EU, Nigeria partner on digital expansion, e-governance system development

The European Union (EU) says it is collaborating with Nigeria on the electronic governance system development and digital expansion.

Massimo De Luca, head of corporation of the EU delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, spoke to journalists on Thursday on the sidelines of Eurocham’s 25th annual stakeholders conference in Lagos.

He said the union wants to strengthen Nigeria’s digital ecosystem in collaboration with the ministry of communications, innovation, and digital economy, led by Bosun Tijani.

De Luca said a key aspect of the partnership is the deployment of the 90,000 kilometres of fibre optic cables across Nigeria, which will lay a foundation for a sustainable e-governance system.

“We are working closely now with Bosun Tijani. We want to play a big role in supporting minister Bosun Tijani of digital economy and communications with regard to three aspects,” he said.

“First is the deployment of the 90,000 kilometer of fibre optic cables throughout the country. We have a number of development projects to facilitate the sustainability of the e-governance system in the country.

“When it comes to involvement with the private sector, what does that mean? It means that investment will not be done by the government. The government in that case is establishing a specialised purpose vehicles (SPV) which will be 50:50 or 51:49 but the money must come from the private sector.

“We’re looking at what we can do to spur the private sector to jump into the SPV. That could be a blend of grant for the function of the SPV and a loan for the actual work that needs to be done.”

De Luca said the EU is also working with Nigeria to establish e-governance protocols necessary for public administration to interoperate.

This, he said, involves the procurement of software and hardware infrastructure that allows government institutions to operate efficiently and interconnect digitally.

“When it comes to e-governance, we are talking about establishing the protocols that are necessary for the public administration to operate and to procure the infrastructure (the software and hardware) to a point that will allow for that interconnectivity. In that respect, we need to talk to the private sector to prepare the best strategies to apply,” he said.

The head of corporation said the EU is also exploring ways to scale-up digital capacity through international certification programmes and other investment mechanisms.

He urged EU member states to recognise the relevant expertise within their communities and swiftly apply it to Nigeria’s development efforts.

De Luca stressed that Nigeria needs capital investment beyond grants, urging both local and international investors to participate in the country’s infrastructure development.

“Nigeria needs a lot of capital and it cannot just be grants. We need people to invest. We need to create a culture of investment, sustainability in the country and also, relationship with the private sector is fundamental,” he said.

“We are still in the structure phase of our project and there’s still more to come in the coming weeks.”

‘NIGERIA’S OIL AND GAS LICENCES, EXPLORATION ACTIVITIES OUTDATED’

Speaking on the state of Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, De Luca called for greater transparency and efficiency to unlock the industry’s full potential.

He acknowledged Nigeria’s significant role in supplying liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the European market.

However, he said energy production in Nigeria and Europe fluctuates, presenting issues for consistent supply.

“Nigeria exports liquefied natural gas to the European Union. Of course, there are ups and downs in terms of quantity. We have several issues here and in Europe,” he said.

“Gas here is still linked to aggregated reserves. Meaning that you have to extract the gas from oil and now investors in Africa, they are more after fields, where they can extract it.”

He said Nigeria’s oil and gas licences and exploration activities are outdated, with oil as the priority.

The EU official said there has been limited effort to explore and exploit non-aggregated gas, which “is a missed opportunity for Nigeria”.

“We would like to see the oil industry become more efficient, more transparent in Nigeria,” De Luca added.

“In fact, our European companies keep looking at opportunities in Nigeria’s oil sector.”

He acknowledged Nigeria’s critical role in the EU’s energy strategy, especially following the ongoing war in Ukraine.