If the proposed Nationwide Digital Financial system and E-Governance invoice is handed into legislation, public establishments throughout Nigeria might be mandated to undertake digital communication for official correspondence, contracts, and authorized proceedings. The Nationwide Data Expertise Growth Company (NITDA) might be chargeable for implementing the invoice when handed.

Bosun Tijani, Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Financial system, launched a draft of the invoice two weeks after it handed a primary studying on the Nationwide Meeting. If the invoice is handed, public establishments will conduct actions and features electronically, together with accepting doc filings, info processing, doc creation and retention, allow or license issuing, and cost processing. 

“The invoice is change-driven. The provisions are very robust, and it’s a culture-shifting invoice aimed toward driving us in the direction of digitalization,” stated Oswald Osaretin Guobadia, Managing companion at DigitA.

The Digital Financial system and E-Governance Invoice mandates digital information and contracts inside authorities organizations. It additionally stipulates a superb of not lower than ₦1 million per particular person and never lower than ₦10 million for companies who fail to adjust to the frameworks, pointers, and rules below the act.

“The invoice is a bit overloaded and may have been divided into two separate paperwork—one for the Digital Financial system invoice and the opposite for the E-governance invoice,” stated one analyst who requested to not be named. The analyst additionally claimed that some elements of the invoice have been coated below totally different points of Nigerian legislation. 

The invoice additionally seeks to create a brand new ICT division that contravenes current legal guidelines established by the Nigerian Communications Fee (NCC) and the Nationwide Data Expertise Growth Company (NITDA)

“The complete invoice ought to have been a directive from the President to totally different establishments on how they will come collectively and obtain e-governance,” Guobadia notes. ⁠”In the end, the success of this lies within the collaborative nature of the Invoice growth course of.”

When enacted, the Digital Financial system Invoice will carry Nigeria one step nearer to e-governance. The nation lags behind different African nations—Ghana, Mauritius, South Africa, and Tunisia—which were recognized with excessive e-government growth indexes. The transfer can even contribute to Nigeria’s aim of accelerating digital literacy charges. 

“The Invoice has the potential to considerably enhance public administration and repair supply in Nigeria,” notes Davidson Oturu, Managing companion at Nubia Capital. 

The invoice doesn’t state clear guidelines and procedures for its implementation and could also be tough to implement in areas with restricted technological infrastructure. 

“The implementation could also be tough as a result of the regulating company (NITDA) already has so much on its plate and should not be capable of ship on it,” Guobadia stated. 

Whereas the invoice will allow e-government and enhance digital literacy amongst authorities staff, part 62 of the draft seeks to override the provisions of some other legislation in all issues referring to digital economic system and e-government. This may result in energy struggles between current authorities businesses who already cater to some a part of what the invoice covers, the analyst stated.