The Federal Government has disclosed plans to track investments and education delivery across schools and communities by leveraging data.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, on Thursday at a stakeholders’ workshop on the Nigeria Education Data Infrastructure (NEDI) initiative in Abuja, attended by Nairametrics.
Stakeholders from the education, investment, and political sectors were convened to brainstorm on the implementation of NEDI — a single, reliable source of educational data — as a strategic national platform to integrate and harmonise education data across the entire education ecosystem in Nigeria.
What the Minister is saying
Making his presentation at the event, the Education Minister highlighted that NEDI is aimed at repositioning education data as the foundation for planning, accountability, and human capital development in Nigeria.
- “NEDI is our all-of-education data repository and unified platform for decision-making,” he stated, adding that its role is to collect, harmonise, analyse, and utilise data at scale.
- He said the innovation will track every learner’s journey from school to workforce level, as well as “track investments and improvements in education delivery” across schools and communities.
He stressed the need for effective education budgeting at the federal and state levels, adding that NEDI will serve as a foundation for Nigeria’s knowledge economy.
He opined that NEDI provides government and stakeholders with the opportunity to “plan better, budget better,” and collectively intervene in infrastructure, capacity development, among other areas.
The minister called for collective efforts from state governments, commissioners of education, and relevant agencies to guarantee the success of the ongoing education data reform.
According to him, NEDI will be used to complete school-level data entry, including school profiles and learners’ data.
Backstory
In January 2025, Dr. Alausa inaugurated a 25-member committee to oversee the creation of the Nigerian Education Data Initiative (NEDI), aimed at building a centralised and harmonised educational databank for the country.
He disclosed that the development was intended to address critical challenges such as the issue of out-of-school children and other systemic problems in the education sector.
While inaugurating the committee, Dr. Alausa emphasised the importance of a unified data framework in transforming Nigeria’s education system.
He further noted that the databank would serve as the foundation for evidence-based decision-making and policy development.
What you should know
The development adds to the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank previously introduced by the Federal Government as a national digital platform for storing and managing academic works produced by students and researchers across Nigerian institutions.
Under the policy, Nigerian graduates are required to upload their theses, project reports, or other academic outputs to the repository as proof of academic work before they can participate in the NYSC programme or receive an exemption letter.
The platform is also designed to serve as a national system for verifying academic credentials, improving the quality of research output, and preserving Nigeria’s academic records for future generations.
