From Paper to Progress: Reimagining Public Service for the Digital Age
Author:
Chioma Njoku, Director of Programmes, Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation
All over the world, citizens' expectations keep rising faster than public institutions are adapting. Public services are expected to be accessible, seamless, and fast, just like ride-hailing or food delivery apps, however, democratic governments are built on bureaucratic systems focused on government and policy stability. In many African countries, public systems remain constrained by outdated tools, rigid mindsets, and legacy processes. Hence, the gap between what citizens need and what the government delivers remains wide.
The public sector is not behind because it lacks devices. It’s behind because transformation hasn’t yet become cultural. Governments must rethink how the public sector works, how decisions are made, how services are designed, and how civil servants are empowered to serve. At the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, our work across the public sector continues to affirm one thing: real progress happens when digital transformation isn’t just an initiative, but a mindset.
A Mindset Shift, Not Just a Tech Shift
Digital transformation in the public sector often begins with a misconception: that it's about technology. But the real transformation is about people. When a government agency moves services online without redesigning the user experience or addressing internal bottlenecks, the result is often frustration, not efficiency.
What’s needed is a mindset shift towards innovation, collaboration, and human-centred design. Public servants must be equipped with tools and the confidence to use them, the space to experiment, and the leadership support to drive change.
At the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, this plays out in our digital transformation partnerships with various government institutions. One striking moment came during a kickoff meeting with a federal agency. Right after signing an MoU to support their digital transformation journey, a staff member asked earnestly, “When do we get the devices?” It was a reminder that transformation is often perceived through the narrow lens of tools. But real transformation requires asking: how can we make this service faster, simpler, and more inclusive?
Capacity is the Engine
A modern digital public service is only as strong as the people who run it. Yet, many civil servants across Africa still lack basic digital skills. The fear that technology will replace them, not empower them, is real. In our Digital Upskilling Programme, delivered in partnership with Microsoft Philanthropies, we found that participants initially feared being replaced by AI. After training, most expressed increased confidence, having learned how tools like Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams could help them work more efficiently, not threaten their roles.
Digital transformation must start with capacity: technical, managerial, and adaptive. This includes training in data analysis, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies, but also in change leadership, communication, and problem-solving. Transformation happens when digital thinking becomes embedded in how people work, not just in what tools they use.
Infrastructure is the Backbone
Without reliable infrastructure, digital ambition falters. Governments need to invest in the foundational elements of digital public infrastructure: secure internet connectivity, modern data centres, integrated identity systems, and policy frameworks that support interoperability and data privacy.
While Nigeria has made progress, particularly with the rollout of the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS), there is still a long road ahead. For example, many Ministries, Departments, and Agencies still work in silos, with incompatible systems and are yet to commence the process for ensuring interoperability of existing systems. For digital government to thrive, these systems must be able to talk to each other securely and seamlessly to enable data exchange. Governments must invest in:
Stable power supply (harnessing renewable energy)
Affordable, fast internet (especially in underserved communities)
Secure data centres to protect critical public information
Simple digital identity systems to enable inclusive access
Modern and simplified policies that encourage innovation while safeguarding privacy
Nigeria’s progress with the NIN (National Identification Number) is commendable, but we must go further to ensure interoperability of systems and access for the most vulnerable.
Designing with and for Citizens
Digital services must work for everyone, not just the tech-savvy or urban elite.
Too often, government systems are built to serve the institution, not the people. Interfaces are clunky, instructions are unclear, and citizens are left frustrated. Human-centred design turns this inside out. It starts with understanding real user needs: What language do they speak? Do they have internet access? Can they read?
In Rwanda, over 90 public services, including ID applications, birth certificates, and driving licenses, can be accessed through a digital platform even in rural areas with low internet penetration and in their local languages. Ghana has launched a centralised digital services and payment platform for citizens and businesses, which can work without internet. Kenya’s M-TIBA mobile health wallet allows users to save, receive, and spend funds for their medical treatment. In Nigeria, Hello Tractor’s mobile platform is enabling smallholder farmers to rent tractors via their phones using voice and SMS booking options.
We need more of these kinds of innovations that provide services through the entire lifecycle of a citizen. We need digital services that don’t just look modern but deliver results. This is what inclusive design looks like: meeting people where they are, not where we assume them to be.
Data: From Fragmented to Strategic
Data is one of the most underutilised assets in government. When used right, it accelerates outcomes, from tracking immunisations to improving school enrollment. It can inform policy, improve service delivery, and increase transparency, but only if it’s reliable, accessible, and ethically managed. In the justice sector, for instance, delays often stem from poor coordination between courts, police, and correctional services. A shared digital records system could reduce redundancies and accelerate case resolution, according to Dr Adeola Adenikinju, Justice Sector Reform Advisor. We must build systems where data flows securely across departments, empowering public servants, not overwhelming them.
Barriers We Must Acknowledge
Let’s also be candid about the barriers. Funding constraints, bureaucratic resistance, and outdated procurement systems all slow down reform. Many public servants want to innovate but lack the budget or political cover to act. Others fear being made obsolete. These barriers are real, and they must be confronted, not ignored.
Part of the solution lies in smarter resource mobilisation: leveraging public–private partnerships, seeking donor funding with a focus on sustainability, and investing in shared infrastructure that benefits multiple agencies. The other part lies in building coalitions of reform-minded leaders across government.
Leadership Matters
Perhaps the most critical enabler of digital transformation is leadership. Without clear direction from the top, efforts remain piecemeal. Leaders must set the tone: rewarding innovation, encouraging learning, and being willing to challenge the status quo. Transformation can’t happen if failure is punished or if experimentation is stifled.
This is why we invest in building the next generation of public sector leaders through scholarships, training, and mentorship. If we want 21st-century governance, we need 21st-century leadership: visionary, adaptive, and citizen-focused.
From Paper to Progress
The journey to a digital-first public sector is more than automating processes, it is about renewing trust, closing service delivery gaps, and restoring dignity to the citizen experience. The paperless office is not the end goal. A citizen who can register a business from her phone in 10 minutes or access a service without standing in line for hours; that is progress.
At the Aig-Imoukhuede Foundation, we remain committed to supporting this transition, building capacity, brokering partnerships, and amplifying innovation wherever we see it. We are helping build a public sector that works better because it’s built for the people it serves.
In preparing the public service for the digital age, let us remember that transformation is not just about new systems. It’s about new ways of thinking, working, and leading. And it starts with a bold commitment to progress, to people, and to purpose. From paper to progress isn’t just a slogan. It’s a commitment to the kind of public service every Nigerian deserves.