Nigeria has reinforced its position as a continental leader in education sector digital transformation following the presentation of its Digital National Education Management Information System (DNEMIS) at the 2026 DHIS2 Annual Conference held in Oslo, Norway.

The Honourable Minister of Education, Maruf Tunji Alausa, showcased Nigeria’s education data reform journey before a global audience of policymakers, development partners, researchers, and technology experts from more than 100 countries, highlighting the country’s achievements in deploying digital solutions to strengthen education planning, governance, monitoring, and service delivery.

Nigeria’s participation came at the invitation of UNICEF and the University of Oslo, reflecting growing international recognition of the country’s progress in leveraging technology and data-driven approaches to improve educational outcomes.

Addressing participants at the conference, the Minister explained that the Federal Government’s education reform agenda, driven through the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative (NESRI), is focused on promoting efficiency, accountability, and evidence-based decision-making across all levels of education.

A major highlight of the conference was the global unveiling and co-launch of the Digital National Education Management Information System (DNEMIS), a national platform designed to modernize education data collection, management, reporting, and analysis.

According to the Minister, DNEMIS is built on the District Health Information Software 2 (DHIS2), a globally acclaimed open-source platform originally developed for health information management. The system currently supports more than 31 million users worldwide and is increasingly being adapted for education and other sectors.

Nigeria currently leads global education deployment on the DHIS2 platform, hosting approximately 32 million of the 45 million education records currently available on the system. This achievement places the country at the forefront of education data implementation and digital transformation across Africa.

The Minister noted that Nigeria’s successful deployment of DNEMIS has attracted considerable interest from other African nations seeking practical models for strengthening education data systems and improving policy implementation through reliable, near real-time information.

He stated that Nigeria has established a scalable and replicable framework for education data management that demonstrates how technology can enhance resource allocation, improve interventions, and expand access, equity, and learning outcomes.

Developed through a partnership involving the Federal Ministry of Education, UNICEF, HISP, the National Education Data Infrastructure (NEDI), and the University of Oslo, DNEMIS provides near real-time education data to support policy formulation, performance monitoring, and improved service delivery across the sector.

The platform marks a significant departure from fragmented and largely manual data management processes, creating an integrated digital ecosystem capable of generating timely, credible, and actionable intelligence for educational development.

The DHIS2 Annual Conference also provided Nigeria with opportunities to strengthen international partnerships, promote knowledge exchange, and deepen collaboration in education innovation, research, and institutional capacity development.

Reaffirming the Federal Government’s commitment to education reform, Dr. Alausa said Nigeria would continue to leverage digital innovation to improve transparency, strengthen evidence-based decision-making, and build an inclusive, responsive, and future-ready education system.

The Minister stressed that through DNEMIS and other sector renewal initiatives, Nigeria is not only transforming its education sector but also setting a new continental benchmark for education data management and digital governance across Africa.