CBN Researcher Wins Top Award as Nigeria Shines at ICEGOV 2025 Conference
Nigeria achieved a historic milestone in digital governance this week, not only by successfully hosting the prestigious 18th International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance (ICEGOV 2025)—the first time the event was held in West Africa—but also by securing a major research award.
The four-day global conference, which ran from November 4 to 7, 2025, in Abuja, concluded with strong accolades for cross-border research excellence and collaboration.
Robert Ifeonu of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) won the coveted Best Research Paper Award for his work titled: “Micro-Transformation Framework for Public Sector Innovation: Catalysing Resilient, Outcome-Driven Digital Governance”.
The conference, themed “Shaping the Future of Digital Governance through Cooperation, Innovation, and Inclusion,” was hosted under the patronage of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and supported by the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy.
The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) successfully spearheaded the hosting. NITDA Director-General Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi stressed that Africa’s digital transformation must be anchored on trust, collaboration and a firm commitment to data sovereignty, adding that “Digital is not an accessory to development; it is its backbone”.
The conference attracted a high level of global engagement:
Attendance: It brought together 508 participants, including 102 international attendees from 51 countries.
Authorship: Nigeria demonstrated its strong commitment to digital policy by having the highest representation, with 102 authors contributing to the scientific track.
International Recognition: In the Ongoing Research category, the award went to Tommaso Giaccardi and Luca Gastaldi from Italy’s Politecnico di Milano.
The event addressed critical topics including artificial intelligence, digital identity, cybersecurity, and GovTech innovations.
In her closing remarks, Director of UNU-EGOV, Prof. Delfina Soares, commended Nigeria’s pivotal role in hosting, crediting the leadership of DG Abdullahi and local partners for successfully bringing the world of digital governance to Abuja.
The successful hosting of ICEGOV 2025 leaves behind new knowledge and stronger institutional networks, firmly positioning Nigeria at the center of the conversation on citizen-focused digital transformation.
