From Chaos to Clarity: Reimagining Nigeria’s State Budget System
How a human-centered enterprise platform transformed budget governance in 3+ Nigerian states
- Budget Management
- Workflow
- Reconciliation
Introduction - Setting the Stage
Nigeria faces significant challenges in managing its public finances. Inefficiencies, outdated financial data and decentralized information across ministries create obstacles to transparency and accountability, hindering economic growth.
Designing for transparency, not just efficiency. Prowoks is more than a budget tool—it’s a vision to transform public finance management and restore trust in government spending.
The Challenge - Where It All Began
Nigeria's ₦5.60 trillion budget deficit in 2021 wasn't just a number—it was a symptom of a deeply broken system.
- Manual handoffs via email and paper forms
- Decentralized data across ministries
- No visibility into approval processes
- Widespread mistrust in financial data
The Impact:
Every manual process was a barrier to transparency and accountability, eroding public trust.
Research & Insights — Listening Before Designing
Methods Used:
User Interviews
(53 civil servants from 23 ministries)
Field Surveys
across two pilot states
Process Mapping
workflows and pain points
Navigating the journey from design to prototype
Mapping the current activity processes and finding the North Star!
Key Findings
- 📌
One-Size-Fits-All Role Was Failing
The initial "Actor" role was too broad. Interviews revealed that tasks ranged from simple data entry to high-level financial approvals. This mismatch created friction, with users either lacking permissions or being overwhelmed by irrelevant options.
- 📌
Manual Handoffs Caused Bottlenecks
The existing budget process relied on manual handoffs via email and paper forms. This led to significant delays, lost documents, and a total lack of visibility. Users expressed deep frustration with the "black box" nature of the approval chain.
- 📌
Data Discrepancies Eroded Trust
A critical discovery was the widespread mistrust in financial data. Without automated reconciliation, users spent hours manually cross-checking figures, which delayed critical decisions and eroded confidence in the system's accuracy.
Feedback & Iterations — Designing in the Open
Through iterative design sessions with civil servants, we refined the system based on real-world feedback and usage patterns.
Initial Concept
Too complex for civil servants to navigate
Refined Approach
Much clearer workflow, but we need better role definitions
We need a system that understands our different roles and responsibilities. Not everyone should see everything.
What Went Wrong — And What I Learned
Even with thorough research, we encountered significant challenges
Challenge: Role Complexity
Initial "Actor" role was too broad, causing confusion and permission issues
Solution: Granular Permissions
Implemented specific roles for different responsibility levels
Design for the system, not just the interface. Government workflows require deep understanding of institutional hierarchies.
The Solution — Transparent & Automated
Prowoks was designed as a comprehensive digital budget platformthat addresses the core issues of transparency, efficiency, and accountability.
Digital Budget Management
- Automated Workflow Routing: Intelligent routing based on budget categories and approval hierarchies
- Real-time Dashboard: Live expenditure tracking and budget status monitoring
- Role-based Access: Granular permissions ensuring data security and appropriate access
- Audit Trail: Complete transaction history for accountability and compliance
Transparency & Accountability
- Public Dashboard: Citizen-facing interface for budget transparency
- Automated Reporting: Regular financial reports generated automatically
- Compliance Monitoring: Built-in checks for regulatory compliance
- Alert System: Proactive notifications for budget thresholds and deadlines
Time-based Workflow
After several wireframes and high‑fidelity prototypes, we pivoted to a timeline approach. This model presents each budget process as a series of time‑based events, making it easy for actors to see pending tasks, approval stages and handoffs. It also supports conditional branching, enabling departments to configure their own flows.
Budget Reconciliation
To address the issue of reconciliation, we designed a system that automatically compares budget entries with bank statements, ensuring accuracy and preventing discrepancies. This feature not only reduces manual effort but also enhances transparency by providing a clear audit trail of all financial transactions.
Metrics — Measuring the Impact
The implementation of Prowoks delivered measurable improvements across key performance indicators.
Reflection — Beyond the Launch
Working on Prowoks taught me valuable lessons about designing for complex institutional systems and the importance of stakeholder engagement in government technology projects.
Stakeholder Engagement
Deep engagement with civil servants was crucial for understanding real workflow needs and ensuring adoption.
Institutional Complexity
Government processes have evolved over decades. Digitization requires respecting existing hierarchies while improving efficiency.
Security & Transparency Balance
Finding the right balance between public transparency and sensitive government data protection was a key challenge.
Iterative Design Approach
Regular feedback sessions with end users led to significant improvements in usability and workflow efficiency.
Government technology isn't just about building software—it's about understanding centuries-old institutional processes and finding ways to honor them while making them more efficient and transparent.
