Luther Kington Nwobodo is a product innovation expert and data analytics leader with extensive years of experience in specialising in AI, machine learning, and data science. His work focuses on enhancing data literacy, leveraging advanced analytical techniques to solve business challenges, and promoting sustainable growth across sectors. He is also committed to bridging the digital skills gap through mentorship and knowledge-sharing initiatives. In this interview, Nwobodo speaks on the role of data analytics in driving business innovation and economic development in Nigeria.
How has data analytics transformed decision-making and value creation for businesses in Nigeria? What practical steps can businesses take to become more data-driven in their operations?
Data analytics has profoundly reshaped business decision-making and value creation in Nigeria, especially over the past decade, as digital adoption has accelerated across sectors like fintech, e-commerce, agriculture, and logistics. The transformation is not only about technology—it’s about insight, agility, and growth.
For example, Paystack’s transaction data helps merchants understand peak sales times and customer demographics, enabling targeted campaigns, while Nigerian agritech firms like Thrive Agric and Farmcrowdy use data to predict crop yields, track weather, and allocate farm inputs more efficiently. In Nigeria, the businesses that will thrive in the next decade will be those that treat data not as an afterthought but as a strategic asset.
Many Nigerian companies still rely on manual processes. How can data encourage the shift towards digital operations, and what challenges have businesses faced in implementing data-driven solutions?
In Nigeria, manual processes still dominate in many sectors, especially among SMEs and traditional industries. However, data can be the catalyst that encourages the shift to digital operations if the value is demonstrated clearly and the barriers are tackled head-on.
A retailer who digitises sales with a POS system can now see their best-selling products, busiest times, and dead stock, something pen-and-paper can’t offer, while a logistics firm like Kobo360, using tracking data, can automatically generate delivery reports and performance dashboards.
However, there are too many challenges businesses face, especially towards implementing data-driven solutions. For Nigerian businesses, the move from manual to digital is no longer optional, it’s a matter of survival. Data is not just a tool; it’s a mindset shift toward smarter, faster, and more resilient operations.
Having led teams at fast-growing startups, what key insights have you gained about how scalable data systems contribute to or accelerate business growth?
Having led teams at fast-growing startups, I’ve seen firsthand how scalable data systems are not just enablers but accelerators of business growth. Without structured and scalable data infrastructure, rapid growth quickly turns into organised chaos. Startups generate massive volumes of raw data—from customers, transactions, operations, and marketing—but without clean, centralised, and structured data pipelines, this data becomes fragmented, underutilised, and ultimately a liability.
Investing early in scalable data systems helps avoid costly data debt and inefficiencies down the line. These systems reduce the cost of failure by enabling rapid experimentation and learning—whether it’s A/B testing a new feature or optimising ad creatives—so decisions are data-driven, not guesswork. Moreover, scalable data infrastructure future-proofs startups, allowing them to seamlessly adopt emerging technologies, adapt to evolving market demands, and expand globally without hitting performance bottlenecks.
In essence, scalable data systems embed agility, reliability, and insight into the business fabric, transforming raw data into a strategic asset that fuels sustainable and accelerated growth.
How can data analytics support Nigeria’s broader economic development goals, particularly in sectors like agriculture, logistics, and small businesses, and how can it intersect with sustainability in shaping future business strategies?
Data analytics is a powerful catalyst for advancing Nigeria’s broader economic development goals, especially in critical sectors like agriculture, logistics, and MSMEs, which are foundational to inclusive and sustainable growth. In agriculture, data-driven precision farming, leveraging insights from weather patterns, soil health, and crop monitoring can significantly boost yields, reduce waste, and optimise resource use. In logistics, analytics enables smarter route planning, inventory management, and supply chain optimisation, cutting costs and minimising environmental impact. For MSMEs, data insights improve access to credit, reveal market trends, and enhance operational efficiency, empowering these businesses to scale sustainably.
When aligned with sustainability objectives, data analytics goes beyond profit maximisation to foster long-term resilience, environmental stewardship, and social equity. For instance, businesses in energy, agriculture, and infrastructure can use data to model climate-related risks and prioritise investments in resilience and low-carbon technologies. The government plays a crucial role by promoting open data initiatives, encouraging sustainability-linked reporting, and facilitating public-private data ecosystems—such as shared logistics dashboards and agricultural extension data hubs. Strengthening digital and energy infrastructure, alongside building a pipeline of data-literate professionals across SMEs, government, and civil society, is essential to enable real-time data capture and informed decision-making.
In a resource-constrained yet data-rich environment like Nigeria, analytics is not a luxury but a strategic bridge between survival and sustainable success. Embedded into national development strategies and everyday business operations, data analytics can drive innovation, support evidence-based policymaking, and accelerate Nigeria’s economic diversification, job creation, and digital transformation—ultimately powering a more equitable, efficient, and environmentally responsible economy.
What role should the government and policy play in supporting a national data innovation ecosystem?
The government has a foundational role in nurturing a national data innovation ecosystem especially in a country like Nigeria, where coordination, trust, and infrastructure gaps can make or break the effectiveness of data-driven solutions. A cohesive vision ensures alignment across ministries, the private sector, academia, and civil society. The government should develop a National Data Innovation Framework that sets priorities for data infrastructure, access, talent development, and governance.
For example, Rwanda’s national data strategy focuses on using real-time data for service delivery and public planning. It is important to note that innovation thrives in environments with clear data rights, privacy protections, and ethical guidelines. Policies should ensure data sovereignty, especially when foreign firms handle national data. Reliable data systems (registries, platforms, connectivity) are prerequisites for innovation. Also, Nigeria’s National Identification Number (NIN) system, when integrated with services, can power more targeted, data-driven interventions.
In your experience, how can data infrastructure be scaled efficiently in environments with limited resources or an inconsistent power supply?
We should look at scaling data infrastructure in low-resource or power-inconsistent environments, like many parts of Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa, which demands a creative, lean, and resilient approach. From my experience working with startups and social impact organisations across Africa.
In deploying strategy, I will recommend building systems that can operate locally (offline), collect data, and sync to the cloud once internet or power is restored. For example, a health startup used tablets for offline patient data entry and synced records to a central database at night using solar-powered internet hubs. Limited resources mean you need to be efficient and adaptive. You can automate data archiving during low-power periods to maintain performance without a constant compute load. It’s a concern and, more importantly, an enormous challenge for an organisation with a lean pocket.
What advice would you give to young data professionals in Nigeria who want to use their skills to drive impact and innovation?
For young data professionals in Nigeria, I will say there’s a unique opportunity to harness data as a tool for impact and innovation, especially given the country’s rapid digital transformation and its diverse challenges. There is tremendous potential to use data science and analytics to drive impact and innovation, particularly in addressing the country’s unique challenges and opportunities.
Firstly, identify key sectors like agriculture, healthcare, fintech, and energy, where data can drive real, meaningful change. Nigeria has challenges in areas like food security, access to quality healthcare, and infrastructure, all of which can benefit from data-driven solutions.
More so, it’s important to identify pain points. They should learn about the most pressing problems faced by local communities and industries. By aligning your work with these challenges, you will have a clearer focus and can use your data skills to address them effectively.
In Nigeria, data professionals have the power to create solutions that not only drive business success but also contribute to national development. The key is to stay focused, continuously learn, and always ask: How can I use data to make a difference?.
