From Chaos to Clarity: Reimagining Nigeria’s State Budget System
How a human-centered enterprise platform transformed budget governance in 3+ Nigerian states
- Budget Management
- Workflow
- Reconciliation
Overview
Nigeria faces significant challenges in managing its public finances. Inefficiencies, outdated financial data and decentralized information across ministries create obstacles to transparency and accountability, hindering economic growth. These issues are compounded by corruption, inadequate revenue and high expenses, resulting in a budget deficit of ₦5.60 trillion in 2021. Recognising the scale of the problem, the World Bank sponsored a state‑level project to improve transparency and accountability in budget and expenditure management. My role was to research and design an enterprise solution that would automate budget processes and bring visibility to state expenditure.
Problem Statement
Nigeria's ₦5.60 trillion budget deficit in 2021 wasn't just a number—it was a symptom of a deeply broken system. The public finance process was trapped in a cycle of manual handoffs, decentralized data, and painfully slow approvals. This created a breeding ground for inefficiency and eroded public trust, making it impossible to track spending or ensure accountability.
The core challenge was clear: How might we replace a system of opaque, manual workflows with a transparent, automated platform that empowers civil servants and restores trust in public finance?
Research & Discovery
I began with comprehensive interviews and field surveys across two states. Through these sessions, I mapped user workflows, pain points, emotions and timeframes, and created a process flowchart to visualise interactions.
Navigating the journey from design to prototype
Mapping the current activity processes and finding the North Star!
My key findings
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One-Size-Fits-All Role Was Failing
The initial "Actor" role was too broad. Interviews revealed that tasks ranged from simple data entry to high-level financial approvals. This mismatch created friction, with users either lacking permissions or being overwhelmed by irrelevant options.
- 📌
Manual Handoffs Caused Bottlenecks
The existing budget process relied on manual handoffs via email and paper forms. This led to significant delays, lost documents, and a total lack of visibility. Users expressed deep frustration with the "black box" nature of the approval chain.
- 📌
Data Discrepancies Eroded Trust
A critical discovery was the widespread mistrust in financial data. Without automated reconciliation, users spent hours manually cross-checking figures, which delayed critical decisions and eroded confidence in the system's accuracy.
Solutions
With a clear understanding of user needs, the team brainstormed features for a digital budget module. Ideas ranged from automated workflow routing to real‑time expenditure dashboards. We prioritised features that improved transparency and shortened approval cycles.
After several wireframes and high‑fidelity prototypes, we pivoted to a timeline approach. This model presents each budget process as a series of time‑based events, making it easy for actors to see pending tasks, approval stages and handoffs. It also supports conditional branching, enabling departments to configure their own flows.
To address the issue of reconciliation, we designed a system that automatically compares budget entries with bank statements, ensuring accuracy and preventing discrepancies. This feature not only reduces manual effort but also enhances transparency by providing a clear audit trail of all financial transactions.
Outcome & Impact
The project was a success, with the digital budget module implemented in both states. The system has improved transparency and accountability in budget and expenditure management, and has helped to reduce the budget deficit.
These outcomes demonstrate how a thoughtfully researched and well‑designed digital platform can transform public finance management.
