This milestone marks a significant step forward in Nigeria’s ongoing digital transformation efforts, with the goal of improving Government-to-Citizen (G2C) interactions and enabling easier access to government services.

The Government Service Portal is a unified digital platform designed to enhance the delivery of public services by providing a seamless, secure, and accessible portal where citizens can interact with multiple government agencies.

Through this portal, citizens can access critical services such as NIN Registration, Immigration Services, healthcare services, and more—with little or no need to visit to physical offices.

Galaxy Backbone, a leading digital infrastructure and services provider for the Nigerian public sector, has played a pivotal role in championing e-government and  in designing and deploying the GSP.

Through its partnership with KOICA, Galaxy Backbone has ensured that the platform leverages the latest technologies, prioritizing user experience, accessibility, and cybersecurity.

KOICA has provided technical expertise, capacity-building support, and funding for the development of the portal, underscoring the shared commitment to Nigeria’s e-government strategy.

Key Highlights of the Government Service Portal:

Accelerating Digital Transformation: The GSP supports the Federal Government’s commitment to digitize public services, enabling more efficient governance and ensuring that all Nigerians, regardless of location, can access essential services.

Improving Government-to-Citizen Engagement: By reducing the need for face-to-face interactions and offering real-time service tracking, the portal fosters a more transparent and responsive government, enhancing citizens’ trust in public institutions.

Secure and Accessible Services: The GSP is designed with robust cybersecurity features, ensuring that citizens’ data remains protected.

It is also mobile-friendly and accessible in multiple languages, making it easy for citizens from all parts of Nigeria to interact with government services online.

KOICA’s Role:

KOICA has provided strategic support, leveraging its expertise in e-governance and technology-driven public service delivery.

KOICA’s involvement ensures that the GSP aligns with international best practices and benefits from the lessons learned in similar successful projects globally.

Engagement Workshop with 12 Pilot Agencies:
The engagement workshop, which took place today, brought together senior officials from 12 pilot government agencies, including FMCIDE, NIMC, SMEDAN, NCC, NIPOST, FRSC, NAFDAC, NYSC, NPF, NIS, BPP and NEPC.

The goal of the workshop was to familiarize these agencies with the GSP’s features, capabilities, and integration process, and to ensure seamless service delivery as the portal goes live.

Speaking at the workshop, the Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation & Digital Economy, who represented the Honourable Minister, highlighted the significance of this project and the need deepened collaboration and deeper citizen engagement. ‘The Government Service Portal has the potential to change lives and I believe that through and efficient and effective collaboration we will achieve a lot for our nation’.  Prof. Ibrahim Adeyanyu, Managing Director/CEO of Galaxy Backbone, emphasized the significance of this initiative in transforming how government services are delivered to Nigerians. He noted:

“The Government Service Portal is a testament to Nigeria’s dedication to embracing digitalisation for improved governance. Galaxy Backbone is proud to lead this initiative, working alongside KOICA to make public services more efficient, transparent, and accessible to all. With the engagement of these pilot agencies, we are taking a major step toward a fully digitized public service ecosystem that will benefit every Nigerian citizen.”

From KOICA’s side, the Country Director, Mr. Sunjil SON, expressed the agency’s commitment to supporting Nigeria’s journey toward an inclusive digital economy, stating:

“KOICA is delighted to partner with Galaxy Backbone and the Government of Nigeria in delivering a platform that will change how citizens interact with their government. This initiative aligns with our broader mission of promoting sustainable development through technology and innovation.”

Looking Ahead:

According to the statement signed by Mr. Chidi Okpala, head, Media & Corporate Communications at GBB, the successful integration of the 12 pilot agencies is a precursor to a broader rollout of the GSP across all government ministries, departments, and agencies.

This initiative will serve as the backbone of Nigeria’s e-government strategy, reducing delays, improving transparency, and empowering citizens to engage more effectively with their government.

Nonye Ayeni, the executive director of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), has revealed that 273 different products were exported in the year 2023.

The products which include: Urea, Cocoa Beans, Sesame Seed, Soya beans/meal, cashew nuts/kernels, aluminium ingots, hibiscus flower among others.

Ayeni stated this while addressing the media on the performance report of the non-oil export sector for 2023.

She also noted that the value of Nigeria’s non-oil export revenue recorded a marginal decrease to $4.5bn in 2023.

According to her, the drop represents a $300m or 6.3 per cent decline from the $4.8bn revenue accrued to government coffers in 2022 and $500m less than the $5bn target set by the council for the year.

The reduced revenue followed years of improved receipts based on the government initiative to diversify the economy from oil exports.

She, however, noted an increase in the volume of metric tonnes of non-oil products exported from the country in the business year to 6.7 million, affirming the assertion that the non-oil sector holds the key to the revitalisation of the economy.

In her words: “In 2022, there was $4.8bn in terms of value. And in 2023, there was a marginal decline to $4.5bn. But we got an increase in the volume of exports. In 2023, we had 6.68 million metric tons of manufactured, semi-processed, solid minerals to agricultural commodities.”

Explaining reasons for the decline, Nonye blamed weak exchange rate, surge in informal trade, political instability in neighbouring countries and export rejection amongst others.

“Reasons for the decline are not far-fetched. They include export rejects, which we are already working on. We talked about the election and the new government that came in.

“Also, political issues in neighbouring countries like Niger Republic. A lot of our products go to West African countries and we see what’s happening in terms of political issues, instability among the neighbouring countries, and generally economic recession, and then exchange rate.”

The NEPC boss also promised to minimise the surge of informal trade going through the land borders for effective revenue collection.

“We have gathered that there has been a surge in informal trade which is one of the things we are trying to address. So on paper, in terms of the volume, there’s a substantial volume increase.

“Why you are seeing a decline is because of the informal trade and we are working to formalise some of those trades.”

She further disclosed plans to double earnings from the nation’s non-oil exports for economic growth and diversification, adding that, “NEPC is very optimistic, and remains committed to working with the various stakeholders to ensure that our non-oil export doubles in a short time.”

Dr. Ezra Yakusak, the Executive Director of NEPC, presented the first half-year progress report on non-oil export performance for 2023, highlighting the achievements and challenges faced by the sector.

Dr. Yakusak expressed optimism regarding the implementation of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and its potential to increase the volume and value of trade among African countries.

The figures presented by NEPC showed a slight decrease of 0.09 percent in non-oil export performance compared to the corresponding period in 2022.

Dr. Yakusak attributed this decline to factors such as the general election held in February/March 2023 and subsequent transition in government, which may have affected economic activities.

Additionally, changes in global economic conditions, including a slowdown in global demand and declining commodity prices, likely impacted non-oil export performance.

The report revealed that 224 different products were exported in the first half of 2023, encompassing manufactured goods, semi-processed items, solid minerals, and agricultural commodities.

Among the top 15 products exported during this period were urea, cocoa beans, cashew nuts/kernels, sesame seeds, and soya beans/meal, in that order.

A total of 1,058,791.27 metric tonnes of products worth $175.476 million, accounting for 6.91 percent of the total export value, were shipped to 13 Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) countries. Furthermore, 859 companies participated in the non-oil export trade during the review period.

Regarding financial institutions, 30 banks were involved in the issuance of Nigeria Export Proceed Forms (NXPs) for the first half of 2023.

Zenith Bank PLC processed the highest NXPs value at 38.11 percent, followed by United Bank of Africa (UBA) Plc at 10.50 percent and First Bank of Nigeria at 9.87 percent.

Dr. Yakusak expressed concern about the low volume of inter-African trade. No African country featured among the top 15 importers of Nigerian products.

Only 164,748.75 metric tonnes of products valued at $55.085 million were exported to various African countries, constituting 2.17 percent of the total export value recorded between January and June 2023.

In comparison, Vietnam alone imported products valued at $252,056,554.18, accounting for 9.93 percent of the total export value during the same period.

The Executive Director attributed the dip in export value in the first half of 2023 to the general elections and changes in global economic conditions.

NEPC reported that, between January and June 2023, pre-shipment inspection agents recorded 3,944,344.17 metric tonnes of products worth $2.539 billion exported.

The NEPC remains optimistic about the future of non-oil exports in Nigeria and is working towards overcoming the challenges faced by the sector.

With the implementation of the AfCFTA and continued efforts to expand trade within Africa, the Nigerian government aims to further boost the volume and value of non-oil exports, driving economic growth and development in the country.