Nigeria is accelerating a sweeping digital overhaul of its federal civil service, deploying artificial intelligence and expanding paperless operations in a bid to reduce bureaucratic delays and improve the country’s appeal to investors.
According to BusinessDay, the head of the civil service of the federation, Didi Esther Walson-Jack, said the reforms are already reshaping how government interacts with businesses, cutting processing times and improving regulatory clarity.
“When government workflows are slow, your approvals are slow,” Walson-Jack said at a stakeholder event in partnership with Lagos-headquartered Phillips Consulting Limited on Tuesday. “Conversely, every efficiency we build into the civil service creates a dividend that flows outward—faster processing, better communication, and more predictable regulation.”
Since she assumed office in August 2024, the government has expanded its paperless initiative from just three ministries to 38 while growing its internal digital user base to about 115,000 official email accounts. An online archive now provides access to federal circulars dating back to 1995, replacing a system once plagued by missing or hard-to-find documents.
At the centre of the transformation is ServiceWise GPT, an AI-powered platform trained on key government regulations and policies. The tool has recorded more than 50,000 interactions and saves civil servants an estimated two to three hours daily, according to Walson-Jack. “It’s not abstract,” she said. “The entity on the other side of your regulatory environment is getting smarter, faster, and more efficient.”
The reforms come as Africa’s most populous economy seeks to rebuild investor confidence amid persistent concerns about red tape and policy uncertainty. Walson-Jack said a more capable civil service would directly translate into a stronger business environment, reducing delays in approvals and improving contract execution.
“When public records are fragmented, your contracts take longer to execute,” she said. “When the civil service lacks capacity, investments based on policy become uncertain.” The government is also undertaking a personnel and skills audit to address longstanding gaps in workforce data and capability. The initiative is expected to guide recruitment and improve productivity across ministries. Foluso Phillips, chairman of Phillips Consulting Limited, in his opening address, stressed the importance of collaboration between the public and private sectors, especially as the country undergoes what he described as a “reset”.
“The transformation of the public sector should not happen in isolation. The private sector must step in to bring the innovation, discipline, and relentless focus on results. These are ingredients required for modern governance,” Phillips said.
Beyond internal reforms, Nigeria is positioning itself as a global voice on public sector transformation. The country will host the second International Civil Service Conference in May 2026, bringing together policymakers, private sector leaders, and development partners to discuss the future of governance in an era shaped by artificial intelligence and fiscal pressures. Walson-Jack called on businesses to engage more closely with the reform process, framing it as a shared interest. “A more efficient civil service offers you a competitive edge,” she said. “This is enlightened self-interest.”
