In line with its goal of digitising 75 percent of public services by 2027, the Federal Government of Nigeria is proceeding with plans to create a one-stop digital platform to enhance government services.
The National Information Technology Development Agency or NITDA is in charge of the digitisation, as part of efforts to promote transparency, strengthen governance, and improve service delivery.
The information was revealed in a statement released on Monday following the reception at NITDA’s Abuja offices by its Director-General, Kashifu Inuwa, of a delegation from the Ukrainian Embassy in Nigeria, headed by Ambassador Ivan Kholostenko.
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Possible areas of cooperation between Nigeria and Ukraine
In order to promote e-governance and expedite government procedures, the talks centred on possible areas of cooperation between Nigeria and Ukraine.
Inuwa claims that NITDA’s one-stop-shop digital portal will act as a focal point for obtaining government services, lowering red tape, and boosting productivity.
According to Inuwa, the drive for a unified digital government services platform has been rekindled despite years of attempts to establish one, including the OneGov.net program. This is due to a reinvigorated commitment and in-depth research into international best practices.
“NITDA has been playing a pivotal role in shaping the design, standard guidelines, and implementation strategies towards this initiative,” he said.
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Digital public services model from Kenya and United Kingdom
Inuwa emphasised that the organisation is still studying effective models from nations like Kenya and the United Kingdom.
“We have been studying how these nations have implemented unified digital government services. While such models are not entirely transferable, we can learn from their experiences to develop a framework that works for Nigeria,” he stated.
Inuwa underlined the necessity of regulatory frameworks to provide a smooth and legally supported transition.
He pointed out that NITDA has identified a number of models in which certain governments deliver services entirely through legally-backed portals, while others do so through application programming interfaces.
“If we want to achieve this, we need to have these laws in place and begin the process of enacting them to facilitate a smooth and effective digital transformation,” he added.
According to Mr. Kholostenko’s statement, Ukraine has a digital platform called the Diia application, which is an ecosystem that includes all state databases and registers and is able to provide all state and government services for citizens in a single location.
He said that his nation’s Ministry of Digital Transformation intends to broaden the initiative’s scope and offer other nations complete assistance in setting up a system of that kind.