor Ademola Ojo Emmanuel Foundation announced that insights from the workshop will be compiled into a post-event report, with follow-up engagements planned to move conversations from screens to implementation.
As the session ended, one idea lingered clearly: for millions of Nigerians, digitalisation is not about apps or platforms—it is about time saved, dignity restored, and hope renewed.
And in that sense, the workshop did more than discuss policy. It reminded Nigerians that reform, when done right, begins with people.