The Global Chief Public Services Industry Scientist, Enterprise Business Group of Huawei Technologies Co Limited, Mr Hong-Eng Koh, has said that for Nigeria to achieve eGovernment, it needs to centralize its portal.
Koh made this submission at the Nigeria eGovernment Summit 2021 in Lagos themed ‘eGovernment Adoption in Nigeria: Opportunities and Challenges’.
The Electronic government (e-Government) is the application of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to government functions and procedures with the purpose of increasing efficiency, transparency and citizen participation.
While noting that the internet has become pervasive, Koh said that several countries has connected to e-Government due to security threats and waves of money and added that
being user-centric was the most important reason.
To achieve eGovernment, he explained that Nigeria needs a single portal, as eGovernment satisfies unwilling customers, and not just dreaming on wide imaginations without bringing it to pass.
Koh noted that United Nations’ standard on the stages of eGovernment includes having an Internet, enhancing eGovernment, interacting online, being transactional and citizen-centric, as well as collaborating to make unwilling customers willing.
“You need collaborations between the governments, privates and the citizens. Every government transaction is a means to an end because with digital transformation, the government can connect the means to an end.”, Koh explained.
While emphasising on how eGovernment works in Singapore, Koh said there were many things Nigeria needed to do to transform eGovernment.
“You guys are all experts and professionals in your field. You must think of your own vision. You must think of your own services, how to make your unwilling customers to be willing.
“It is not just improving returns on investment, more needs to be done.You have to redefine your vision. You have to redefine your organisations. To do that, you have to satisfy unwilling customers and improve the efficiency of current solutions.
“Data transformation is all about people, location, object, events and organisations. Most projects fail, not because of planning but people,” he said.
According to him, Huawei’s technology can support the Nigerian eGovernment drive initiative.
The event was attended by stakeholders from different sectors, including the Nigerian Communications Commission, Federal Inland Revenue Service, States Internal Revenue Services, Lagos State Government, Association of Licensed Operators of Nigeria, Association of Telecoms Companies of Nigeria, National Information Technology Development Agency, Information Communications Technology companies and other agencies of government