In a strategic move to advance Nigeria’s transition to a paperless civil service and enhance communication across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), Galaxy Backbone has launched the 1Government Cloud Academy.
This academy is designed to train selected civil servants and public sector stakeholders on key technical tools essential for successful digital transformation.
The initiative was highlighted during the 2025 International Civil Service Conference held in Abuja, which had in attendance President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, members of the Federal Executive Council, the diplomatic community, industry leaders, and civil servants from across the country.
Speaking on a panel session during the event, Mr. Wumi Oghoetuoma, Programme Director of the 1Government Cloud initiative, emphasized the critical role of trust and understanding in the adoption of digital tools.
“Many digital solutions have failed not because they were ineffective, but because users didn’t trust or fully understand them,” Oghoetuoma noted.
He praised the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation for her decisive reform efforts in the digitalisation of the public sector and highlighted that the training covers both technical competencies and essential soft skills needed for transformation.
The 1Government Cloud Academy will serve as a hub for training and certifying government personnel, particularly ECM Project Managers—civil servants selected as transformation champions within their departments. These champions will act as in-house digital guides, helping their colleagues overcome initial challenges and build confidence in using new tools.
“This approach builds trust, improves usability, and encourages widespread adoption across MDAs,” Oghoetuoma explained. “Many tools are abandoned not because they don’t work, but due to lack of communication and internal support.”
He pointed out that even basic issues such as poor WiFi connectivity often go unresolved because ministry staff do not engage with their IT departments, and those departments fail to escalate the issues to Galaxy Backbone.
“This silent communication breakdown creates a false perception that the system is broken, when in reality, it’s an unreported or unresolved issue,” he said.
To address this, the Academy is also offering special certification courses for IT departments aimed at improving responsiveness and cross-functional collaboration. Oghoetuoma stressed that the issue is not digital literacy, since most civil servants already use smartphones and social media—but rather a matter of mindset, motivation, and ongoing support.
“Digital transformation hinges on people, processes, and technology,” he stated. “With strong personnel and well-documented processes already in place, the missing link is often technology adoption, and the glue that holds it all together is communication.”
He added, “Sustainable digitalisation in the public sector requires making people feel like active participants, not passive users.”
Declaring the conference open, President Tinubu underscored the strategic importance of data in governance, describing it as “the new oil” but unlike oil, he said, its value increases with refinement and responsible use.
The President directed all ministries, departments, and agencies to rigorously capture data, safeguard it under the Nigerian Data Protection Act (2023), and release it in ways that drive public value, ensuring alignment with international data privacy standards.
“We must let our data speak for us,” Tinubu said. “We must publish verified data assets locally and share them globally. This will enable international benchmarking and strengthen Nigeria’s standing on the world stage.”
He further stressed that data sovereignty and privacy must be rigorously preserved within local and allied data centers.
In her remarks, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, described Nigeria’s digital reforms as a model for others, citing the automation of processes through the Enterprise Content Management (ECM) system, the introduction of a Performance Management System, and the deployment of ServiceWise GPT, which aligns individual roles with national priorities.
The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, also addressed the gathering, commending Nigeria’s reform agenda under President Tinubu. “These are bold and necessary steps for long-term development,” he said, emphasizing that the success of the reforms depends on efficient service delivery and integrity within the civil service.