Open Source Software Adoption and Customisation Practices in Nigerian Non-Governmental Organisations

Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Nigeria operate under significant budget constraints that make commercial software licensing economically prohibitive, yet open source software (OSS) adoption and customisation capacities within the sector remain underdeveloped and poorly documented. This study examines OSS adoption and customisation practices among NGOs operating in the South East (Enugu, Anambra) and North Central (Benue, Nasarawa) geopolitical zones. A descriptive survey was administered to 35 ICT officers and programme managers at 20 NGOs, covering OSS selection criteria, customisation depth, maintenance capacity, and security update practices. Findings show that 71 percent of NGOs use at least one OSS platform, most commonly WordPress, KoBoToolbox, and ODK Collect, but fewer than 30 percent have in-house capacity to customise or maintain these tools beyond basic configuration. Security vulnerabilities from unpatched OSS installations are identified as a significant risk, particularly in organisations handling beneficiary data subject to humanitarian data protection standards. The study proposes a tiered OSS adoption framework categorising tools by customisation risk and maintenance requirement to guide NGO technology selection. Professional recommendations include sector-wide OSS support networks and engagement of OSS volunteers through programmes like Code for Nigeria. Keywords: open source software, NGO, customisation, Nigeria, technology adoption