Nigeria aviation digitalisation operating at 40%, ICAN warns

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria has said Nigeria’s aviation industry is operating at about 40 per cent efficiency in its digitalisation drive, warning that faster adoption of technology is needed to improve operations and reduce corruption.

Speaking in Lagos at the first anniversary of the ICAN Aviation Chapter, the Director of Membership Affairs, Sakiru Balogun, said the sector must move quickly from manual processes to digital systems to achieve efficiency and transparency.

Balogun stated that the aviation industry had for years relied heavily on manual and cash-based transactions, a trend he said had slowed down operations and created room for malpractice.

He further said reducing human interference through digital systems would help close loopholes and improve service delivery across the sector.

“I remember when I travelled to London, I didn’t see any human being, even to get the carts for my load. I had to put my coins in, and the cart came out. So, we need to go digital to have overall efficiency,” he said.

He added that human involvement in most processes often creates opportunities for corruption, noting that full digitalisation would help address the challenge.

“Anything that involves human beings, there’s going to be some issues, and it will lead to the evil that we call corruption. So, I will encourage that we digitalise all activities in the aviation sector for efficiency and effectiveness,” Balogun said.

The ICAN official, however, noted that while progress had been made, the industry was still far from achieving full digital transformation.

He said recent developments, such as electronic toll payments and online transaction systems, were positive steps, but described them as early stages of a broader process.

Balogun also identified low digital literacy among Nigerians as a major challenge slowing down adoption, urging stakeholders to invest in training and awareness.

Also, in his remarks, the Chairman of the ICAN Aviation Chapter, Ayodele Olatiregun, said digitalisation was already changing how financial transactions are handled within the aviation sector.

He stated that most aviation transactions are now automated, noting that the era of physical ticketing had largely disappeared.

He said, “At the end of the day, aviation is about paying for services and properly accounting for the revenues generated. Digital systems make this more transparent and efficient.”

Olatiregun added that ICAN members in the aviation sector had embraced digital transformation and were contributing to improved financial governance.

Also speaking, former ICAN President and Chairman of the event, Dr Comfort Eyitayo, said digitalisation was no longer optional in modern aviation operations.

She explained that the nature of aviation requires accuracy, accountability, and strong risk management, which digital systems help to support.

Eyitayo urged professionals in the sector to take active roles in shaping the future of aviation, stressing that combining sound financial governance with technology would promote transparency and excellence.