International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI) |Volume IX, Issue XII, December 2022|ISSN 2321-2705
Impact of Information and Communication Technology on Public Sector Productivity Growth in Nigeria.
Jonathan Gimmy Leo
Innovation and Technology Policy Department,
Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER), Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
Abstract: This paper examined the impact of information and communication technology on public sector productivity growth from 2000 to 2019 in Nigeria. It also explained the effects of past or lag productivity growth values on current productivity growth in Nigeria. The paper employed the autoregressive model and technique to estimate and analyze the data. The study reviewed relevant literature on the impact of ICT on productivity. The literature review suggests that ICT is positively related to productivity, but a large number of studies have not demonstrated that in Nigeria. The results revealed that ICT had a significant positive impact on public sector productivity growth in Nigeria. The result also indicated that past-period productivity growth significantly influences current-period public sector productivity growth in Nigeria. That explained the autoregressive nature of productivity growth. The paper also provided evidence that capital, labour, education output and foreign direct investment significantly influence public sector productivity growth in Nigeria. The policy recommendations of the paper include that the Public Sector should be provided with more ICT investments and infrastructures by the Government to optimize ICT potential in the country. The Government should upgrade the ICT skills deficiency among employees in the Public Sector to improve performance, to mention but few.
Key Words: Information and Communication Technology, Economic growth, Public Sector, Productivity growth, Nigeria.
JEL Classification: D24, H11, 033, Q55
I. INTRODUCTION
Technological innovations have been widely accepted as the driver of sustained economic growth in many countries of the world. This is particularly true in the ability of information and communication technology (ICT) to stimulate efficiency and productivity in public and private sectors that utilize and invest in them. According to Reamer (2014), Paul Krugman was speaking for many Economist when he said ‘‘productivity isn’t everything, but in the long run it’s everything’’ because the ability to improve a country’s standard of living over time depends almost entirely on its ability to raise its output per worker. Productivity is simply defined as the output per worker in an economy over a period of time. Anyanwu, (2000) puts it