Department of Political Science and International Relations

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    DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AND BUREAUCRATIC REFORM IN NIGERIA: IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC SECTOR EFFICIENCY
    (4th International Conference, School of Vommunication and Information Technology,Federal University of Technology Ilaro, 2026) Abasilim, Ugochukwu D.; Peter, Mark J.; Udofia, Anieti N.
    Abstract Digital transformation has become a central strategy for bureaucratic reform in developing countries, particularly to enhance public-sector efficiency and advance sustainable development. In Nigeria, reforms in payroll management, public procurement, financial systems, digital identity infrastructure, and open government data are widely promoted as mechanisms for modernising the public bureaucracy. However, their capacity to deliver measurable efficiency gains and advance Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 8, 9, and 16) remains contested. This paper examines the implications of digital transformation for bureaucratic reform and public sector efficiency in Nigeria. Drawing on New Public Management, Institutional Theory, and Sociotechnical Systems Theory, the study adopts a qualitative design based on secondary data, including policy documents, government reports, and existing empirical studies across six reform domains. Findings show that while digital initiatives have improved procedural transparency and standardisation, efficiency gains remain uneven and are constrained by entrenched institutional weaknesses, fragmented governance structures, and limited subnational capacity. The paper argues that a predominantly technocratic reform approach, insufficiently aligned with political and institutional realities, undermines transformative outcomes. The study concludes that without strengthened accountability, institutional coherence, and subnational inclusion, digital transformation in Nigeria risks yielding symbolic rather than substantive improvements in public sector efficiency.
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    Sustainable development goals implementation in a postcolonial African State: Any future for the African Continental Free Trade Area?
    (Sustainable Development, 2024-04-07) Chidozie Felix C.; Osimen Goddy U.; bhadmus Joy; Newo Oluwamurewa
    This paper examined the prospect of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement in the context of the SDGs. It took its bearing from the contemporary structure of most African states, arguing that the reality of the continent's postcolonial condition could impede the implementation of the AfCFTA. Its refrain is that studies on how Nigeria and South Africa, as regional powers, have used their economic and political influence to advance the SDGs' implementation throughout Africa, using different South–South development frameworks are few. In other words, the institutionalization of a strategic collaboration agenda through a Nigeria-South Africa-coordinated African response to the new powers, in the area of timely implementation of the SDGs is lacking. This study affirms that for the AfCFTA to be successful, it is incumbent on the regional hegemons to build a suitable institutional framework and governance structure that upholds the rule of law and encourages harmonization, consistency, and predictability.