Nigeria has strengthened its position as a continental leader in education data innovation, with the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, presenting the country’s digital transformation achievements at the 2026 DHIS2 Annual Conference held in Oslo, Norway.
Addressing an international gathering of policymakers, researchers, development partners, and technology experts, the minister highlighted Nigeria’s progress in adopting data-driven technologies to enhance education planning, governance, monitoring, and service delivery.
According to a statement released on Tuesday by the Minister’s Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Mr. Ikharo Attah, Nigeria’s participation followed an invitation facilitated by UNICEF and the University of Oslo, reflecting increasing global recognition of the country’s efforts in using technology to improve educational outcomes.
During his presentation, Alausa reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to advancing digital innovation and evidence-based decision-making through the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI).
He explained that the ongoing reforms are focused on improving efficiency, transparency, accountability, and measurable performance across the education sector.
One of the key highlights of the conference was the official unveiling and co-launch of the Digital National Education Management Information System (DNEMIS), a major platform developed to modernise the collection, management, and reporting of education data nationwide.
The minister noted that DNEMIS is powered by the District Health Information Software 2 (DHIS2), a globally recognised open-source platform originally designed for health information management and currently used by more than 31 million users worldwide. Following its success in the health sector, the platform has increasingly been adapted for education systems across different countries.
Alausa disclosed that Nigeria currently has the largest education user base on the DHIS2 platform, reinforcing the country’s leadership in education data management and digital transformation across Africa.
He added that the successful rollout of DNEMIS has attracted interest from several African nations seeking practical models for strengthening education data systems and accelerating sector reforms.
According to him, Nigeria has demonstrated how access to reliable, near real-time education data can improve planning, support effective resource allocation, strengthen interventions, and enhance access, equity, and learning outcomes.
The DNEMIS initiative is being implemented through a partnership involving the Federal Ministry of Education, UNICEF, HISP, the National Education Data Infrastructure (NEDI), and the University of Oslo.
The platform currently hosts about 45 million education records globally, with approximately 32 million records originating from Nigeria, highlighting the country’s significant contribution to its adoption and use.
Developed to replace fragmented and largely manual data collection processes, DNEMIS offers an integrated digital system capable of generating timely, accurate, and actionable information to support policymaking, performance tracking, and improved education service delivery.
The DHIS2 Annual Conference attracted participants from over 100 countries who gathered to discuss innovative approaches to digital transformation in education, healthcare, and other critical sectors.
Beyond participating in conference sessions, Nigeria also used the event as an opportunity to strengthen international partnerships and promote collaboration in education innovation, capacity building, research, and knowledge sharing.
Reiterating the government’s commitment to sustaining the reforms, Alausa stressed that technological innovation must deliver tangible benefits for learners across the country.
He stated that Nigeria would continue to drive progress through DNEMIS and other education sector renewal programmes, promoting transparency, strengthening data-driven decision-making, and establishing new standards for inclusive, responsive, and future-ready education systems across Africa.
