Innovation Ecosystems and Collaborative Governance in Digital Public Service Delivery: A Framework for Post-Fuel Subsidy Removal Nigeria
Mustapha Badamasi, PhD (Corresponding Author)
Department of Business Management, Azman University, Kano, Kano State, Nigeria
Email: mustaphabadamasi@gmail.com
Shehu Sani, PhD
Department of Public Administration, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria
Wasilat Ahmed Kabir
Department of Public Administration, Umaru Musa Yar'adua University, Katsina State, Nigeria
Abstract
The withdrawal of Nigeria's petroleum subsidy regime in 2023 precipitated a fiscal shock that has reshaped the operating environment of public institutions, intensifying pressure on government agencies to deliver services more efficiently with fewer resources. In response, a growing number of federal and sub-national institutions have turned to digital innovation, including mobile governance platforms, artificial-intelligence-enabled service portals, blockchain-based procurement systems, and data analytics for palliative distribution, as a route to cost containment, expanded service reach, and greater transparency. Yet the success of these initiatives is rarely determined by technology alone; it is mediated by the innovation ecosystems and collaborative governance arrangements within which public institutions, private technology firms, civil society organisations, development partners, and academic actors interact. This paper develops a conceptual and methodological framework for examining how such ecosystems form, function, and generate administrative and social outcomes under conditions of fiscal austerity. Drawing on Innovation Ecosystem Theory, Collaborative Governance Theory, the Socio-Technical Systems Approach, and an Institutional Logics perspective, the paper proposes an integrated model linking ecosystem actors, governance mechanisms, innovation outputs, and outcomes of administrative efficiency, citizen trust, and inclusion. A mixed-methods, sequential explanatory design, combining a multi-state comparative survey with qualitative case studies, document analysis, and social network analysis, is proposed as the empirical vehicle for testing the framework. The paper concludes by outlining the theoretical, empirical, methodological, and policy contributions anticipated from this line of inquiry, positioning the study as a foundation for strengthening collaborative digital governance in resource-constrained developing-country contexts.
Keywords
citizen trust, collaborative governance, digital public service delivery, fiscal austerity, innovation ecosystems, institutional logics, Nigeria
How to Cite
Badamasi, M., Sani, S., & Kabir, W. A. (2026). Innovation ecosystems and collaborative governance in digital public service delivery: A framework for post-fuel subsidy removal Nigeria. Azman Journal of General Studies and Multidisciplinary Research, 1(1), 1–11.