The Federal Ministry of Environment has officially joined Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda with the launch of the Galaxy Backbone 1Government Cloud (1Gov) Digitalisation Programme.
Speaking at the flag-off in Abuja, Environment Minister Balarabe Abbas Lawal described the initiative as a milestone in modernising environmental governance and advancing sustainability through technology.
“Digitalisation is no longer optional; it is a necessity. Through the 1Government Cloud, we are enabling data-driven environmental management, eliminating paperwork, reducing costs, and cutting carbon emissions,” the minister said.
Lawal noted that the project would enhance transparency, promote evidence-based policymaking, and improve service delivery.
The 1Gov framework, introduced by Galaxy Backbone Ltd (GBB) in May 2024, aims to digitise 70% of federal government services by 2025 by unifying Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) on a secure, indigenous platform.
By September, several MDAs — including those of Solid Minerals, Steel Development, Foreign Affairs, Justice, and Intergovernmental Affairs — had begun onboarding under the Sovereign Digitalisation Programme, which emphasises data sovereignty and national digital autonomy.
Permanent Secretary Mahmud Adam Kambari commended the minister for championing a paperless government and lauded the GBB 1Gov team led by Wumi Oghoetuoma, Programme Director of the initiative.
Oghoetuoma described the programme as “a bold stride in Africa’s digital transformation journey,” adding that it is “about protecting our digital destiny and sovereignty.”
He said the 1Gov Cloud platform provides homegrown applications to replace foreign systems, including GovECM (enterprise content management), GovDrive (secure file storage), GovESign, GovMail, GovInMail, GovConference, GovAssetManager, and GovOTP (multi-factor authentication).
According to him, the Environment Ministry has already gone live on the 1Gov Enterprise Content Management System (ECMS), with 15 departments onboarded, 316 workflows created, and 890 user accounts activated.
Dr. Sam Nwosu, CEO of Secured Records Management Solutions Ltd, hailed the initiative as proof of Nigeria’s capacity to build world-class digital infrastructure and a major step toward technological self-reliance.
