By Ladi Patrick-Okwoli
Federal Government has said that ensuring public-private partnership was critical to achieving the needed improvement in public service delivery, as well as the 70 percent digitalisation target.
Ibrahim Adeyanju, the Director of General of Galaxy Backbone (GBB) stated this at the one-day 1Government Cloud digitalisation retreat for Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government on Thursday in Abuja.
According to him, the Commission remained committed to a vision of improving service delivery for citizens by providing a single Government Service Portal which would provide access to services from all Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government.
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Adeyanju said, “We expect collaboration within the public and private sectors to achieve 70 percent digitalisation in Nigeria by 2025.
He said in a bid to fulfil its mandate, the GBB introduced 1Government Cloud, which is a combination of Infrastructure and Software.
He said as a Service Framework it was aimed at providing the Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) with the software and secure data storage they require.
He informed that this would be
through a standard unified interface following best practice to support the Federal Civil Service Strategy Implementation Plan 2025 (FCSSIP 25).
“This vision can only be achieved through the speedy digitalisation of the MDAs.
“For those of you who know us, you will agree with me that the newest entry to our cloud solutions is the Software as a Service.
“The 1Government Cloud Software as a Service framework has been set up to enable the speedy digitalisation of the MDAs.
“In the bid to fulfil our mandate, we have evolved into a Cloud services and Integrated Technology Solution Company, with operations related to being an enabler, platform and aggregator of digital services,” he said.
In his remarks, Faruk Yabo, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, stressed the need for Nigeria to take charge of its Data Sovereignty to ensure sensitive national data is secured and saved
“Data sovereignty rules must be wholly governed by Nigeria, ensuring that our sensitive national data is not subject to the regulations or access rights of other governments or foreign technology providers.
“This autonomy is crucial for maintaining the integrity and security of our national digital infrastructure.
Yabo noted that embracing digitisation through partnerships with local Nigerian companies will support the country’s economy and create jobs.
According to him, by leveraging indigenous talent and solutions, the Civil Service not only enhances its digital capabilities but also fosters national economic growth and innovation.”
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He said the Civil Service handles sensitive information that requires secure and compliant software solutions so there is a need to Partner with indigenous public and private sector players.
He noted that these players operating at global standards allow the government to exert greater control over the security of its software, ensuring robust protection for its data.
While advocating for a centralised government digital front for Civil Servants to access workflows, he acknowledged the need for individual MDAs to maintain their autonomy.
He added to future-proof our response to new technological innovations, our base government solutions will provide a framework for secure integration through APIs over a secure network.
“This includes the ability to request specific functional enhancements unique to their operations, ensuring a balance between uniformity and customisation.
“This approach encourages local development and maintenance of software, avoiding dependency on expensive commercial software licenses and enhancing technological self-reliance.
The retreat was tagged: “Presidential Priorities 8: “Improved Governance for Effective Service Delivery”
