By Omoyeni Ojeifo
Nigeria has taken a major step toward consolidating fragmented education records with the unveiling of the Nigeria Education Data Infrastructure (NEDI).
The national platform is designed to integrate data across all levels of education and strengthen evidence based governance in the sector, reports Persecondnews.
This was rolled out at a stakeholders’ workshop in Abuja on Thursday, covered by Persecondnews .
Government officials and state actors said the initiative represents a shift toward a unified, data driven education system aimed at improving planning, accountability, and policy execution across the country.
The platform is expected to create a single source of truth for the education ecosystem.
The event attracted key stakeholders from the education sector, government ministries, agencies and development partners, including senior policymakers, state representatives, education administrators and technical experts, who gathered to review the framework of the Nigeria Education Data Infrastructure (NEDI) and its role in national education reform.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, said NEDI represents a fundamental reform in how Nigeria collects, manages and applies education data for national development.
He noted that the country is moving away from fragmented systems toward an integrated national framework that will guide planning and policy execution.
“What we are building is a unified education data system that allows us to move from scattered information to a single, reliable source of truth for decision making,” he said.
“For the first time, we will have a complete view of our education system from enrolment to completion, in a way that allows us to plan and intervene effectively.”
According to the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Said Ahmad, the initiative is designed to resolve the chronic fragmentation of data across Nigeria’s education sector.
“The absence of an integrated system has made it difficult to access reliable and timely information on enrolment, infrastructure, teacher distribution and learning outcomes.”
On her part, Minister of Women Affairs Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim also commended the initiative, saying this would help boost our educational sector.
“Accurate data enables government to identify gaps, target interventions more effectively, improve coordination across institutions and ensure that vulnerable children are not left behind,” she emphasized.
Similarly, the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Ojo, asserted that the system would improve national coordination and support rehabilitation planning within correctional facilities by strengthening access to learners’ educational histories.
“This would help inmates, so that when they come in, there is already an idea of what they have done, and they can just follow up from there,” he added.
Also speaking, Barr. Ifeanyi Ossai, Enugu State Deputy Governor, observed that the success of the initiative would depend on strong collaboration between federal and state governments.
He further described NEDI as a transformative tool that would help states better understand education gaps and align interventions with real time data.
NEDI Coordinator Dr. Abubakar Isah described the platform as a transformative move toward a unified national education data system.
By integrating previously fragmented datasets, the system is built to provide the actionable intelligence necessary for effective planning and governance.
“We have established a ‘single source of truth’ for education data,” Dr. Isah remarked.
“This allows for the seamless tracking of learners across all levels while generating real-time insights to drive policy and targeted interventions.”
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