Nigeria, Korea Partner to Drive Digital Transformation For Sustainability

The ministry of communications, innovation and digital economy says it has partnered with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) to drive digital transformation for sustainability and development in Nigeria.

The permanent secretary of the ministry, Nadungu Gagare, made this known at its monthly DevsInGovernment programme on Friday in Abuja.

The programme, organised by the ministry, was sponsored by KOICA and supported by Galaxy Backbone.

The theme of the programme was, “Preparing Public Servants for the Digital Era”.

Mr Gagare was represented by the ministry’s director of ICT, Folashade Olojede.

He said that the year began with an intention to move beyond talking about technology to mastering the framework to make it work for Nigerians, especially civil servants.

He said that digital government was only successful when inclusive, adding that civil servants should ensure that services reach the last mile.

According to the permanent secretary, to live in a digital world, the public service must evolve from being a traditional regulator to becoming a data-driven engine of innovation.

He said that the January edition of the programme was not just a meeting but the framework to make technology work for civil servants.

“By partnering with the Korean government, we are not just learning theory; we are all about absorbing decades of practical global experience.

“We must ensure that our services reach the last mile, ensuring that people in the village can have access to the internet and technology as well as the tech experts in the city.

“We are starting this year with a very clear intention to move beyond simply talking about technology to mastering the framework to make technology work for the people of Nigeria,” he said.

The senior deputy country director, KOICA, Nigeria Office, Ki-Hyun Baik, said that the training programme was a core component of KOICA’s broader e-Governance project in Nigeria.

Mr Baik said that it was designed to systematically strengthen the capacity of government officials to plan, implement, and manage digital government systems across Nigeria.

According to him, KOICA has trained both federal and state civil servants in digital service delivery.

He said that KOICA had delivered e-government capacity-building programmes across five states namely: Nasarawa, Cross River, Jigawa, Lagos and Enugu, with Bauchi being next in line.

He applauded the minister of communications, innovation and digital economy, Bosun Tijani, for organising DevsInGovernment programme to shape the digital future of Nigeria.

“I just had a meeting with the minister, and I remember how he mentioned and actually accentuated the importance of DevsInGovernment for shaping the future of Nigeria in the digital sector.

“The project deliberately integrates federal-level and sub-national interventions to ensure consistency, scalability and long-term sustainability.

“Collectively, the programme has trained appropriately 1,000 government officials at state-levels,” he said.

(NAN)