In today’s ever-changing and interconnected world, technology adoption and savviness have become imperative for individuals, businesses and governments to thrive. For private citizens, particularly in emerging markets like Sub-Saharan Africa, the transformative power of technology has been a game-changer, giving them access to information and services to improve their quality of life like never before. It has also catalysed unprecedented economic growth and improved efficiency for competitiveness on a global scale. 

The technology-enabled successes recorded in the private sector have raised expectations for governments to similarly harness technology and data for effective decision-making and better governance. Governments globally have long tapped into the ability of big data analysis to help them make informed public policies and improve the delivery of public services.

Indeed, the potential of technology and big data in transforming countries is evident in a country such as Estonia. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the independence of the country in 1991, the small Baltic country embraced data-driven governance by implementing policies that have fostered innovation, improved public services and attracted foreign investment. Today, Estonia is often recognised as one of the most digitally advanced countries in the world, with its innovative e-government systems and data-driven decision-making processes serving as a model for other nations to follow.

However, in the context of Nigeria and other developing countries, there is a huge gap between the potential of big data analysis in government decision-making and the reality of its implementation despite the abundance of evidence showing its benefits. In a country as diverse as Nigeria, the availability of reliable data in various sectors is often limited and fragmented, posing a significant challenge to the ability of the government to make targeted and region-specific policies and decisions.

The fragmentation of data and the lack of a centralized data infrastructure hinder the government’s ability to comprehensively understand the needs of its populace. This issue is keenly felt in critical sectors such as healthcare, education, infrastructure development, and social welfare.

In the healthcare sector, for instance, accessing patient’s medical records across institutions is often a daunting task that leads to delays in diagnosis and duplication of medical tests. Similarly, there is a lack of data interoperability between different educational institutions in the education sector, making it difficult to track student progress and implement effective interventions. There is also a concern about the paucity of educational data in rural areas, making it challenging it assess the impact of educational policies and specific interventions needed in those regions.

Also, with prescriptive data analysis, the government could become more proactive in tackling some natural issues confronting the country, such as flooding, while fast-tracking infrastructure development and digitizing some of its public institutions for greater efficiency. 

This, by no means, is intended to denigrate the efforts of public institutions thus far in providing accurate and reliable data to the populace; rather, it is a call to harmonise the fragmented data for stronger public institutions and people-centric governance. To illustrate, imagine a scenario where data from unique sources such as Bank Verification Numbers (BVN) and National Identity Numbers (NIN) are integrated into a holistic data source. As a unique identifier linked to individual bank accounts in Nigeria, connecting the data from the BVN with NIN will be akin to unlocking a goldmine that would guide policy formulation and aid the private sector stakeholders, including foreign investors, in crafting their business strategies. 

Moreover, such cohesive data holds the potential to be pivotal in resolving the quadrennial problem of voter registration that has become a staple of the nation’s election cycle. Likewise, these could ease the cumbersome national passport process while eradicating duplicitous processes that litter the nation’s public institutions.

Saying that big data is the magic wand to transform the fortunes of Nigeria would be a stretch as it presents its own unique set of challenges, particularly with protecting the confidential data of citizens; however, the transformative power it possesses cannot be overemphasized. If the government of the day is keen on actualizing its promises of improving the country, then laying the groundwork for enhanced utilization of big data in governance, because if Nigeria should get it right with big data, then it could be the occurrence that precipitates exponential change in the sub-Saharan Africa region. 

Okiki Ifeoluwa Ogunkoya is a London-based data analyst.