By Ngozi Nwankwo
Nigeria has positioned its Digital National Education Management Information System, DNEMIS, as Africa’s benchmark for education data implementation, with the Federal Government showcasing the platform at the 2026 DHIS2 Annual Conference in Oslo.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, presented Nigeria’s digital transformation journey during the global event, highlighting how DNEMIS is modernising data collection, management and reporting across the education sector.
Nigeria’s participation followed an invitation from UNICEF and the University of Oslo, reflecting growing international recognition of its progress in deploying technology to strengthen education planning, governance and service delivery.
Speaking at the conference, Alausa said the reforms were being driven under the Nigeria Education Sector Renewal Initiative,NESRI,with a focus on efficiency, accountability and measurable outcomes.
A major highlight was the global unveiling and co-launch of DNEMIS, a national platform built on the District Health Information Software 2 (DHIS2) system. DHIS2, an open-source platform originally developed for health information systems, currently supports over 31 million users worldwide. It is now scaling into education, with Nigeria hosting the highest number of education users on the platform.
“Nigeria has established a practical, scalable and replicable framework for how education data systems can be designed, deployed and institutionalised across Africa,” the Minister stated.
He added that the system is attracting continental attention as other African countries look to Nigeria’s model for strengthening education data systems.
DNEMIS was implemented through collaboration involving the Federal Ministry of Education, UNICEF, HISP, the National Education Data Infrastructure (NEDI) and the University of Oslo. The platform holds 32 million of the 45 million education records currently on DHIS2 globally, providing near real-time data to support policy formulation, performance monitoring and improved service delivery.
The Minister described the shift as a move from fragmented, manual processes to an integrated digital ecosystem capable of generating timely and credible education intelligence.
The DHIS2 conference convened ministers, policymakers, development partners and technology leaders from more than 100 countries to explore digital transformation in education, health and other sectors.
Alausa reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to sustaining education reforms and ensuring digital innovation translates into measurable improvements for learners.
“Through DNEMIS and broader sector renewal initiatives, Nigeria will continue to lead by example in advancing transparency and shaping a new continental standard for inclusive, responsive and future-ready education systems,” he said.