The Federal Government, National Assembly, and Judiciary have agreed to implement a comprehensive Digital First Governance policy aimed at improving service delivery across public institutions in Nigeria. The decision was announced in a communiqué issued after the inaugural National GovTech Policy Roundtable held at the National Assembly Library and Resource Centre in Abuja.
The communiqué was jointly signed by the Chief of Staff to the Deputy Speaker, Sam Hart mni, and the Director for Africa at Govtech Africa Inc., Fortune Toma. The event was themed Digital First Governance Rethinking How Nigerian Governments Serve Engage and Deliver.
The roundtable was jointly organized by Govtech Africa Inc., the Office of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the National Assembly Library Trust Fund. It brought together stakeholders from the executive, legislature, judiciary, private sector, and development organizations.
Participants identified institutional and cultural challenges as the major obstacles to digital transformation in Nigeria rather than technology itself. Discussions focused on poor implementation of policies, duplication of digital systems, weak interoperability among government agencies, and the lack of sustainable enforcement mechanisms.
Under the new policy direction, all government digital services must reduce time, cost, and difficulties faced by citizens. The conference also stressed that accessibility for persons with disabilities, people in areas with poor internet connectivity, and citizens with low digital literacy would become a key measure of success.
The conference further declared the National Digital Economy and e Governance Bill a national legislative emergency and urged the National Assembly to speed up its passage. Participants also called on the President to give assent without delay.
Among the resolutions reached was the immediate migration of federal and state officials from commercial email services to Galaxy Backbone’s GovMail platform. The National Assembly is expected to lead the transition beginning with the Office of the Deputy Speaker.
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