The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said the government will, in 2023, support the take-off of the permanent site for the Edo Tech Park and other skills development initiatives so as to equip the youths with requisite skills to make the state the outsourcing capital of Africa.

Obaseki, while speaking to journalists in Benin City, said his administration is deploying technology in the government and investing in technology infrastructure and software to ensure technology adoption across the service.

He said, “In 2023, we will continue to emphasize and invest in technology, which is why we hope to support the take-off of the permanent site for the Edo Tech Park and other Skills Development Initiatives so as to equip our youths with requisite skills to make Edo State the outsourcing capital of Africa.

“The skills development programme will benefit from partnerships with international partners, who have expressed readiness to work with us in building technical skills across local councils in the state.”

The governor added, “We have shown a rare knack for deploying technology in the government. This is why we have and are investing in the infrastructure and software to ensure technology adoption across the service.

“We would be expanding the Edo-Gov 2.0 interface with – Oracle, e-Procurement, GIS, ERAS, all geared towards ensuring that the business of government is done swiftly and revenue administration is enhanced to meet set targets. Our goal is that by the end of 2023 up to 30% of government services will be offered online.”

On human resource development, Obaseki noted, “In order to achieve our goal of building the most agile and efficient public service in West Africa, we will continue to train our workforce and cater to their welfare.

“We are intensifying hiring of the best hands across board, through the efficient implementation of our HR Strategy, Performance Management System and Learning & Development Plan. This ensures that the John Odigie Oyegun Training Academy lives up to its expectations and serves to train civil servants in the best way possible for optimum service delivery. We are also enhancing and expanding the workspace for MDAs across the State.”