The Edo State Government has concluded plans to train 3,000 workers in ICT skills in its bid to strengthen their capacity to deliver efficient and quality service to Edo people.
The Edo State Head of Service, Anthony Okungbowa Esq., made this known when he met with delegates from Technology for Social Change Development Initiative (Tech 4 Dev) in his office at Government House, Benin City.
He noted that the Godwin Obaseki-led administration has adopted various measures to ensure that every Edo worker is technologically equipped and enhanced for optimal service delivery.
“We have been working round the clock to ensure that we have e-governance 100 percent at all levels of our work and have succeeded tremendously, under the leadership of His Excellency, Governor Godwin Obaseki,” Okungbowa said.
“Government has also ensured that fibre optics are extended to every part of the 18 local government areas of the state to enable every Edo citizen have access to the internet.
“Mr. Governor has said that for everyone in the service who is not enabled to use the computer, there will be need to engage such a one and provide the support they require for them to do so.
“If you can’t use the computer, what this means is that you cannot use the e-governance platform and the ability to use the e-governance has become a condition precedent in performance evaluation for workers,” he said.
Also speaking, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Digital Economy, Abieyuwa Napoleon, enumerated efforts by her ministry and the partnering institution to develop workers’ capacity. She harped on the need to co-create a learning curriculum between Edo State Government and Tech 4 Dev management for a user/trainee-focused learning system.
Founder/President, Tech for Dev, Mr Joel Ogunsola, explained that his organization focuses on institutional strengthening for digital economy, noting that the organisation was willing to partner with the state government to train civil/public servants to upscale their digital skills and also to work with Edo State Government to domesticate the National Digital Economy Policy.
Present at the meeting were Permanent Secretaries, including George Igberaese (Human Resource), Solomon Imoihisen (Communicational and Orientation), Birgitta Okodugha (Information and Communication Technology Agency – ICTA), as well as its Managing Director, Mr Goodluck Igbinedion, among others.
