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Digital Transformation Practices and Service Delivery; A Case Study of Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMdDPRA)

i, Aduba Paul Nnamdi, ii, Okwor Emmanuel Ejimnkeonye,, iii, Okolie Romanus Onyeisi, iv, Eneaniofu Daniel Mmaduakonam, v, Emeter Patrick Okechukwu

Abstract

This study examined the effect of digital transformation practices on service delivery in the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority following the institutional reforms introduced by the Petroleum Industry Act 2021. The study was motivated by the limited empirical evidence on digital transformation within Nigeria's petroleum regulatory sector, despite increasing digitalization across public institutions. The target population comprised 486 staff drawn from key operational and administrative departments of the NMDPRA across Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire with acceptable reliability coefficients (Cronbach's Alpha ranging from 0.79 to 0.87). Pearson Product Moment Correlation and Multiple Regression Analysis were employed to analyze the data at a 5% level of significance. The findings revealed that digital transformation practices had a positive but statistically insignificant effect on service delivery efficiency (R = 0.247, R2 = 0.061, p = 0.688), indicating that digital transformation accounted for only 6.1% of the variation in service delivery efficiency. The study also found no statistically significant relationship between digital transformation practices and transparency in service delivery. It recommends that the NMDPRA strengthen digital transformation through integrated organizational reforms, improved governance structures, enhanced transparency mechanisms, and continuous investment in digital infrastructure and human capacity to achieve sustainable improvements in service delivery. Key Words: Digital Transformation Practices, Regulations, Institutional Reforms, Regression

Keywords

Digital Transformation PracticesRegulationsInstitutional ReformsRegression

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