Nigerian experts call for stronger digital trust standards as software testers push for tighter quality controls in the fast-growing tech sector

Software testers across the country, under the Association of Nigerian Software Testers, called for stronger digital trust standards on Saturday as the technology sector expands at pace.

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The appeal was made at the 8th Annual Conference of the association, held in Lagos.

The conference, themed Testing Nigeria Forward: Building Trust.

Powering Progress. Shaping the Future, underlined the importance of high-quality software in safeguarding the reliability of digital services used by businesses, government bodies and millions of citizens.

Participants said the rapid digitisation of banking, public services and commerce has made platform reliability a national priority.

The keynote session, delivered by President Demola Adesina of the association, stressed that software quality forms the bedrock of trust, safety, innovation and national competitiveness.

President Adesina said the association was established to eliminate poor-quality systems by promoting global standards and developing a skilled software testing community.

President Adesina added that digital products must be maintained through rigorous post-deployment processes, continuous monitoring and long-term excellence.

He noted that Nigeria now has hundreds of applications in circulation and many more under development, making quality a pressing national concern.

A key moment at the conference was a virtual presentation by Director Soji Ononuga of Testing Academy Nigeria, who spoke on the intersection of artificial intelligence and software testing.

Director Ononuga encouraged testers to embrace emerging technologies, arguing that artificial intelligence will reshape the profession rather than replace it.

He urged practitioners to build competence in AI-assisted testing, model evaluation, front-end engineering and regulatory governance.

Director Ononuga also advised organisations to invest in upskilling instead of downsizing, saying that AI-driven testing can accelerate innovation, reduce defects and improve long-term profitability.

Another keynote was delivered by Executive Director Olayinka Oni of Sterling Financial Holdings Company, who discussed the importance of sustainable, high-quality software.

Executive Director Oni highlighted Sterling’s disciplined governance, strong architectural foundations and culture of quality as essential elements in building resilient systems.

He warned that when trust is broken, restoring it becomes almost impossible.

Executive Director Oni emphasised the need for secure design, modularity, redundancy and customer-centric architecture, adding that quality assurance is integral to innovation and long-term system resilience.

He said true momentum is driven by speed supported by discipline and accountability.

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Panel sessions rounded off the conference, with experts examining emerging challenges in software testing and digital transformation while sharing insights aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s digital future.