Civic Hive, the innovation hub of BudgIT established to develop new civic tech leaders, among other things, has launched the 2024 edition of Civic Tech Landscape in Nigeria, a report that charts the trajectory of Civic Tech in Nigeria through three pillars: Historical Markers, Dynamic Ecosystem, and Technological Advancements.
The report profiles key stakeholders and players in the Civic Tech space, shedding light on the latest trends and innovations shaping the rapidly evolving sector and highlighting stakeholders who continue to be successful and impact Civic Tech, fostering a more inclusive, transparent, and responsive relationship between the government and its citizens.
Beyond presenting a current overview of the civic landscape, the report explores opportunities and makes recommendations for adapting and advancing Civic Tech work over the past decade.
It emphasises that in the last decade, civic tech and innovation have become a stronger force, given the capability and resultant evidence to create solutions to many of the challenges that Nigerians face. This, according to the report, is due to the significant increase in internet and social media use in Nigeria over the past years, which has contributed to citizens’ and stakeholders’ engagement with civic tech platforms.
The report aims to create an open, up-to-date research, knowledge repository, spotlight innovations, and stakeholders in the civic tech space to improve advocacy, strengthen systems and decision-making. It highlights key challenges, gaps, future, and recommendations for civic tech usage and stakeholders in Nigeria.
It calls on government to expand the availability of civic tech tools and further advance democracy and civic participation; for government to collaborate with civic organisations to adopt these tools and to support local innovation and invest in infrastructure that promotes civic technology.
For private institutions, the report recommends the exploration of how the private sector can contribute to the advancement of the civic tech ecosystem adding that defining their potential contribution can effectively increase its participation
It recommends that civic organisations should do more regarding the dissemination, collaboration, and sustainability of existing civic tech tools as they have achieved tremendous results when properly utilised.
Civic Hive’s other mandates are to create an innovative virtual and physical space for partnerships, to support new civic tech organisations, and strengthen the capacity of already existing NGOs in Nigeria to meaningfully impact the Nigerian civic tech space.
