Assessing the Impact of Digital Transformation on Human Capital Development in Public Tertiary Institutions in Delta State

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the impact of digital transformation on human capital development in public tertiary institutions in Delta State, Nigeria. The objectives were specifically designed to examine the impact of digital infrastructure adoption and digital skills and competency development on human capital development in public tertiary institutions in Delta State, Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey design with the population size of 1,000 academic and non-academic staff members from both universities. A sample size of 286 staff were determined using Yamane’s formula at 95% confidence level. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and these were analyzed using SPSS version 26. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) summarized the data, while linear regression analysis tested the hypotheses. The findings of the study showed that digital infrastructure adoption, digital skills and competency development has a significant effect on human capital development in public tertiary institutions in Delta State have significant effect on human capital development in public tertiary institutions in Delta State. In conclusion, digital infrastructure adoption and skills development significantly influence human capital development in Delta State’s public tertiary institutions, underscoring the need to pair technological investment with capacity building to enhance staff capabilities, improve institutional performance, and fully realize the benefits of digital transformation. It was recommended among other things that public tertiary institutions should prioritize sustained investment in modern, reliable, and scalable digital infrastructure to support teaching, research, and administrative processes.