The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim, has commissioned an e-Government Training Center, a brand new 36-seater Hyundai Bus as well as a 260 KVA Generator set to provide uninterrupted electricity to the Centre.

The Centre is located at the premises of the Public Service Institute of Nigeria (PSIN), it was built and donated to the Nigeria by the Korea Government through the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) for the capacity building of e-Government in Nigeria.

Performing the ceremony on Friday at the Public Service Institute in Abuja, Pantami conveyed President Muhammadu Buhari sincere appreciation to the Republic of Korea Government and her Ambassador to Nigeria, Major Gen. Lee In-tae (rtd), for this intervention, adding that the e-Government Centre will go a long way in bridging the gap in the training and retraining needs of Civil Servants in Nigeria.

He reiterated that President Buhari on October 17, 2019 re-designated the Ministry of Communication to Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy to allow for the expansion of the scope of the Ministry and its parastatals toward changing the perceptions of Nigerians about the role and mandate of the Ministry in alignment with global best practice and the Federal Government’s Economic Recovery Growth Plan (ERGP).

He noted that retaining the former name would mean that “the Ministry was more on how to provide ICT but with the new nomenclature, the Ministry will now convert ICT and utilise it for economic benefits for both individual level and official purpose,” adding: “ICT today is not just about Socialisation or conveying a message but how we can utilise it to promote our economy.”

Dr. Patanmi said that e-Government is all about digital economy and that is why the Ministry and its Parastatals have been mandated to implement e-Government in Nigeria and Federal Executive Council has approved e-government Master plan for the country.

According to him, with the successful completion and commissioning of the e-Government Centre, a standing Committee will be inaugurated to manage the centre and ensure that Civil Servants are train in batches with the anticipation that by 2022 or 2023 all Civil Servants in Nigeria would have been fully trained.

The Minister disclosed that the Ministry has commenced the process of securing another grant from the Korea Government for the second phase of the e-Government Centre in Nigeria. He called on the Korea Ambassador to Nigeria and Ministry of Budget and National planning to intervene and ensure its success.

He eulogised the pioneer Director of the Centre, Dr. Geoon, who passed away before the completion of the edifice adding that his contributions would remain in indelible in the hearts of stakeholders and to serve as a memorial, he renamed the Centre as Dr. Geoon Multipurpose Centre.

Earlier, the Country Director of KOICA, Woochan Chang, said that the commissioning of the e-Government Centre was historic being that the Centre was as a result of the partnership between his government and Nigeria. He added that KOICA has injected about $8.45m in the project and about $1m to refurbish the Centre to serve as excellent training Centre for Nigerians.

The event also witnessed the closing ceremony and presentation of certificates to participants who had undergone a four week training programme and awards to best instructors have in attendance the CEOs of the agencies under the Ministry.

•PHOTO: Minister of Communications & Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Ibrahim (Patanmi), and stakeholders during the commissioning of the e-government training centre in Abuja