GROUP PHOTO: Planning committee and participants at the closing ceremony of the ICEGOV 2025 in Abuja, recently.
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), hails the successful conclusion of the 18th International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance (ICEGOV 2025) as a landmark moment for Nigeria’s digital economy aspirations, citing its direct contribution to research excellence, global collaboration and the nation’s ongoing digital transformation agenda.
Under the patronage of President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, ICEGOV 2025 convened global experts for four days of rigorous debate, innovative research presentations, and high-impact partnerships, a convergence that NITDA says aligns closely with the President’s redefined priority area of accelerating economic diversification through industrialization and digitization, hosted in Abuja.
This year’s edition placed Nigeria at the center of global digital discourse, showcasing the country’s rising intellectual and technological capacity. The conference, a United Nations University (UNU-EGOV) initiative founded in 2007, brought together academia, industry leaders, civil society, development institutions and government actors to shape the future of electronic governance.
Nigeria led global submissions with 102 authors, followed by Brazil, India, Portugal and Greece. A total of 151 scientific papers were submitted by 308 authors from 33 countries, with emerging economies accounting for 68% of participating scholars, a clear sign of the conference’s inclusive reach.
NITDA emphasized that this strong participation reflects the Agency’s decade-long investment in digital talent development, research funding and ecosystem strengthening, which are investments that are already translating into local and international recognition.
The conference honored outstanding research through its Best Paper Awards, Robert Ifeonu of the Central Bank of Nigeria earned the top award in the Research category for his paper “Micro-Transformation Framework for Public Sector Innovation: Catalyzing Resilient, Outcome-Driven Digital Governance.” This underscores Nigeria’s emerging leadership in developing home-grown digital governance models capable of driving socio-economic impact, NITDA noted.
Professor Delfina Soares, Director of UNU-EGOV, In her closing remarks, extended appreciation to NITDA Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa CCIE, for his early endorsement and strategic leadership in bringing ICEGOV to Abuja. The local partnerships and sponsorships facilitated by NITDA significantly enhanced the conference’s global value and strengthened Africa’s position in digital governance research, she noted.
Economic and strategic implications, that hosting ICEGOV 2025 delivered multiple layers of value, from boosting Nigeria’s reputation as a digital innovation hub to fostering partnerships that will stimulate new investments, research collaborations and capacity-building programmes, NITDA affirmed.
The knowledge exchange from ICEGOV, will catalyze improved service delivery, enhanced regulatory frameworks and the deepening of Nigeria’s knowledge-driven economy. The Agency added that insights and tools shared during the conference will further accelerate the actualization of its digital transformation agenda, strengthen public sector efficiency and support the Federal Government’s commitment to economic diversification through digitization and industrialization.
NITDA reaffirmed its readiness to sustain the momentum, ensuring that Nigeria not only participates in global digital governance conversations but also shapes them, as delegates departed Abuja with new research linkages and strategic commitments.
