Abuja, July 2, 2025 – President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday launched 1Government Cloud Academy, a new training initiative aimed at equipping civil servants with essential digital skills.
The launch was part of activities at the 2025 International Civil Service Conference in Abuja.
Tinubu described data as “the new oil” to drive governance in the public sector in Nigeria.
He 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. 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 said.
Tinubu also directed that data sovereignty and privacy must be rigorously observed within local and allied data centers.
Didi Esther Walson-Jack, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, 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.
Richard Montgomery, the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, commended Nigeria’s reform agenda under the current administration.
“These are bold and necessary steps for long-term development,” he said.
Montgomery, however, said the success of the reforms depended on efficient service delivery and integrity within the civil service.
Wumi Oghoetuoma, the Programme Director of the 1Government Cloud initiative, who spoke at a panel discussion during the session, said the academy would 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.
“Many tools are abandoned not because they don’t work, but due to lack of communication and internal support,” he said.
Oghoetuoma said 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.
“Many digital solutions have failed not because they were ineffective, but because users didn’t trust or fully understand them,” Oghoetuoma said.
He commended the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation for her decisive reform efforts in the digitalisation of the public sector.
He said the training would both technical competencies and essential soft skills needed for transformation, while the Academy was also offering special certification.
The academy, being managed by Galaxy Backbone, will focus on teaching key technical tools necessary for the successful implementation of digital transformation within the public sector.
This move is expected to enhance efficiency, transparency, and collaboration across government institutions as Nigeria deepens its digitalisation agenda.
