Faith Institutions as Nigeria’s Digital Infrastructure

Nigeria has set itself an ambitious digital agenda. The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is targeting 70% digital literacy by 2027 and 95% by 2030. The 3 Million Technical Talent programme, launched in October 2023, aims to train three million Nigerians in skills such as software development, data analysis, cybersecurity and AI by 2027.

Connectivity is growing, but it is not yet everywhere. In November 2025, broadband penetration stood at 50.58%, around 109 million subscriptions, short of the 70% target set in the National Broadband Plan 2020 to 2025. The gap is not only about cables and towers. It is about reach and trust: who can bring digital skills to the people who most need them, in places they already go?

One answer is hiding in plain sight.

Where Nigerians already gather

Every week, churches and mosques across Nigeria bring together millions of people of every age, in cities and in villages. Nigeria has not asked about religion in a census since 1963, so precise figures are debated, but there is no doubt that most Nigerians identify as Christian or Muslim, and that faith communities are among the most trusted institutions in daily life.

They also have what many digital programmes struggle to find: halls and classrooms, generators, volunteers, regular communication with their members and leaders people listen to. In systems terms, they are a nationwide network of trusted local hubs.

They have built education institutions before

This is not a new role. Faith organisations are behind some of Nigeria’s best-known universities. Babcock University in Ogun State, owned by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, traces its roots to 1959 and became a university in 1999. Covenant University, established by Living Faith Church Worldwide, opened in 2002. Al-Hikmah University in Ilorin was founded in 2005 by the AbdulRaheem Oladimeji Islamic Foundation with the World Assembly of Muslim Youth. Alongside them sit thousands of faith-run schools.

Institutions that can build universities can build digital learning hubs. The question is whether they approach it as a series of one-off events, or as infrastructure.

What it takes to become infrastructure

The difference between a well-meaning project and lasting infrastructure is the system behind it.

• A clear mandate. Leadership has to treat digital inclusion as part of the mission, with ownership, budget and goals, not as a side activity for a few enthusiastic volunteers.
• Connected, not parallel. Faith-based hubs are most powerful when they link to national programmes such as 3MTT and NITDA’s literacy drive, rather than duplicating them.
• Shared systems. Learner records, scheduling, course content and progress tracking should run on simple shared tools, so a hub in one city can learn from a hub in another.
• Trust and data protection. Faith institutions hold sensitive information about their members. Safeguarding and compliance with Nigeria’s data protection law must be designed in from the start, because trust lost here is very hard to win back.
• Open to everyone. The most effective programmes are hosted by faith communities but open to all, regardless of belief, with consistent standards across every location.
• Honest measurement. Count what matters: skills gained, certificates earned and jobs found, not just attendance.

A partnership worth designing

For government, faith institutions offer something money alone cannot buy: trusted messengers and a presence in almost every community. For faith leaders, digital skills are a practical way to serve members and their neighbours in a changing economy. For partners and sponsors, they offer scale with accountability, if the systems are right.

As a man of faith myself, I have seen how much trust these communities carry. That trust is an asset for the whole country, and it deserves to be matched with clear structures, good systems and a shared standard of delivery.

Questions for leaders

• Which faith institutions in our state or sector already have the space, people and reach to host digital learning?
• How could they connect to existing national programmes instead of starting from scratch?
• What shared systems and standards would let hubs operate consistently in every location?
• How will we protect the data and wellbeing of the people taking part?
• How will we measure success in skills, income and opportunity?

Nigeria’s digital future will not be built only in data centres and innovation hubs. It will also be built in the places people already trust. Designing that well is institutional work, and it is the kind of work behind Enterprise Systems & Institutional Transformation.

Sources: NITDA digital literacy targets, Voice of Nigeria · 3 Million Technical Talent programme, TechCabal · Nigeria broadband penetration, TechCabal · Religious population data, Dubawa · Babcock University · Covenant University · Al-Hikmah University