Digital transformation and firm efficiency in the Nigerian manufacturing sector

Abstract

The effects of a digital technologies uptake on firm efficiency in the Nigerian manufacturing sector were examined. The combined application of data envelopment analysis and the Tobit regression methods were employed to analyze the cross-sectional survey data derived from a sample of manufacturing firms. The research results showed that the uptake of digital technologies was still skewed to the low-end appliances/devices, whereas the uptake of the high-end digital technologies required to forge the digital transformation of firms was still low. Manufacturing firms in Nigeria need to make a quick transition to high-end digital technologies in order for them to increase their efficiency and competitiveness in the global marketplace. Challenges to the uptake of digital technologies need to be addressed as well. The training/retraining of personnel need be scaled up so as to build the digital capacity of the sector, bolster efficiency and improve the productivity of operations. The importation of digital devices may be an option in the short run, but local production should be ramped up in the long run.