Nigeria faces significant governance challenges, including inefficiencies in public service delivery, explosive levels of corruption, bureaucratic delays and limited engagement with the citizenry. Automation and AI have been deployed by governments all over the world to provide solutions to these problems. Here’s how Nigeria can deploy automation and AI to transform governance.
The Present Outlook
Nigeria’s governance landscape is marked by both promise and peril. The country boasts a vibrant economy and a youthful population eager for progress. Yet it grapples with systemic issues: bureaucratic delays, corruption, limited access to services in rural areas. There’s also a public sector that is staffed by mostly old people with processes that are unresponsive.
According to McKinsey’s global analysis, government services worldwide score an average of 5.5 to 6 out of 10 in customer satisfaction in comparison to private sector benchmarks that score 8 out of 10. While specific data for Nigeria was not given, anecdotal evidence and public sentiment suggest a similar, if not even lower, satisfaction rate. Citizens frequently face long queues for basic services like tax payments, license renewals, or healthcare access, all of which are compounded by manual processes that are excessively prone to human error and exploitation.
The Federal Ministry of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy in recognition of these challenges, launched the Digital Nigeria Programme to drive e-Government adoption across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs). Initiatives like the National E-Government Master Plan and the Government Service Portal were all attempts to leverage technology. However, the pace of implementation and the depth of automation remain areas ripe for enhancement.
Automation and AI, as demonstrated globally, offers Nigeria a pathway to transcend these hurdles and redefine the citizen experience.
How Deploying Automation Can Redefine Governance In Nigeria
Automation and AI can address key governance pain points by improving operational efficiency and citizen experience. Research suggests the following benefits:
Increased Efficiency
Automation can handle repetitive tasks such as data entry, report generation and permit processing in ways that free government employees for higher-value activities. For instance, automated reporting can be 80% standardized compared to manual processes, which are often error-prone and inconsistent. This allows for real-time, scalable data analysis that is crucial for decision-making. In China, for instance, automation enabled a switch from sales tax to VAT. This led to increased tax revenues and reduction in processing times from 261 hours in 2015 to 207 hours in 2017. This significantly raised taxpayer satisfaction and increased compliance.
Improved Service Delivery
Digital platforms enable 24/7 access to services like licensing, permitting, and payments, reducing wait times and administrative burdens. For example, electronic permitting systems can provide real-time updates and notifications, enhancing transparency. In Pakistan, the deployment of a Medicine Inventory Management, Teemardar and TMD both controlled theft, improved medicine management and telemedicine. The platform also increased transparency and enhanced monitoring in ways that were crucial for public health.
Enhanced Citizen Experience
AI-powered tools, such as chatbots and virtual assistants, can offer personalized and instant responses to citizen inquiries. By reducing wait times, this will increase citizen satisfaction. Large Language Models (LLMs) can create automated helpdesks for constituents that answer questions on local ordinances and resources. According to McKinsey, satisfied citizens are nine times as likely to trust governments. They are also nine times more likely to believe governments are achieving their mission.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Intelligent Automation Center of Excellence automates routine processes, that fostered “citizen developers” for individual job automation, allowing it to focus on higher-value roles. During the COVID-19 crisis and within a two-month period, Germany’s UDO chatbot, processed 788,000 firms in March-April 2020, a 385-fold increase from 2019. Also during the pandemic, deploying a ‘Selfie-Ident’ program, the German Federal Employment Agency made it easy for citizens to register themselves without an in-person visit.
Before, registration required in-person visits to the agency. Facing a wave of new applicants and wanting to limit physical encounters, the agency instituted the program. It allowed applicants to download an app that guides them to record a video of themselves and upload images of their identity document. This allows citizens to register with the agency as unemployed without an in-person visit.
Data-Driven Decision Making
Automation facilitates the collection and analysis of vast data sets that enables evidence-based decisions. Machine learning (ML) can identify trends, forecast demand and optimize resource allocation, such as in healthcare or urban planning. For instance, Colombia’s CIAT uses machine learning to provide climate and crop information to smallholders, support workshops and share findings via WhatsApp. This led to improvements in farmer decision-making.
Cost Savings
By streamlining processes and reducing manual labour, automation can help governments recover revenue. For example, digital payment systems for taxes and utility bills can minimize cash handling. For instance, Indonesia’s automated recruitment system, which was made the standard for 62 ministries, reduced collusion and nepotism and potentially lowered administrative costs.
Automation in Action: Key Areas For Automation and AI Deployment Nigeria
Nigeria can harness automation across multiple governance domains, aligning with the Digital Nigeria Programme’s goals of connected government, informed citizenry, open data, and transparency. Here’s how:
- Citizen Services and Engagement
The Government Service Portal and Government Contact Centre are steps in the right direction, offering 24/7 access to information. However, integrating AI-powered chatbots could take this further. In Dearborn, Michigan, AI translation tools bridge language barriers for diverse populations. Nigeria, with over 500 languages, could adopt similar tools to ensure Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo and minority language speakers access services seamlessly. Sentiment analysis of social media, as practiced in the Philippines, could also gauge public opinion on policies to enable data-driven decision-making. - Public Safety and Law Enforcement
Nigeria’s security challenges—banditry, insurgency, and urban crime—all demand innovative solutions. AI could analyze crime data from the Nigeria Police Force and identify hotspots much like San Francisco’s model. Automated surveillance in public spaces, as seen at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, could enhance security at Nigeria’s airports and markets. - Healthcare and Social Services
The National E-Health Strategic Framework aims to improve healthcare delivery through ICT. Automation could amplify this by optimizing resource allocation, as in California’s Sonoma County, where AI analyzes patient data to spot trends like substance abuse. In rural Nigeria, AI chatbots could guide citizens on benefit eligibility or health queries, reducing the burden on overstretched facilities. - Traffic and Transportation Management
Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial hub, is notorious for traffic gridlock. AI systems, like those in Australia managing 650,000 kilometres of roads, could dynamically adjust traffic signals and predict road wear as well as ease congestion. An AI chatbot, akin to Chicago’s bus rider system, could collect feedback from danfo and BRT users to be used to inform infrastructure upgrades. - Financial Management and Transparency
Corruption remains a stain on Nigeria’s governance fabric. AI tools, as used in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, could audit financial reports, flagging irregularities in real time. Automating budget processes and invoice coding could reduce leakages to ensure funds reach intended projects. - Disaster Response and Environmental Monitoring
With flooding and desertification threatening Nigeria’s regions, AI could predict disasters, as in South Africa’s Flood Hub that provides early warnings to communities along the Niger and Benue rivers. Also, smart waste management, like Miami’s dumpster cameras, could tackle urban littering in cities like Kano and Port Harcourt. - Education and Workforce Development
Automation could personalize training for civil servants, as in King County, Washington, where skills are to roles. The E-Government Capacity Building Program, having trained over 2,000 public servants, could scale with AI-driven modules tailored to Nigeria’s diverse workforce.
Automation and AI Come With these Challenges
Implementing automation in Nigeria is not without hurdles. Infrastructure gaps, such as unreliable electricity and internet access, could hinder deployment, particularly in rural areas. Also, data silos across MDAs, as highlighted by McKinsey, complicate integration. Moreover, the cost of technology and the need for reskilling a workforce accustomed to manual processes pose their own financial and logistical challenges.
Yet, these are not insurmountable. The Digital Nigeria Programme’s partnerships, like with the Government of Korea, offer a blueprint for collaboration. Private sector involvement, as seen with Zipline in Ghana, could also bridge funding gaps. Change management that emphasizes the “five Cs,” committed leadership, clear purpose, cadence, compelling communication and capability will be vital to ensure buy-in from civil servants and citizens alike.
A Vision for Nigeria’s Future
Imagine a Nigeria where a farmer in Sokoto registers for subsidies via a mobile app with the guidance by an AI assistant in Hausa and receieves funds within 24 hours. Picture a Lagos commuter reporting potholes through a chatbot, triggering instant roadworks. Envision a tax system so streamlined that compliance soars that revenue for schools and hospitals are boosted. This is not a distant dream but a tangible future automation can deliver.
As Alejandro Oses writes in Forbes, automation empowers citizens by simplifying procedures and reducing errors. For Nigeria, it’s a chance to leapfrog legacy systems and to align public service delivery with global pioneers while addressing local realities. The government must act decisively by expanding the National E-Government Master Plan, investing in AI infrastructure and prioritizing citizen-centric design.
