By Nekpen Maureen Nwine
Since the inception of Godwin Obaseki’s administration, technology and efficiency have been seen to be a priority. It is a given that technology enables a smarter, more transparent, and more effective governance system. Today, the platform which bureaucracy runs in Edo state is technology-driven and this has resulted in a high level of efficiency and a renewed sense of responsibility among the Officers in the Civil/Public Service.
It is of little wonder then that Jacques Ellul said, “Modern technology has become a total phenomenon for civilization, the defining force of a new social order in which efficiency is no longer an option but a necessity imposed on all human activity.” In bringing the words of Jacques Ellul to bear, the Edo State Head of Service, Anthony Okungbowa Esq., has reiterated the words of the Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki when he said he will be the last governor of Edo State to treat physical files.
To ensure that Edo becomes fully digitalized, the state government has entered into a partnership with Technology for Social Change and Development Initiative (Tech4dev) to boost the capacity of 3000 workers to achieve 100 percent balance at all levels in the public service. Haven worked round the clock in the past few years, tremendous success has so far been achieved under the leadership of this government.
At a meeting with the President and Management staff of Tech4dev, the Head of Service made known that Governor Obaseki has said that everyone in service who is not able to use computers needs to be supported and trained. Emphasizing that it has become a condition for public servants to grow and develop in the service. In other words, For Civil/Public Servants to earn their promotion, they must be able to work on the Edo State Government portal; and If they can’t use computers and cannot use the E-Gov, it will be near impossible to perform optimally.
In the words of Okungbowa Esq., “Government has ensured that there is a contract currently running to guarantee that fiber optic is extended to all the nooks and crannies of the state so that children in faraway Somorika, Igarra and the uttermost parts of the state can access the internet and showcase their skills just as children in Benin.” This extent to which the State Government has treaded is to ensure that no segment of the society is left out of the digitalization plan just as it also ensures that the Civil/Public Officers in these far away localities can carry out their functions seamlessly just as their counterparts in the city.
The importance of co-creating the learning curriculum also comes into play. As amplified during the meeting, Edo State is ahead of a lot of states with digital learning. In the words of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Digital Economy, Science, and Technology, Ms. Yuwa Naps, “We need to make people learn how to use the applications that are been onboarded within our Ecosystem. We also need to look at training our people to localize or domesticate policies. We need to build the skills across the MDAs so that the everyday citizens of Edo understand what these policies are going to do for them. We want to have champions within the Edo State Government ecosystem who drive the deliverables when it comes to training because ultimately, it is not just for the civil servants.”
It is a certainty that Technology for Social Change and Development Initiative (Tech4dev) will be assisting the Edo State Government to provide training for 3000 workers given that the Organisation’s focus is on driving digital skills at the basic, immediate, and advanced levels across different ranges of audiences.
Giving a glimpse into its reliability and success rate, JOEL OGUNSOLA, Founder/President, Tech4dev, says, “We have done it successfully over the past seven years with a range of partners like Microsoft and Facebook. The project for which we wish to partner with Edo State is been supported by the UK government which is a long-term existing partner of Edo State. The program is civil servants oriented and we are looking to have officers who have a passion to learn about the internet.”
Technology for social change and development initiative (Tech4DEV) is a non-profit social enterprise that creates access to decent work and entrepreneurship opportunities and platforms for Africans through digital skills. The organization’s main focus is driving the adoption of digital skills at the basic, intermediate, and advanced levels across different ranges of audiences.
That Edo State have a people-oriented Government is non-disputable and the magnitude of the above readily calls to mind the words of Steve Jobs when he said, “What is important is that you have faith in people, that they are good and smart, and if you give them tools, they will do wonderful things with them.”
