The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said the state is brimming with opportunities for the deployment of smart technologies, especially as it makes progress in developing the Benin City Masterplan and Edo Regional Development Plan, a 30-year project to transform the state into the best place to live, work, learn and relax.
The governor said this while making a presentation at the 2023 Smart City Summit and Expo (SCSE) in Taipei, Taiwan, tagged “Digital Transformation & Green Transition”.
The event taking place in Taipei and Kaohsiung from March 28th to April 1st, 2023 is expected to bring together over 150,000 visitors and more than 600 exhibitors, with 1,000 matchmaking sessions and over 60 forums.
According to the governor, the state government has driven reforms across various sectors of the state by prioritizing digital transformation, green transition, and redefining living spaces.
He said the state is developing a new city known as Coral City as well as the Edo Museum for West African Art (EMOWAA) and deepening digital infrastructure and would welcome investors to tap from the vast opportunities provided by the ambitious plans.
On the government’s effort at promoting e-governance, he said, “We have attained full automation of government processes; increased operational efficiencies and public service delivery; transformed public service delivery by streamlining operations; enabled remote working in a secure environment, and are saving the planet by going paperless.”
The governor reeled out achievements in deploying technology to improve healthcare and education and the far-reaching investment in the state’s digital infrastructure, such as the 1,200km fibre infrastructure being extended across the state’s 18 local councils.
He said different plans are in place to transform the state into a modern living space including the medical masterplan, education masterplan, agric masterplan (Edo Oil Palm Programme), technology masterplan, transport masterplan, and tourism masterplan like EMOWAA, Benin Creative and Cultural District and Film Village.
Obaseki noted that the EMOWAA is a world-class centre for heritage management, research and innovation in the heart of the historic city of Benin, the capital of Edo State.
“It will host the collections facility, the archeological and materials science lab, the digital collections and resources centre, and a space for learning and exchange,” he said.
