By Emmanuel Sani, Programme Officer & PROMAD’s Delegate to OGP Africa Summit
Introduction
PROMAD Infotech Foundation proudly represented Nigerian youth at the Open Government Partnership (OGP) meeting in Nairobi, where we embarked on a critical mission in commitment to participatory governance through technology and transparency by discussing digital governance and anti-corruption strategies, supported by the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD).
The Corruption Challenge: Nigeria’s Digital Accountability Revolution
Nigeria is wrestling with systemic corruption, from ghost worker schemes draining resources to inflated contract prices, abandoned projects and misappropriated funds. The country loses billions of naira annually through manual bureaucratic processes that create perfect breeding grounds for corrupt practices. This ongoing challenge creates an opportunity for artificial intelligence to become our game-changer.
The Open Government Partnership (OGP) Africa Regional meeting was built on the theme “Rebuilding Trust for Open Government”, was attended by over 500 participants including government OGP ministers, civil society representatives, and partners across Africa and Middle Eastern and Northern Africa with discussion centered around the deliberate use of digital governance technologies taking into consideration the risk, challenges and opportunity with deploying new digital technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) for fiscal transparency and integrity, anti corruption, access to information among others.
AI as a Powerful Tool Against Corruption
In tandem with our “2025 Theme: Innovations for Participatory Democracy and Governance—Unlocking citizens’ voice with AI, data and technology,” critical conversations at the summit revealed the important role of how AI can transform the anti-corruption landscape by:
- Detecting financial irregularities in real-time
- Tracking government expenditures automatically
- Eliminating human discretion in sensitive financial transactions
- Transform public sector budgeting by using AI to collect data from citizens and communities to drive participatory resource allocation and decision-making.
We explored the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) as a powerful global framework. The real innovation? Leveraging technology to reduce human contact in governance. Why? Because fewer touchpoints mean fewer opportunities for corruption, while data will assist public sector leaders to understand the problems and improve decision-making to advance governance objectives and transform service delivery..
In Nigeria, AI-powered systems could be developed and deployed to:
- Flag suspicious financial transactions by politically exposed persons (PEP);
- Cross-reference asset declarations; and
- Create transparent digital trails that are almost impossible to manipulate.
- Enhance data collection and analysis to drive policy formulation and implementation.
Digital Governance: Navigating Technological Challenges
We confronted serious challenges in digital governance, identifying key risks:
- Misinformation threatens public trust
- Potential AI weaponisation
- Poor data management systems
Building technology isn’t straightforward. We’re dealing with countries competing for digital control, with constantly changing rules. Our core question remains: How can we ensure that technology helps humanity instead of harming it?
PROMAD’s Strategic Approach
PROMAD Foundation is not just identifying problems – we’re building solutions through four key strategies:
- Building the digital capacity of citizens
- Prioritising the participation of stakeholders
- Enhancing transparency and information access
- Putting human needs at the centre of technological development
Our approach goes beyond these four pillars. We recognise that meaningful change requires a holistic strategy that combines technological innovation with human-centred design. In 2025, PROMAD is committed to redefining citizen and community participation in governance by leveraging digital innovation and participatory models, one of the core principles of OGP.
Through AI-powered civic tech tools, PROMAD intends to enhance public engagement in budgeting, elections, and project monitoring. The organisation plans to inculcate deliberative democracy practices such as town halls and participatory budgeting, promote transparency via open data dashboards, and build the capacity of youth, civil society, and subnational government actors.
Our focus on inclusivity seeks to strongly ensure that the voices of marginalised groups are heard through targeted campaigns and grassroots initiatives. And also drive collaborative governance by co-creating solutions with donors, CSOs, government bodies, and the private sector. Anchored in research and analytics, in January 2025, PROMAD created a department of Research, Analytics and Insights to drive its work around generating insights using best practices, and digital content that strengthens democratic processes and governance. With bold partnerships and innovation, we seek to be a key force in advancing responsive, inclusive, and accountable governance across Nigeria and beyond.
A Critical Message
One key message resonated throughout the session: Technology should serve humanity, not control it. This confirms our stance on strengthening AI ethics and accountability to ensure digital transformation empowers the people, communities, breaks down barriers, and creates real opportunities for everyone, especially young Nigerians.
The Role of Civil Society
Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) are crucial. We’re not just watchdogs – we’re the consciousness of democratic governance. Our job is to build capacity, make information accessible, and mobilise people to demand transparency.
Conclusion
The path to digital accountability is complex but promising. We remain hopeful that with the right approach, we can create a digital ecosystem that is transparent, inclusive, and genuinely transformative to catalyze change and development.
Change is possible–it begins with conversations like these. Conversations that imagine a Nigeria free from the shackles of corruption, powered by technology and human determination.
Tags: #AntiCorruption #AIForTransparency #DigitalGovernance #PromadFoundation
