Speaker
Description
Auwalu, A. H.
Kano State College of Education and Preliminary Studies
alaminauwal70@gmail.com
Track: Digital Transformation in Higher Education
By
Aminu Hamisu Auwalu and Jaafar Mu'azu
Department of Social Science School of Arts and Social Science
Kano State College of Education and Preliminary Studies, Kano, Nigeria
*Corresponding Author:
Email: alaminauwal70@gmail.com
Phone: +2347032574707
ABSTRACT
Digital innovation has emerged as a transformative force in higher education globally, reshaping teaching, learning, research, administration, and institutional governance. In Nigeria, tertiary institutions have increasingly adopted digital technologies such as learning management systems, virtual classrooms, cloud computing, artificial intelligence (AI), digital libraries, and electronic administrative platforms. While these innovations offer significant opportunities for improving educational quality and institutional efficiency, their integration remains fraught with numerous challenges. This review examines the major barriers to digital innovation integration in Nigerian tertiary institutions for the past two decades. The study synthesizes evidence from recent empirical and policy literature to identify infrastructural, financial, technological, institutional, socio-cultural, and policy-related constraints. Findings reveal that inadequate ICT infrastructure, unstable electricity supply, poor internet connectivity, insufficient funding, digital skills gaps, cybersecurity concerns, resistance to change, and weak policy implementation significantly hinder digital transformation efforts. The review further discusses the implications of these challenges for educational quality, institutional competitiveness, and sustainable development. Recommendations are provided to strengthen digital innovation ecosystems within Nigerian higher education institutions.
Keywords: Digital Innovation, Digital Transformation, e-learning, Tertiary Education.