Experts Urge Effective Implementation of Economic Reforms Through Digital Transformation at KWASU Conference

Experts and stakeholders have called for more effective implementation of Nigeria’s economic policies through digital transformation, highlighting the need for technology-driven systems that promote efficiency, accountability, public trust and access to government services.

The call was made at the second edition of the International Conference of the Faculty of Management and Social Sciences at Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, themed “Consolidating Economic Reforms and Digital Transformation.”

The conference, held on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, at the Ilorin Innovation Hub, attracted participants from Nigeria and other countries, including Ghana and South Africa.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Vice-Chancellor of KWASU, Professor Shaykh-Luqman Jimoh, said Nigeria’s ongoing economic reforms required research-driven and practical recommendations capable of translating government policies into tangible benefits for citizens.

He urged researchers and other stakeholders to collaborate in identifying strategies for improving policy implementation, describing the conference as an important platform for exchanging ideas on public finance, investment and economic transformation.

Jimoh noted that the conference theme was timely, given the increasing role of digital technologies in governance, economic management and public policy.

He stressed that academic conferences should produce practical solutions rather than focus solely on paper presentations, urging participants to identify institutional changes, effective applications of digital tools and the skills required to participate meaningfully in a changing economy.

The keynote speaker, Professor Kamil Kayode Kamaludeen, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said economic reforms should be measured by their visible and measurable social outcomes.

Kamaludeen identified six priorities for translating reforms into tangible results: connecting economic reforms to opportunities; redesigning public services before digitising them; building interconnected digital infrastructure and capable institutions; organising government around outcomes and local needs; strengthening accountability; and placing inclusion and trust at the centre of reform efforts.

He identified opportunity, integrity, sustainability and trust as key measures of successful reforms, stressing that technology alone could not deliver meaningful transformation.

According to him, capable institutions, effective coordination, accountability and citizen feedback are essential to ensuring that public resources and digital investments translate into improved services, productive opportunities and better livelihoods.

Also speaking, Professor Gbola Gbadamosi, a professor of organisational behaviour and human resource management at Bournemouth University Business School in the United Kingdom, emphasised the importance of trust and effective organisational structures in implementing economic reforms through digital transformation.

Gbadamosi called for increased investment in digital capabilities, noting that rebuilding organisational trust was critical to the success of both digital and economic reforms.

Earlier, the Acting Dean of KWASU’s Faculty of Management and Social Sciences, Dr Abdulrahman Mustapha, said the conference was expanding its international reach, with participants from Ghana and South Africa among nearly 100 attendees joining physically and virtually.

He commended the university management for its support, which enabled the faculty to host the second edition of the International Conference of Management and Social Sciences (ICOMSS 2.0).