Anambra State, Nigeria’s sixth-largest economy by GDP, is taking bold steps to improve transparency and efficiency in public service delivery by deploying artificial intelligence (AI).
Spearheaded by the Anambra State ICT Agency, one of the state’s flagship initiatives, SmartGov Suite is an AI-powered platform designed in-house to digitise, monitor, and enhance government operations. The initiative aims to address long-standing challenges such as inflated budgets, payroll fraud, and inefficient service delivery, with initial deployment focused on the state’s 21 local government areas.
Local Solution, Global Technology
The SmartGov Suite is the product of a team of local technologists led by Nonso Okoye, the Governor’s Special Assistant on Cybersecurity. The AI model, Okoye explains, is designed to track public spending, detect ghost workers, monitor procurement, and provide actionable insights for better governance.
“We started with the local governments because they are the frontline of service delivery and have the most direct impact on citizens’ daily lives,” Okoye shared during an interview at the newly inaugurated Anambra State Government House on June 27, 2025, the first day the ICT Agency resumed operations in the new facility.
Across Nigeria, less than 10% of government processes have been digitised, according to the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA). Anambra’s effort positions the state as an early mover in integrating AI into public administration.
How the AI Works
SmartGov Suite functions as a virtual assistant for both citizens and public officials. It can respond to queries about payments, permits, and regulations, and it cross-references data across ministries to detect duplication, track project spending, and monitor vendor compliance.
In its pilot phase, the AI system flagged a ₦2.1 billion unspent allocation in the education sector, identifying gaps in disbursement records. It has also uncovered payroll irregularities, including instances where a single bank account was linked to multiple employees, a common indicator of ghost workers.
“We found cases where one account number was used by seven different people,” said Okoye. “That’s the kind of issue manual processes can’t easily catch.”
On procurement, the AI flagged vendors with unusually high contract volumes in short periods. “One vendor received five contracts in just three weeks, the system immediately flagged it for review,” Okoye added.
Why AI Investment at The State Level Matters
Anambra’s proactive adoption of AI reflects a shift in how subnational governments are approaching technology governance in Nigeria. Building local AI capacity not only helps address specific governance challenges but also ensures that solutions reflect the state’s unique needs.
“If we don’t lead ourselves, we’ll be led by imported systems, and we may not always like the outcomes,” Okoye noted.
The long-term vision is to unify health, education, civic, and financial data into an integrated ecosystem that improves service delivery and accountability. “We’re breaking down the silos that make government inefficient,” Okoye said.
Navigating Regulation and Ethical Risks
A key challenge for AI adoption in government is the absence of clear regulatory frameworks. While the federal government, through the Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, is developing Nigeria’s first National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, regulatory inconsistencies between states remain a concern.
“Different states could soon create conflicting laws, one might place a government ban on AI use altogether, while another fully embraces it,” warned Okoye.
He called for a national task force to establish consistent guidelines on AI risks, ethics, and training, before adoption becomes fragmented. Meanwhile, Anambra is drafting its own AI governance law, which will be submitted to the state assembly. The proposed law will outline how AI is trained, deployed, and held accountable within the state, particularly in handling sensitive data.
What’s Next for SmartGov AI
Looking ahead, the SmartGov AI is being trained for conversational interfaces that could allow citizens to engage directly with virtual government agents or even an AI-assisted “governor” that responds to queries via text, voice, or video.
As Okoye put it: “This is just the beginning. We’re building systems that will not only support today’s government, but also set the foundation for how technology serves the public good in the future.”
Anambra’s experiment with AI in governance could serve as a model for other Nigerian states and potentially for other African governments, seeking to harness emerging technologies to improve transparency, efficiency, and public trust.
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