Agile Project Management Adoption in Nigerian Government ICT Projects: Challenges and Prospects

Government ICT projects in Nigeria have a well-documented history of cost overruns, missed deadlines, and incomplete deliverables, often attributed to rigid waterfall project management approaches that are ill-suited to changing policy and technical requirements. This study investigates the adoption of agile project management methodologies in federal government ICT projects in Nigeria, with case references from the North Central zone including NITDA and NCC project implementations. The research employs a mixed-methods design combining a survey of 35 government ICT project managers and in-depth interviews with five senior public sector technology executives. Findings indicate that while 68 percent of respondents are familiar with agile principles, only 22 percent have implemented them in live government projects, primarily due to bureaucratic procurement rules, fixed-price contracts, and accountability frameworks incompatible with iterative delivery. The study evaluates pilot agile adoptions through schedule performance index and stakeholder satisfaction metrics, finding modestly improved outcomes compared to traditional project cohorts. Recommendations target procurement policy reform, specifically advocating for outcome-based contracting and iterative milestone billing structures as prerequisites for agile compatibility in the public sector. The research contributes a policy-responsive framework for agile transformation in Nigerian government technology delivery. Keywords: agile project management, government ICT, Nigeria, procurement reform, public sector