Nigeria has reached a historic milestone in its quest for a modern bureaucracy, as the Federal Government announced that all 31 federal ministries and extra-ministerial departments have successfully transitioned to fully digital operations.
The announcement was made on Wednesday night in Abuja by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack, during the “Paperless Civil Service Gala and Awards Night.” This achievement comes ahead of the government’s official December 31, 2025, deadline, effectively ending the era of manual, paper-based workflows in Nigeria’s core governance structures.
Professor Ibrahim Adeyanju, Managing Director and CEO of Galaxy Backbone (GBB) Limited, the agency providing the critical digital infrastructure for this shift, described the initiative as a defining moment for the nation.
“The transition towards a paperless civil service marks a defining milestone in Nigeria’s digital transformation journey. It is one that places efficiency, transparency, and service excellence at the heart of governance,” Adeyanju noted.
The backbone of this success is GBB’s 1Government Cloud (1Gov) framework. Launched as a central vision in May 2024, 1Gov was designed to unify all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) within a single, secure digital environment. This aligns with the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan (FCSSIP) 2021–2025, which targeted the digitization of 70% of government services by next year—a target now being surpassed by the full compliance of the central ministries.
A major highlight of the gala was the reveal of the tools driving this efficiency. The transition has replaced physical files with a sophisticated digital ecosystem:
- GOVMail: As of Wednesday evening, the platform hosts 100,828 official email accounts. This secure system strengthens national sovereignty over official correspondence and is estimated to save the government billions of naira previously spent on external software licenses.
- Service-Wise GPT: Nigeria has introduced a world-class, AI-driven assistant trained on the Constitution, Public Service Rules, and statutory regulations. To date, it has recorded over 25,000 chats, providing public servants with instant, authoritative guidance.
- 1Gov Cloud adoption: By hosting MDAs on a unified cloud, the government has slashed communication costs, boosted cybersecurity, and eliminated the delays inherent in physical document movement.
The move to a paperless system is more than just a technological upgrade; it represents a cultural shift in public service. The uptake of these AI-driven tools demonstrates the practical impact of local innovation.
“GOVMail and 1Government Cloud adoption boosts cybersecurity, efficiency, and cuts external communication costs,” Walson-Jack stated. She added that the Service-Wide GPT provides “fast, consistent guidance to reduce delays and errors.”
While the 31 core ministries are now fully digital, the Head of Service issued a cheerful challenge to other agencies still in transition. “For those watching the calendar closely, there is still time before the 31st [of December 2025], and let me say: if you go live, we will celebrate you.”