Nigeria’s Digital Future Hinges on Robust Software Quality, Experts Warn
Lagos, Nigeria – Leading software testing professionals in Nigeria have issued a stark warning regarding the nation’s escalating digital vulnerabilities. They are urgently calling for the implementation of stronger standards, disciplined testing practices, and a nationwide commitment to quality as Nigeria accelerates its transition to technology-driven systems. This critical message resonated throughout the 8th Annual Conference of the Association of Nigeria Software Testers (ANST) in Lagos, where stakeholders from across the technology ecosystem convened under the theme, “Testing Nigeria Forward: Building Trust. Powering Progress. Shaping the Future.”
Demola Adesina, President of ANST, emphasized that software quality must transcend its status as a mere technical consideration. Instead, it needs to be recognized as a matter of national importance, impacting every vital sector, including banking, fintech, telecommunications, healthcare, education, logistics, energy, manufacturing, and public services. Adesina underscored that Nigeria’s future global competitiveness is intrinsically linked to its ability to cultivate digital trust.
“Quality is no longer just a function,” Adesina stated. “It is the foundation of trust, safety, innovation, and national competitiveness. If Nigeria is going to move forward, we must build digital trust and the assurance that anything delivered through technology works as intended.”
He further cautioned that the responsibility for quality assurance does not conclude with an application’s deployment. With a constant influx of new applications of varying scales and complexities being developed weekly, Nigeria faces an increasing risk of system failures. Such failures can lead to service disruptions, user frustration, and a significant erosion of confidence in domestically developed technological solutions.
Cybersecurity: A Ticking Time Bomb
The conference highlighted the significant dangers associated with neglecting software testing. Oladipo Olasemo, Chief Technology Officer of Afripie Technology, delivered one of the most urgent warnings, characterizing Nigeria’s cybersecurity landscape as a “ticking time bomb.”
Olasemo revealed alarming statistics, stating that Nigeria lost N53.4 billion to cybercrime in 2024 alone. Between 2017 and 2023, cumulative losses amounted to a staggering N1.1 trillion. This year, cyberattacks on Nigerian institutions have seen an unprecedented surge of 1,047 percent, placing the country among those with the highest spikes globally. “If we do nothing, losses could exceed N2 trillion by 2026,” he warned.
The root causes of this precarious situation, according to Olasemo, include chronic underinvestment in cybersecurity, lax regulatory enforcement, and a pervasive culture of complacency. He argued that many organizations prioritize superficial compliance documentation over genuine system security. “Security is not a cost,” he declared. “Complacency is the real cost.”
The Evolving Role of AI in Software Testing
The discourse then shifted to the future of software development, with a compelling keynote address by Soji Ononuga, Director of Testing Academy Nigeria. Ononuga explored the burgeoning influence of artificial intelligence (AI) on quality assurance, posing the critical question of whether AI would displace testers or fundamentally revolutionize the profession. He stressed the imperative for testers to adapt and evolve alongside technological advancements, lest they risk becoming obsolete.
“Software testing professionals have always been the guardians of trust,” Ononuga remarked. “But today, the world is changing faster than ever. Do not fear AI. Learn, adapt, innovate, and lead. The tools of yesterday will not build the systems of tomorrow.”
Ononuga urged organizations to invest in upskilling their workforce rather than resorting to downsizing. He also encouraged testers to cultivate new competencies in areas such as AI-assisted testing, data engineering, model evaluation, and risk assurance. He posited that AI-driven testing holds the potential to accelerate innovation, reduce defects, and drive long-term profitability.
Building Quality from the Foundation
The vital importance of disciplined software development was further underscored by Olayinka Oni, Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of Sterling Financial Holdings. Drawing insights from Sterling’s extensive digital transformation journey, Oni asserted that quality must be an integral component from the very inception of system design.
“Anything that will stand the test of time must be built with quality and integrity,” Oni stated. “Leadership matters. Quality must not be bypassed. When trust is broken, rebuilding it is almost impossible.”
Oni cautioned against the common organizational tendency to prioritize speed over quality, a practice he deemed perilous. “We believe in speed,” he said, “but not speed without discipline. Speed without discipline becomes reckless. Every change must be questioned: what will it affect? What might break? What are the risks?”
Showcasing Indigenous Innovation
Beyond these critical discussions, the conference also served as a platform to showcase Nigeria’s growing capabilities in homegrown innovation. Attendees were introduced to two promising indigenous testing solutions making inroads into the market:
- Scandium Systems’ Rova AI: This is a machine-learning-powered exploratory testing tool designed to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of software testing.
- TimeToTest: This autonomous, no-code AI testing agent simplifies the creation and execution of end-to-end tests. It can generate and run comprehensive tests from a single website link, significantly streamlining the testing process.
The presentations garnered enthusiastic applause from participants, who viewed these tools as tangible evidence of Nigeria’s rapidly maturing engineering talent.
Nurturing the Next Generation of Testers
In a concerted effort to bolster the future of software testing professionals, ANST awarded 50 free training scholarships through a live raffle draw. This initiative underscores the association’s unwavering commitment to expanding the nation’s expertise in software testing.
The conference culminated with the ANST Community Awards, which celebrated individuals and organizations that have made substantial contributions to software quality and digital trust in Nigeria. Among the esteemed awardees were:
- Kashifu Inuwa, Director-General of NITDA
- MTN Nigeria
- Kappo Samuel Olawale, Senior Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Students’ Union Affairs – Tertiary Education
- Peter Omoh Dunia, philanthropist and Chairman of Oceanwave Group
These individuals, along with other notable contributors, are actively shaping the nation’s quality engineering landscape.
As the conference concluded, one central message emerged with undeniable clarity: Nigeria’s digital future will not be defined solely by its capacity for innovation, but more crucially by the reliability and integrity of the technological systems that underpin it. For the professionals who gathered in Lekki, Lagos, for the 8th Annual ANST Conference, the consensus was unequivocal: quality is no longer an option; it is the indispensable bedrock of national progress.
